Fossil Collective - Tell Where I Lie (2013)
Pamula Harrison
(As per usual, I couldn\u2019t stop myself from adding some extras! After the interview, I share some of the most common questions and criticisms I get every time I write about fossil fuel byproducts in beauty \u2014 so if you\u2019ve read this interview already via HEATED, just keep scrolling! There\u2019s much more where that came from!!)
"It's clear that the crisis is spiraling out of control and the policies of your administration with regard to fossil fuels fail to align with what the science tells us must happen to avert calamity."
Noting that "on your first day in office, you issued an executive order pledging that it is 'the policy of my administration to listen to the science' in tackling the climate crisis," the letter's signers lamented that "more than two years later, it's clear that the crisis is spiraling out of control and the policies of your administration with regard to fossil fuels fail to align with what the science tells us must happen to avert calamity."
"Nothing takes away my hope for humanity's collective future more than Biden's choice to stand with the fossil fuel industry," Kalmus added. "He must pivot and become the climate leader the planet needs, or else he'll continue locking in higher temperatures and ever more irreversible damage to Earth's habitability."
We re-evaluate eleven fossils that have previously been assigned to the family Tortricidae, describe one additional fossil, and assess whether observable morphological features warrant confident assignment of these specimens to this family. We provide an overview of the age and origin of the fossils and comment on their contribution towards understanding the phylogeny of the Lepidoptera. Our results show that only one specimen, Antiquatortia histuroides Brown Baixeras gen. and sp. nov., shows a character considered synapomorphic for the family. Six other fossils (Electresia zalesskii Kusnezov, 1941; Tortricidrosis inclusa Skalski, 1973; Tortricites skalskii Kozlov, 1988; Tortricibaltia diakonoffi Skalski, 1992; Polyvena horatis Poinar and Brown, 1993 and a trace fossil purported to be larval feeding damage of Retinia resinella (Linnaeus, 1758)) exhibit a combination of homoplastic characters typical of tortricid moths or characteristic feeding damage. An unnamed species doubtfully assigned to Olethreutinae by Skalski (1992), Spatalistiforma submerga Skalski, 1992, Tortricites florissantanus (Cockerell, 1907), Tortricites destructus (Cockerell, 1916) and Tortricites sadilenkoi Kozlov, 1988 do not show enough character evidence to be convincingly placed in Tortricidae. Therefore, we transfer the three latter species from the collective group Tortricites Kozlov, 1988, defined as an assemblage of fossil leafrollers that cannot be placed with certainty in known genera, to Paleolepidopterites Kozlov, new collective group, defined as a group of fossil lepidopterans whose assignment to a certain family is currently impossible.
For example, the question of phasing out fossil fuels can be incorporated into the ongoing global stocktake discussion and the mitigation work program, where participants are exploring new pathways to bridge the gaps in progress.
The massive scale-up of investments in clean energy is not possible without a commitment to scale down all fossil fuels. The transition needs to happen quickly and happen now. The Fossil to Clean campaign is a bold call to action for our collective efforts to align for the urgent need for action.
Ultimately, we believe collective action is so important because it sidesteps both of these problems. Horizontal organization encourages equal footing for everyone and their ideas. For example, Indigenous groups are finally being recognized for their long-standing contributions to climate activism and environmental stewardship, but their voices are often outnumbered by fossil fuel interests, like at the recent COP26 summit. Solutions built within traditional power structures tend to lack diverse input, which is essential in saving the planet and solving other complex problems.
2. Protect workers and avoid labor flight during transition. Just as compassionate care of a dying patient requires comforting family members and friends, a just and orderly transition means not leaving people behind.47 When a company announces a plan to end its fossil-fuel activities, will employees who have opportunities elsewhere flee the company, leaving it short of talent to execute its plans? How will the loss of jobs be managed? Some skills can be readily transferred (e.g., accountants and salespeople), while others are largely industry specific (e.g., oil-field roustabouts). Estimates of the number of people employed in the fossil-fuel sector vary widely, ranging from 1 million48 to 2.6 million.49 The US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that 565,000 people work in the mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction sector, and 133,300 people work in the oil and gas extraction subsector.50 If fossil-fuel consumption were largely eliminated over a 20-year period (an extreme scenario), some economists calculate an average of 53,600 jobs lost annually.51 The International Renewable Energy Agency estimates that nearly 8 million jobs in the fossil-fuel industry could be directly displaced globally by 2050.52
Fossil fuel use is ubiquitous in our modern economy. Because of the high quantities of energy stored within them, fossil fuels power our businesses, homes, and the infrastructure networks that connect them. But while fossil fuels are used everywhere, the locations of extraction, refinement, and generation are highly concentrated.
Question: Amelie Bottollier from AFP News Agency. You had strong words again against fossil fuel companies today. As we see every year, the question of phasing out or phasing down fossil fuels, the most contentious issues in the COPs [Conference of Parties] negotiations. So how worried are you for the outcome of COP 28, where the negotiations are going to be led by the president of one of the biggest oil companies? And you underlined the lack of trust of support. What do you expect from the Global Financing Pact Summit next week in Paris? Thank you.
In this article we undertake a systematic mapping of 649 cases of resistance movements to both fossil fuel (FF) and low carbon energy (LCE) projects, providing the most comprehensive overview of such place-based energy-related mobilizations to date. We find that (1) Place-based resistance movements are succeeding in curbing both fossil-fuel and low-carbon energy projects. Over a quarter of projects encountering social resistance have been cancelled, suspended or delayed. (2) The evidence highlights that low carbon, renewable energy and mitigation projects are as conflictive as FF projects, and that both disproportionately impact vulnerable groups such as rural communities and Indigenous peoples. Amongst LCE projects, hydropower was found to have the highest number of conflicts with concerns over social and environmental damages. (3) Repression and violence against protesters and land defenders was rife in almost all activities, with 10% of all cases analysed involving assassination of activists. Violence was particularly common in relation to hydropower, biomass, pipelines and coal extraction. Wind, solar and other renewables were the least conflictive and entailed lower levels of repression than other projects. The results caution that decarbonization of the economy is by no means inherently environmentally innocuous or socially inclusive. We find that conflicts and collective action are driven by multiple concerns through which community mobilization seeks to reshape the energy regime and its impacts. These include claims for localization, democratic participation, shorter energy chains, anti-racism, climate-justice-focused governance, and Indigenous leadership. Climate and energy policymakers need to pay closer attention to the demands and preferences of these collective movements pointing to transformative pathways to decarbonization.
There are two parameters that determine our collective carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions: the number of people, and quantity emitted per person. We either talk about total annual or per capita emissions. They tell very different stories and this often results in confrontation over who can really make an impact: rich countries with high per capita emissions, or those with a large population.
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