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Demonstrators Demand 'Clean Energy Revolution' on Eve of Dem Convention

#1

Demonstrators Demand 'Clean Energy Revolution' on Eve of Dem Convention

Jon Queally, staff writer

With plenty of overlap between them, both climate justice campaigners and supporters of Bernie Sanders held marches and rallies in downtown Philadelphia on Sunday, making their presence and political demands heard a day before the Democratic National Convention officially kicks off.

Under a banner calling for a "Clean Energy Revolution," the climate march put a focus on key shortcomings when it comes to the Democratic Party's commitment to addressing an increasingly hot planet.

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#4

“Not Afraid to Go Green!” You bet. Time to shut this phony convention and prostitute party down.

#5

Here’s what i posted in the “Views” thread under the Mark Schlosberg article promoting this march:

“Clean energy” is not clean. It is not fossil fuels, and that is great, but “clean energy” is PR talk.

Massive mining of “rare earth” minerals; massive infrastructure projects (not just directly for energy infrastructure, but ongoing growth of everything that energy fuels); massive disruption of human communities and ecosystems; ongoing growth of “the economy” and maintenance of the “endless growth” model that is destroying ecosystems and dis-integrating the ecology.

It should be called what it is: non-carbon energy, or non-fossil energy. More specifically, wind, solar, tidal, and geothermal energy.

Related points i’ve made before in these comments:

  • “Climate Chaos” only kicked in (in an experientially and empirically obvious way) little more than a dozen years ago. But the “mass extinction” event that we are in the midst of, began long before climate chaos kicked in. That should be a clue that “solving” energy, and even “solving” climate, WILL NOT “solve” mass extinction.
  • The main engine of ecosystem dis-integration and mass extinction is LAND USE. Human “development” of chemical industrial commodity agriculture, and human “development” of cities and transportation infrastructure, are the PRIMARY DRIVERS of the mass extinction that is underway. Just in the 40 years 1975 - 2005 - (right up to the doorstep of climate chaos kicking in) - half of all animal wildlife on Earth vanished. “Fixing” energy - without massive other changes in the economy and in human impact on the Earth - will do nothing to arrest mass extinction.
  • We need a MASSIVE REDUCTION in “the economy.” We need to abolish “growth” as the measure of “economic success.” We need WAY LESS STUFF. And we need to live our lives, our actual lives, using our minds and our hands and our relationships, as ecological stewards, so that our actual contributions to the ecology of the Earth actually contribute to the ecology of the Earth.

Complete transformation of the whole economy - not just the fossil fuel energy sector - is necessary if we are to avert the ecological collapse that is already happening.

Fantasies of a “clean energy revolution” “saving the Earth” are fantasies. We need realism, with a realistic assessment of what is causing ecological collapse, and a realistic prescription for averting ecological collapse.

#8

Full-fledged street demonstrations for serious climate action like this one in Philadelphia are what is needed in every major city in the country. Many older people like me–pushing 70–who have been demonstrating against climate change and donating to that fight locally, can’t travel to DC or NY (820 to 900 miles respectively). Moreover, simultaneous demonstrations all across the nation would likely be more effective.

Here in southern Wisconsin, we have several groups working against the Enbridge tar sands pipeline that is now pumping 1,200,000 bpd (far more than was ever slated for the Keystone XL) the entire length of the state. Enbridge is now adding a twin tar sands pipeline scheduled to eventually pump another 800,000 bpd coming across Minnesota from the Athabaska tar sands region in Alberta, Canada. Unfortunately, we have had little or no help in that fight from people or groups outside our state. But we are growing as more people learn what is at stake.

I think we have some time, but, after reading Naomi Klein’s article of 4/6/16 in _The Nation_magazine, we don’t have a whole lot. We need to get our act in gear now. The sooner we act in concert, the better. That’s the upshot of what Michael Mann said on Thom Hartmann’s show recently…

#9

Clean energy revolution plus…system transformation (energy, economic, social, political)

#10

Something like the Great Depression? That wasn’t too much fun apparently…

#11

No.

Something like a reality-based approach to meeting “human needs” in ways that uphold “ecological necessities.”

Something like an economy designed to distribute shelter, food, water, and health care to everyone.

Rather than an economy designed to distribute all wealth and power to a tiny minority pitting all against all in murderous “markets” for shelter, food, water, and health care. Markets designed to enrich and empower the tiniest minority.

Answer me Lamonte7:

How is it that worker “productivity” as measured by economists has done nothing but increase steadily for the past 5 decades, while over the same 5 decades, worker share of the value of production has done nothing but shrink?

How is it that the “owners” of HALF THE “WEALTH” IN THE WORLD, can fit on a single airplane?

#13

Love your post… it is ssssoooo true…

#14

Great response… I am so… upset/angry about so many issues… I can’t post much any more… your words are good.

#15

Thanks and blessings TI.

There are more people all the time who begin to see what is what. There is more opportunity all the time for people to see it. We need to support each other as our numbers grow.

#16

Among the only effective methods to “unleash the private sector” for this purpose:

A law, mandating that government procurement at every level of government, purchase non-fossil fuel energy and build non-fossil fuel energy infrastructure. Including non-governmental parties on contract to the government.

#17

I think that’s already been tried. Been there myself. Not as bad as the Great Depression but it still sucked. Works fine at the beginning when everybody is still gung-ho about it but slowly people realize they don’t really have to work to live out their mediocre lives so output plummets and everybody is miserable.

To answer your question, i point you t the quality of life 50 years ago and now. Not sure how “value of production” is calculated but today almost every household has huge HDTV, mobile phone, internet, can afford to fly on airplane etc.

That’s on;y bad if you really care about that. I really don’t give a flying (pun intended). I look at what i can do and make my life better and do it to the best of my abilities. Helps more than whining.

#18

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#20

Where are the proposals for a meglev type train system. See Essays 17 and 18 in The Zeitgeist Movement Defined.

#22

There won’t be any Clean Energy Revolution with FRACKING right wing Democrats in the mix. That’s for sure.

#23

Think of all the good that could come of it IF they were indeed all on a single airplane and someone had a Stinger.

#25

“The main engine of ecosystem dis-integration and mass extinction is LAND USE. Human “development” of chemical industrial commodity agriculture, and human “development” of cities and transportation infrastructure, are the PRIMARY DRIVERS of the mass extinction that is underway…”
This is a key point and one that seems to be totally ignored by all the supposed Environmentalists who tout the electric private 2 ton car as any serious Green solution. Auto Addiction takes up 10 x the land as Rail, bicycling or walking. It also consumes huge amounts of metals, plastics, rubber for over 300 Million 2 ton private cars in the US. Auto Addiction is directly responsible for 70% of US oil usage (still 30% imported!!) and 35% of greenhouse emissions - i.e. as much as the energy sector. In my own state of NJ under Koch sponsored Gov Christie’s cuts to Green public transit and transfer of over $7 Billion to highway expansion Auto Addiction is now conceded to be 46% by Christie’s own DEP.
see NJ Green Emissions
The roots of Oil Addiction are Auto Addiction and surburban sprawl which is the biggest destroyer of Green lands and ecosystems in the USA.
We need to restore Green Transit Rail ASAP for a whole host of reasons… NOT Auto addiction via private electric cars!

#26

Yes, that is very important, the support … because even people in your own family do not support you… they just think you’re a kook…