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Civil Resistance as a Moral ImperativeTo Save Life on Earth
Peter Nightingale
Department of Physics, University of Rhode IslandFossil Free Rhode Island
http://phys.uri.edu/nigh/peacedale-11-19-2016
November 28, 2016
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
How did I get here?
Holland post-WWII: silence = complicityTheoretical physics: instabilities & catastrophe theoryTipping point ↔ instability ↔ catastropheLike earth quakes, no precursors: you don’t see themcoming
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
Laws of climate science
In the long run, climate change depends on thecumulative total CO2 humanity has added to theatmosphereWhere and when do not matter
James Hansen (1981–2013 head of the NASA’s GoddardInstitute) et al., Assessing “Dangerous Climate Change”:Required Reduction of Carbon Emissions to Protect YoungPeople, Future Generations and Nature; also see (short,popular version)
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
Who done it?
From Hansen & Sato, Regional climate change and nationalresponsibilities
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
Welcome to the anthropocene!
Extreme weather: 45 years ago 0.3% of the time; now 15%Hansen & Sato, Regional climate change and nationalresponsibilities
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
Shifting climate bell curves
Unless somebody asks about the details, we’ll skip them:Video: James Hansen on wrecking the climate
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
Cryosphere melting
1 West Antarctic Ice Sheet is collapsing. Time scale: century2 Indications that the AMOC (Atlantic Meridional Overturning
Circulation) is breaking down:weather patterns in the North Atlantic will changedramaticallyU.S. East Coast sea level rise
3 Arctic Report Card – Death Certificate?Extensive regions of the the Arctic, the “weather kitchen ofthe globe,” have warmed up by more than 3◦C (5.4◦F)Minimum sea ice extent in September 2015 was 29% lessthan during 1981-2010
4 Region of East Antarctic is disintegrating. Time scale:decade
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
Arctic Sea Ice – 2016
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
Antarctic Sea Ice – 2016
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
AMOC running amok
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
CO2: 1750-today
2.2% increase per year since 1750
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
Greenhouse gas emission reduction scenarios
Based on Hansen et. al., Assessing “Dangerous ClimateChange”: Required Reduction of Carbon Emissions to ProtectYoung People, Future Generations and Nature; also see (short,popular version)
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
Victims of climate chaos
Video: Yeb Saño pleads for drastic reduction of greenhouse gasemissions after Super Typhoon Haiyan ravages the Philippines.(Youtube: COP 23, Warsaw, Poland, November 2013)
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
Politicians & ethics I
Video: Senator jack Reed, is ethics esoteric and for wimps?(Video courtesy Rhody Sierran)Focus on:
the pocket booknational security
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
Global climate justice
Atiq Rahman, executive director of the Bangladesh Center forAdvanced Studies
These migrants should have the right to move to thecountries from which all these greenhouse gases arecoming. Millions should be able to go to the UnitedStates.
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
Neo-colonialism
REDD+ = Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forestDegradation + Cap and Trade
Global Alliance of Indigenous Peoples and LocalCommunities on Climate Change against REDD+ and forLife:
‘Ultimately, REDD+ may try to include andexpropriate the entire surface of the Earthincluding most of the forests, soils, fields,grasslands, deserts, wetlands, mangroves,marine algae and oceans to use them as spongesfor industrialized countries’ pollution.
Video: REDD+ in Africa
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
AFRICOM
“Let a myriad of lily pads bloom!” U.S. military outposts, portfacilities, etc. in Africa (Nick Turse/TomDispatch, 2015)
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
Obama: all-of-the-above
State of the Onion, 2012:Video: “Huzzah for Saudi America!”
The President’s Climate Action Plan–June 2013:Natural Gas. Burning natural gas is aboutone-half as carbon-intensive as coal, which canmake it a critical bridge fuel for many countries asthe world transitions to even cleaner sources ofenergy.
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
RI: all-out all-of-the-above
Governor Raimondo supports expansion of the fracked gasinfrastructure:
Press release:I am committed to moving ahead withcost-effective, regional energy infrastructureprojects – including expansion of natural gascapacity – that will improve our business climateand create new opportunities for Ocean Stateworkers. [emphasis added]
Power plant proposed in Burrillville (quoted in ecoRI):The only silver lining of climate change, if there isone, is that if we take action and get ahead of it,we can create jobs. [emphasis added]
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
Bad science
Robert Howarth: Clean Power Plan is based on bad scienceIn Video: Gasland 2Peer-reviewed scientific literature:
both shale gas and conventional natural gashave a larger GHG [greenhouse gas footprint]than do coal or oil, for any possible use
Fracked-gas links are here.
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
Science details
CH4 + O2 → CO2 + 2H2OHalf-life of CH4 in atmosphere: 7 yearsper unit mass, compared to CO2, CH4 is more than 100times as potent a greenhouse gas in real time
horizon CO2 equivalent sourcereal time 108 IPCC100 year 34 IPCC20 year 86 IPCC100 year 25 U.S. Congress
IPCC: Anthropogenic and Natural Radiative Forcing (PDF page56)U.S. Congress: Table A–1 Subpart A of Part 98 – GlobalWarming Potentials
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
Frackonomics
Clean Power Plan: The market will bail us out!. . . fully consistent with the recent changes and currenttrends in electricity generation, and as a result, wouldby no means entail fundamental redirection of theenergy sector. [emphasis added]
Federal Register/ Vol. 80, No. 205/Friday, October 23,2015/Rules and Regulations, page 64785
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
Effect of Clean Power Plan
A thought experiment:Completely switch today from coal and oil to natural gasLet global energy consumption continue its growth sincethe beginning of the industrial revolution
What will happen, accounting for:Per unit energy produced burning gas emits half theamount of CO2
Compared to CO2, escaping unburned CH4 is more than100 times as powerful greenhouse gasCH4 has a half-life of 7 years
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
CH4 – 3% escapes
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
CH4 – 5% escapes
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
CH4 – 10% escapes
Howarth’s latest estimate: 12% of natural gas escapesunburned over full life cycle.
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
Victims of FERC’s fracking
FERC: Federal Energy Regulatory CommissionVideo: Traffic in ColoradoVideo: Pan Cakes, FERC’d in PennsylvaniaVideo: Terry Greenwood, R.I.P., Really FERC’d inPennsylvania
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
Politicians & ethics II
Ethics and accountability according to Rhode IslandClimate Champ, Video: Senator Sheldon WhitehouseStrange priorities: the “sanctity” of the process of RhodeIsland Energy Siting Board overrules the U.S. Constitution
Video courtesy RI Future
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
Article VI of the US Constitution
. . . all treaties made, or which shall be made, underthe authority of the United States, shall be thesupreme law of the land; and the judges in every stateshall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution orlaws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding . . .
Natural law: policies must be based on 350 ppm CO2 and1◦C (1.8◦F)Human law: . . . or violate precautionary Principle 15 of the1992 Rio Declaration, signed, ratified, supreme law of theland (Article VI, U.S. Constitution)
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
Constitution of NH: Article 10. Right of Revolution
Government being instituted for the common benefit,protection, and security, of the whole community, andnot for the private interest or emolument of any oneman, family, or class of men; therefore, whenever theends of government are perverted, and public libertymanifestly endangered, and all other means of redressare ineffectual, the people may, and of right ought toreform the old, or establish a new government. Thedoctrine of nonresistance against arbitrary power, andoppression, is absurd, slavish, and destructive of thegood and happiness of mankind.
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
Youth sues the government
Moyers & Company
The very agencies created to protect our environmenthave been hijacked by the polluting industries theywere meant to regulate.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is acaptured “regulatory” agencyThe judiciary has abdicated its responsibility & hides behind:
1 Lack of standing2 Statutory minutiae3 Adminstrative deference doctrine
Video: Nature’s Trust
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
Sidewalk7 & FERC4
Video: Rubber Stamp Rebellion: May 16, 2016Paypal: [email protected]: FERC4 Legal Defense Fund52 Nichols RdKingston, RI 02881
There are green, yellow, and red roles in civil resistance; manycan participate in non-arrestable, vital roles.
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
Elegy for the Arctic
Video: Greenpeace and Ludovico Einaudi mourn the melting ofthe Arctic Ocean
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
Wisdom of the Fathers
1 Wendell Berry in The Dying of the Trees</i> by Charles E.Little:
Whether we and our politicians know it or not,Nature is party to all our deals and decisions, andshe has more votes, a longer memory, and asterner sense of justice than we do.
2 Saul Alinsky in Rules for Radicals:Change means movement. Movement meansfriction. Only in the frictionless vacuum of anonexistent abstract world can movement orchange occur without that abrasive friction ofconflict.
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
Wisdom of the Fathers
1 Bertrand Russell in Political Ideals:Institutions which will diminish the sway of greedare possible, but only through a completereconstruction of our whole economic system.Capitalism and the wage system must beabolished; they are twin monsters which areeating up the life of the world.
Peter Nightingale To Save Life on Earth: Civil Resistance as a Moral Imperative
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