2018: YEAR OF CLIMATE RESURRECTION OR.......

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Jorge Rebagliati

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Jan 12, 2018, 7:13:23 PM1/12/18

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2018: YEAR OF CLIMATE RESURRECTION OR............

"Extreme", "Never seen before, "The largest in history, "Unprecedented", etc. How many times do we have to hear and read these expressions to recognize that WE ARE IN SERIOUS TROUBLE, that THE BIOSPHERE IS GOING TO HELL IN A HAND BASKET while we are watching it happen?

How many times do we have to hear and see these expressions to recognize that there is no other choice than for society as a whole to act now on Climate Change at "unprecedented" speed and scale, if we aspire to have a livable world for us and for future generations?

The Climate Crisis is right in front of us. It is not a concept anymore, it is a reality that is already burning us, drowning us or blowing us away. The predictions of the scientists are being fulfilled at an even worse level than they foresaw. Megafires, super Hurricanes, super Tornados, super Blizzards, exceptional Droughts, Bombogenesis, increased Volcanic Eruptions, exceptional Floods, exceptional mudslides, even unexpected Earthquakes, are becoming the "new normal", a "new normal" that is increasingly hard to live with.

Our California Governor Jerry Brown said on December 9th, referring to the fire disasters in Southern California, "this is the new normal", meaning that the fire storms will happen year-round, will be increasingly stronger, will recur and can likely happen in Northern and Southern California simultaneously.

In October, in Northern California, he used the same words, and in both instances offered no way out. He was the wise elder telling us "we are screwed and there is nothing we are going to do about it". Do you still think he is a Climate Champion? He may not be a real Climate Champion but he is our governor and we must not let him get away with not mobilizing the State of California to deal with the "new normal", because the "new normal"is a terrible state to protect life, property and the environment.

Our Climate Change Action guru, Bill Mckibben, published in Rolling Stone on December 1st, 2017 (just before the Southern California fires started) an article titled "Winning Slowly Is The Same As Losing. The technology exists to combat climate change – what will it take to get our leaders to act?". In this article he clearly explains that "If we don't win very quickly on climate change, then we will never win". That statement, which is precisely what we assert, means that the strategy of making partial gains on Climate Change will guarantee all the catastrophic effects of Climate Change. Unfortunately, when Bill wrote about posible solutions he fell into the same strategy of "winning slowly" that he puts down.

So, coming back to California, we have to shake off the illusion that California is doing everything that needs to be done to protect us from Climate Change. We are in serious trouble, like the rest of the world (See this article on Cape Town, South Africa about to run of water) What we are doing is, in fact, "winning slowly is the same as losing".

As our short-sighted public officials are focusing on the "fire problem" (not a Climate problem, of course), we are being distracted away from FLOODING, the other big way by which Climate Change is going to take care of us. Our memory is dangerously short and we are encouraged to be that way. Do you remember the past winter of 2017, when the flood control system partially failed and the Oroville Dam almost inundated everything below it? This recent article analyzes for you this other risk that we are sitting on.

As a corollary to that article, Santa Barbara County, in particular, has just experienced catastrophic mudslides caused by precipitations of up to 6"of rain and the soil and landscape burnt by the December 2017 fires, which have killed at least 17 residents, destroyed about 100 homes and damaged another 450. These mudslides are an horrific example of the "new normal", where catastrophic environmental events occur sequentially in a short period of time. Two devastating punches in just over one month.

We have the predictions from the scientists, we have the direct experience of extreme Climate Change-related environmental catastrophes where we lose friends and family, our homes and our businesses yet still we are confused in our response. We mostly shrink and try to figure out how to make the next day a little better and totally lose focus about where all this misery is coming from.

We may even feel guilty for not purchasing the right insurance, choosing the wrong neighborhood, etc. Strange behavior, isn't it? Would you be surprised if I tell you that you have been brainwashed? There is a very strong case that you are the target of a "neoliberal conspiracy" that has conned you into fighting Climate Change as individuals instead of as a society. Greening one person at a time, one family at a time, while the big players continue their usual business of destroying the planet. Personal Climate virtuousness and guilt of not doing enough has kept you distracted and unfocused.

We must move fast from PERSONAL CLIMATE VIRTUOUSNESS to COLLECTIVE CLIMATE OUTRAGE. No more shyness about demanding what we know is essential and imperative. No more fighting for the crumbs when we need the loaf. We are in a crisis right now. Each day we do not massively act as a society to do everything necessary to RESTORE THE CLIMATE and ADAPT TO CLIMATE CHANGE is one day less we have to create our solution to the greatest threat humanity is facing.

We still hear projections of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) reductions necessary to not warm up the planet "too much". Since we are already in trouble, it does not make sense to propose more gradual reductions. These are realistic projections:

The acceptable increases in GHG are "0"

The acceptable time to stop all GHG is "0"

The acceptable time to do all the Climate Adaptation work is "0"

The transformation must be done as fast as it is physically possible.

We are Climate Change Action extremists because only extreme action fits this extreme problem. The solution is to organize our whole society and economy around Climate Change, not as a reference but as the central principle, immediately. We must Declare War On Climate Change (excuse me the use of the word 'war') because Climate Change is not a weekend project anymore.

Please join us with all your passion to demand our political leaders to fully commit to start the "war" by issuing official, in writing and detailed-enough Climate Change Major Disaster Declarations. These Declarations not only formally commit our governments to act and to use all necessary resources, but also empower them to get more resources from the State and Federal governments, from private organizations and individuals, including levying funds from the 1%.

The transformation following the Declarations will not be cheap, so extraordinary resources are needed, which makes it essential to tap into resources from outside Sonoma County. Yes, Climate Action can be expensive but you can be sure that Climate Inaction is even more expensive and leads to a dead end. Are you aware that the total cost of all the fires in California in 2017 (not including the current mudslides) is estimated at $180 billion?

We call on you to unite to transform Sonoma County and all California into a Climate-Change-Ready territory. All the individual projects you are pursuing related directly or indirectly to Climate Change will prosper in a Climate-Change-Action-Centered territory but without it, most of those projects will wither away or will be inconsequential to deal with Climate Change. The collective commitment to deal with Climate Change is indispensable.

We need you to passionately demand the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, the City Councils in Sonoma County, and beyond, all the way to Governor Jerry Brown, to issue Climate Change Major Disaster Declarations.

This Saturday, January 13th, 10:00 - Noon, at the Santa Rosa High School Gym (1235 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa) there is a Town Hall meeting for Federal, State and local representatives to give an update on Sonoma County fire recovery and rebuilding efforts. Mike Thompson, Jared Huffman, Mike McGuire, James Gore, Chris Coursey and other public officials will be there.

This can be an opportunity for us to challenge them to embrace Climate Change Action as the master plan for the reconstruction and reorganization of Sonoma County (and the rest of California), and demand their commitment by means of the official issuance of Climate Change Major Disaster Declarations. Your participation would be of great importance.

I do not know if they are going to take questions and comments only in writing, in which case they can choose which ones to read publicly and therefore censor the ones they do not like, but it is worth giving it a try. It would be very powerful if they hear more than one of us supporting the Climate Change-Ready strategy.

2018 must be the YEAR OF CLIMATE RESURRECTION, not only because we care for this planet (which all of us do) but because we care for our lives and the lives of others. We have to prove ourselves to be worthy of the beautiful planet we inherited.

Love,

Jorge

"We are the ones we've been waiting for"

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