Dec. 7 talk about Artificial intelligence

Merely changing from fossil fuels  to electric cars is not a winning strategy. For one thing, right now electricity is mostly produced by natural gas and in many places by coal.  For another a massive demand for lithium and other minerals may cause a “green colonialism” as the powerful countries ravage poorer countries and indigenous areas for what they need. The 20th century idea of prosperity being a “new car in every garage” is a now a mistake and a danger. For the sake of a livable climate for humans and other animals we need mass transportation.  The most energy efficient electric vehicle is the bus.  Big buses for long trips and small buses or vans to pick up people from their homes.

Click here  for Simon Pirani's remarks about  a free bus campaign in London

The state of Karnataka in southwest India has a population of 61 million.  It  started a program in 2023 where women can travel on its buses for free.  Here's a video about it. [For some reason everyone uses the word "scheme" when talking about the program.  In the U.S. a "scheme" is something crooked.  ]

https://youtu.be/7m55bWD59_E?feature=shared

Here's three videos about electric powered buses.

Finland

https://youtu.be/mF-Tw0BsaxE?si=ITh6TG-g4EzwWYfo

London

https://youtu.be/1kJf0-lUoRw?si=4C3nDx6_g4DhVaLu

Top 10 Electric Buses 2021

https://youtu.be/jghNvTW6zqE?si=C_16UcrPLzRqLW7_

Now just going to free electric buses would cause problems.  A number of places had free buses after COVID moderated as a way to get people to use buses again.  It was a mixed blessing.  To some extent the buses became a place where people would go who were unhoused, unemployed or having psychological problems.  They could ride around on a warm bus not really going anywhere.  There were sometimes physical attacks on bus drivers.  Piecemeal efforts to make reform have this limitation.  There has to be big efforts on all sides of climate and social problems all at once.

Vocabulary note.  We're talking about vitally needed carbon zero not the "net zero" scam whereby companies can burn fossil fuels while supposedly paying for planting trees  or some other green scheme. 

With all the great  new ways to use solar, wind, tides, etc. for energy the hard truth is that if we continue to burn fossil fuels and garbage and such the air is going to fill with global warming gases.  We go over tipping points in 2030 (see our Climate Countdown clock by clicking here to get to our climate and nature page).

Our bold plan for the climate.

Go to a plant-based diet.

The little state of Connecticut burns 40,000,000 gallons of gasoline for lawncare.  40 million gallons.  Here's an alternative.

AI could soon need as much electricity as an entire country (2023 New York Times)

Bitcoin, a New and Dangerous Climate Disrupter - 2021

Join our two listservs to discuss aspects of this.   One is called "All Out 4 the Climate".  That's one to discuss bold plans to redo energy and the industries are are making the  climates unlivable. The other is    "Alternatives to Small Gas Engines for Lawncare".    If you want to join either list write to  office@pepeace.org and indicate either "All Out" or "Alternatives" or both.
 

The City of Nagasaki would not invite representatives from Israel for the annual ceremony.  This led the U.S., the U.K. and a few others to boycott the ceremony.  Why would Nagasaki do this?  Is it overly sensitive to genocide?  Or is it that Israel won't sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty?  Biden-Harris, of course, stands behind imperialism's attack dog.

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Putin has said that he could respond with nuclear weapons if any of Russia was invaded.  Well, Ukraine just attacked and occupied in the Kursk region.

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From the site WorkersVoiceUS.org

" In “Hiroshima Notes,” Oe Kenzaburo writes of a moment in the midst of the Korean war when the United Press bureau chief in Tokyo asked a blind A-bomb victim, “I suppose we could end the war if we dropped two or three atomic bombs on Korea; as an A-bomb victim, what’s your opinion?” 

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Click here for Program Friday 8/9 at 6:30 p.m. in Quaker Meeting House

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From the Hiroshima Declaration of the World Conference against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs - Hiroshima August 4, 2024

On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings in 2025, let us launch a grand campaign for the abolition of nuclear weapons:

 The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) is a "beacon of hope". It embodies the cause of human survival, and despite obstructions by nuclear powers, 93 countries have signed and 70 have ratified or acceded to the treaty.  

- Never allow the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons. let the humanitarian consequences of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as well as of nuclear tests conducted worldwide be widely known, and let public opinion for the abolition of nuclear weapons be greatly developed. Support Japanese and Korean Hibakusha and the victims of nuclear tests around the world, and cooperate with and contribute to activities to implement articles of the TPNW.

- Strengthen the campaign for the abolition of nuclear weapons and for participation in the TPNW in particular. Strengthen this movement especially in the nuclear-armed countries and countries that rely on “extended nuclear deterrence”.

- Make the 79th session of the UN General Assembly, the Meeting of the Parties to the TPNW, and the NPT Review Conference as milestones to develop these campaigns in each country and develop international joint actions and cooperation between governments and civil society movements.

- Refuse military expansion, dismantle foreign military bases, dissolve military alliances, provide compensation and support to victims of war such as by Agent Orange and eradicate war-damages, promote peace education, end the war in Ukraine based on the principles of the UN Charter and diplomatic solution of the problems, stop genocidal attack on and blockade of Gaze by Israel, oppose terrorism by Hamas, and demand immediate ceasefire, and build wide-ranging cooperation with various peace movements working on these demands.

- Turn the tide of global conflict, division, and military expansion to build inclusive peace and redirect resources to solving the problems facing humanity.

It was great to see students supporting Palestinians this spring with encampments and marches.  One of their slogans was "Disclose, Divest and Reinvest". College students mostly have gone home but there's no lack of targets for them over the summer.  See this article by Stanley Heller in the CT Mirror calling for the special session called by the governor to include divestment of CT's $95 million invested in Apartheid and Genocidal Israel.   

Find out who is in charge of your state's investments (Treasurer? Comptroller?) and ask her/him how much in invested in Israel.  Put the investment spreadsheet through the American Friends Service Committee investigate app and find in seconds questionable investments.

Do the same thing with unions that you may be part of.  Here's a link to the contact page of the American Federation of Teachers.  Ask how much of AFT money is invested in State of Israel Bonds or other Israeli bonds and stocks.  Back in 2006 the AFT had $300,000 in Israel Bonds.  The New York City United Federation of Teachers probably has much more.

Over the past few years you've seen many pictures of Anas in Gaza working with Plant the Land.  We took part in a fund raiser to get him successful eye treatment in Egypt that grew out of sporadic access to insulin.  He has remained in Gaza City with as many as 300,000 others. We've told you  about  fundraisers for his organization since.

What we haven't talked about is the toll on his body of being totally without insulin since October.   In pictures he looks OK but HbA1c  is over 12.  We asked a doctor what the lack of insulin does to someone with his conditions.  Please at least skim this.  [Note, we put words in boldface for emphasis.]

"Normal blood sugar is about 70-100 mg/dL. When it is higher than that for extended or repeated episodes it causes deposits of sugar-based molecules on red blood cells. The level of these deposits, which are known as HbA1c can be measured and used to estimate what the average blood sugar has been over the previous weeks. A normal HbA1c should be around 5.5 or less. An HbA1c of 6.0 corresponds to an average blood sugar of 115. 9.0 corresponds to 215, and 12.0 indicates an average blood sugar of 315. 12.2 HbA1c is clearly in the danger zone and here’s why.

Blood sugars that are elevated cause damage to blood vessels, especially the tiny blood vessels that supply blood to nerves, the retina, and nephrons which are the functional units of the kidneys. Prolonged exposure to high blood sugars results in harmful deposits in these tiny arteries which over time causes them to get blocked up and quit supplying blood to the structures that they support.

·  In the retina this results in blindness. It also causes cataracts, malformations of the lens of the eye, and blurry vision even if the retina is still functioning relatively well.

·  In the kidneys there are 2 million nephrons. As their function progressively diminishes, the kidneys are no longer able to get rid of excess water and the normally occurring toxins that they filter from the blood. This results in kidney failure and is the number one cause for which people are on dialysis. In addition, the kidneys make a hormone that stimulates the bone marrow to make red blood cells and when it is gone, the person develops worsening anemia.

·  In the brain, overall blood supply is reduced resulting in decreased mental function. There is also damage to larger arteries which develop plaques that can cause sudden obstruction of parts of the brain resulting in strokes.

·  As individual nerves experience decreased blood supply they begin to malfunction resulting in the numbness and tingling of the extremities which is known as diabetic neuropathy. Over time, the loss of feeling in the feet results in increased injury even from minor causes resulting in poor healing, infection, and a high risk of amputation.

·  The heart also suffers from damaged blood vessels and people with poorly controlled diabetes have much higher risk of heart attacks.

These things can and do occur very frequently in people with poorly controlled diabetes. In someone who has diabetes with   no access to insulinand very limited access to clean drinking water, an HbA1c of 12 signifies the presence of a metabolic timebomb. A minor infection, a bout of diarrhea, or any other acute condition which can worsen dehydration and stress on the immune system can rapidly lead to a diabetic coma and death. This is a grave situation."

We have tried to get insulin to him through many different agencies but Israel controls north Gaza and lets very very little in.   What can be done?  First, get Israel to stop its war and get out of Gaza.  Then people can flood the area with food and medicine.  Please devote yourself to that cause.

In the meantime you can donate to the newest fundraiser as Anas uses the money to help others.  Click here for information.

  Update: March 1

On Thursday, March 7, the Connecticut legislature's Energy & Technology Committee is holding a public hearing. One of the bills on their agenda, SB 300, is, as we see it, a pro-fracked gas bill with the ultimate aim of prolonging and expanding gas pipelines in Connecticut. Please, speak up in opposition and help stop this terrible bill. Even a brief statement, a few short sentences, can help. 

Hearing agenda

Submit written testimony

Register to testify in person or via Zoom

Watch hearing live

Here is a document with more info about 2 hearings and the bills of note, including this one!

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The Enbridge Company has its eyes set on the Northeast. In 2023, Enbridge shockingly announced plans to resurrect the “Access Northeast” pipeline expansion, under a new name: “Project Maple”.  Enbridge is working to secure contracts for the additional gas that would be shipped into the Northeast as part of the project. Preliminary documents show that Enbridge is hoping to expand pipelines, and compressor stations in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. Meanwhile, last ditch plans to once again build LNG export terminals in Nova Scotia have remerged.

This plan would include building out compressor stations and other dirty energy infrastructure — wreaking havoc on our air and climate, and directly contradicting the clean energy goals mandated by New York's Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.

The new fight against this pipeline project and massive fracked-gas build out is just beginning. But by taking cues from the Stop Spectra movement, it’s important to start organizing regional opposition, building up our tool kit to launch a diversity of tactics, all while following the lead of frontline communities. Together we can stop Project Maple, and End Enbridge. 

It's important to oppose ALL expansion of natural gas facilities. 

In Connecticut: Milford and Brookfield

From the CT Sierra Club: 

As you may know, TC Energy and Berkshire Hathaway are attempting to expand their compressor stations along the "Iroquois" pipeline route that runs from Canada to NYC. This project includes adding cooling systems to a compressor station in Milford, CT and doubling the size of a compressor station in Brookfield, CT. 

The facility in Brookfield is situated just 1900 feet from a Middle School, posing a serious health and safety risk. It also lies at the intersection of the Enbridge pipeline and can switch gas between the two pipeline systems. The expansion project already has its FERC permit, so the final permit needed for the Brookfield compressor station is from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).

Brookfield residents and Sierra Club CT are asking Connecticut based groups to sign on to this letter urging DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes, and Governor Ned Lamont to reject the permit for the expansion, and to fund air monitoring in Brookfield.

Please let me know if you have any questions about the letter, or the proposed expansion. We are asking that groups sign on to the letter by February 8th.

Thanks so much,

-Nick

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Nick Katkevich
Northeast Field Organizer

Sierra Club

 nick.katkevich@sierraclub.org

Also see Food and Water Watch

Here we are at the start of 2024 and the climate news continued to be bad.  COP28 was a joke.  Temperatures for the year averaged just a hair under the 1.5 degree centigrade limit that climate scientists believe necessary to avoid catastrophic changes to world climates.  Parts per million of carbon dioxide last month where at 423, far above the 350 that should be the limit for that gas in our air.

The Biden Administration continues Obama's "all of the above" strategy, combining incentives to go electrical with continued oil drilling, pipeline and subsidies for oil exploration.

Groups like Climate Defiance, Extinction Rebellion, 350 and Greenpeace  in different ways are trying to rise to the challenge.

In Connecticut there will be a big climate march on February 2nd at noon starting at the Old State House.   The legislature promised to bring down emissions nearly in half by 2030, but is nowhere on track to do so.  In fact emissions are going up! The rally demands the state keep its promise.

We've updated the look on our climate countdown clock.  It counts down the time to  2030, the year the IPCC in 2018 said we MUST cut emissions by 45%.  We also link to some new article on climate and nature.  Click here to see the clock and the links.

And on a lighter note be sure to see Netflix' "Life on Our Planet" narrated by Morgan Freeman.  Spectacular!  This is the trailer.

In 1964 Martin Luther King Jr. was voted the award by Promoting Enduring Peace primarily for his work with the  Southern Christian Leadership Council.  He was just 35 years of age.  He also won the Nobel Peace Prize that year.

 From the book, "In Gandhi's Footsteps" by James van Pelt, " He agreed to come to New York to accept it[the award] in late 1964. Before a date could be arranged, the Nobel Prize Committee announced that he had been chosen to receive the 1964 Peace Prize. Given the intensity of attention that followed for Dr. King, on top of his already gargantuan schedule, and the difficulty in communicating with him as he moved from place to place, it was simply impossible to find a workable date within a period the Board found acceptable. As a result, no award was made in 1964, and Gandhi’s greatest living American exemplar did not become a recipient of the Gandhi Peace Award. "

Ukrainians Government Warns

The Peril:

Ukraine holds disaster drills amid fears Russia could sabotage nuclear power plant - ABC News July 1 - Chief of Military Intelligence Budanov "told The New Statesman magazine that Russian troops had rigged the station's cooling ponds with explosives, that if destroyed could lead to the reactors melting down. He also said Russia had moved explosives-laden vehicles into four of the plant's six power units."

Zelenskiy: Russia may be preparing to trigger nuclear plant explosion - The Guardian (UK)

Russia reducing personnel at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant - Ukrainian intelligence

Also note  The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)also warns that as a result of the  destruction of  the Nova Kakhovka dam, the nuclear plants have only about two months of water for those cooling pools.   [destruction almost certainly caused by Russia]

The Idea:

Get the UN General Assembly to order an international unit under its command to take over control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant complex, a peace-keeping force.  Establish a  demilitarized zone around the plants.

See this petition created by the Ukraine Socialist Solidarity Campaign

Let anti-nuclear, anti-war and trade unions know about this idea