Green Options

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The New York Times had a brief and POOR-ly titled article on the White House’s recent (and surprisingly factual) report on climate change.
The article’s title “White House: Poor Face Health Risks From Warming” may cause a reader to dismiss the article, and thus the report, in a “phew-atleast-I-don’t-face-health-risks” manner. In fact, the 271 page report forecasts coming severe weather, water shortages, heat waves and a whole slew of bad tidings for the entire world and all who dwell in, on, and over it (not just the poor). It’s a shame the report took so long–but I think it should be required reading for every american.
If only to search for Bush’s many spelling and grammar errors…

I read this terrific article in the LA Times last week. It had handwriting experts analyze the signatures of the three presidential candidates. One glaring exclusion was the analysis of our current commander in chief. So, I called (drawed) in an expert to fill that void. Here’s what he had to say:

I am typically an optimistic, hopeful fella. But, a recent look at NRDC’s Bush Record, and a peek at Bush’s Orwellian “Clear Skies Act“, and this recent study on the environmental apathy of US citizens have turned my blue skies gray.

This bout with pessimism led to the poem and morbid cartoon after the break. But, let it be known that writing and art are outlets–we all need outlets or we’ll go MAD!–and I’m feeling optimistic again.

I have faith that Barack Obama will get elected. And that he’ll make a change for the better (it could hardly get worse). The biggest thing I like about Barack is the excitement he brings to our democracy–hopefully enough so that people will become an active part of the political process each day, as opposed to each election cycle. Afterall, that is the worst time to get a feel for what being a part of a democracy is all about. As Mark Twain once said:

“If we would learn what the human race really is at bottom, we need only observe it in election times.”

Note: The following poem and cartoon are a direct result of reading the “Clear Skies Act” and the NRDC Bush Record on air quality, and then wondering: “When will a change ever truly take place?”

We learned it in Kindergarten–”If you make a mess, CLEAN IT UP!”

Especially if that mess is the gasoline additive MTBE, a possible carcinogen that has leaked into our groundwater. It’s been around since 1979 (ironically, when I was in kindergarten) and is now banned in 23 states, and has not been used by oil companies since 2006.

For more on the 423 million dollar law suit requiring Big Oil to pay big money, check out this article in Grist–after you take a peek at my cartoon, of course…

HG Wells said, “When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the human race.” I agree.

Hate rising gas prices? Ride your bike! In cities like Copenhagen and Amsterdam they seem to outnumber cars. Portland and Chicago are catching up. People of all ages, all over the world ride them daily to school, work, the store, a friend’s house…

It’s THE #1 solution to rising gas prices, yet our fearless leader won’t even mention it.

Stupid, weak, bicycle lobbying groups…

Melting ice makes life difficult for those who live on it. Just ask the Polar Bear. There are endless signs of the reality of climate change (global warming). Few more definitive than the plight of the polar bear.

There’s great info in this Treehugger article by our very own Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, and the NRDC has created polarbearSOS.org so you can get involved and stay informed about the reality of climate change as it relates to the polar bear.

Life as they once new it, is ending. And they never had the opportunity to see it coming…

The National Resource Defense Council keeps a Bush Record here. I was reading the section on National Forests and Roadless Areas and was relieved to think his reign of environmental destruction will soon come to an end.
Then I thought–damn, he did a lot of damage in 8 years!!!
Then I thought of this…

…while Mother Nature plays the streets for chump change.

Even in this economic down turn, oil companies are still making record profits!

Is it sad that I dream of a day when we are exploited by the renewable energy industry?

This cartoon popped in my head after reading colleague Tim Hurst’s article “Feds Issue Waiver of Environmental Rules for Border Fence” in Red Green and Blue last week.

Other motivation for this cartoon comes from the historical (and current) treatment of native Americans, and this unsourced quote from MAD Magazine: “The suburbs are where they cut down all the trees and then name the streets after them!”

Both of our “green” democratic candidates were recently heard stumping for “clean” coal technologies! I have two big problems with this: 1. There is no such thing as “clean” coal (see #2), And, 2. We are decades away from clean “coal” technology being widely deployed anyway. In the same amount of time we could deploy an arsenal of solar and wind farms that could give us a similar amount of electricity without the mercury, carbon, and particulate pollution. All the while, keeping our mountains in tact!

“Clean” Coal is a joke — so this cartoon pretty much writes itself…

This cartoon was inspired by Bush’s recent intervention to weaken limits of smog-forming ozone in our air.

John Walke, the Clean Air director for the National Resources Defense Council, called the intervention an “unprecedented and unlawful act of political interference”.

With all due respect Mr. Walke, after the past 7 years unprecedented and unlawful moves seem to be the norm.