How Important is Climategate?

And then there's this (to follow up the last post)...

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100017393/climategate-the-final-nail-in-the-coffin-of-anthropogenic-global-warming/ 

This blog is also taken from The Telegraph. The Climategate scandal has been occurring for a while now; does this mean the end of discussion on human-induced global climate change? Does it mean that we are not causing the world to change unnaturally because some scientists falsified evidence or withheld some other types of evidence? Despite Climategate, it seems that the majority of scientists are still supporting the idea that global warming is a legitimate issue that faces our planet. 

I am a proponent of transitioning from an economy dependent on fossil fuels to a more sustainable way of life. Let us pretend that global warming wasn't, and hasn't been, an issue. Now, what harm would it be switching to more practical, sustainable methods of living? Fossil fuels are finite; they are running out and cannot be replaced unless we have a few million years to spare! Why not utilize resources that are renewable and transform our economy? Is the country going to wait until the last barrel of oil is up for sale before we decide to change?

And as for change, we made it to the moon in less than 10 years. IN FEWER THAN 10 SHORT YEARS. Why cant we change the way our society operates?
My point is, whether or not global climate change will destroy us all, we have the power to transition to a more sustainable economy. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Think about it.

A Change in Behavior For the Polar Bear?

I just read an article, in The Telegraph, about polar bears. It seems as if they are changing their behavior in response to the declining arctic ice. Instead of having the cubs walk beside them, or behind, the adults are carrying the cubs to help them conserve energy for the long swims ahead.
I have a soft spot for the "largest land predators," and hope they can find a way to survive. If this truly is an adaptation, these creatures are brilliant.

The world would be a sad place without the polar bear.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/8168213/Polar-bears-spotted-swimming-with-cubs-on-back.html

I stumbled upon this....

"28 Must-Read Books That Will Forever Change How You See the World"

I would also like to add Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. 

And, I'm currently reading The Omnivore's Dilemma. I think change can only come through awareness. So, read up and learn about what's going on around you.

Interesting YouTube Channel

Please check out ppsimmons's Channel on YouTube.
These videos are interesting and thought-provoking.

The Amazon Forest

Do you know the difference between deforestation and degredation?
http://www.forestjustice.org/category/blog/

Oil. Oh-ill.

I am an Americorps VISTA stationed down in Chauvin, LA (in Terrebonne Parrish).
I've been warned not to drink the water and not to eat the seafood by some community members.
I still take showers with the water, and actually woke up this morning wondering if I was going to get some sort of heinous cancer from living down here.
But, according the the US government and BP, the Gulf is safe. The seafood is safe. The spill is cleaned up.
What about the millions of gallons of oil and dispersants that are floating around....

Read this:
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/11/08

Also consider a comment made:

"I don't live anywhere near the Gulf, but I knew from day one that that BP was creating a dangerous chemical cesspool.
How many times did we write, here and elsewhere, that residents should get out?
Many didn't/couldn't leave, and amazingly, did not collectively tell BP and our government--in no uncertain terms--to shove their rules and regulations controlling our behavior. A private corporation, with the government's blessing, "prohibited" access to public beaches, the taking of photos, airplane flyovers, etc.
We offered a little bit of resistance, but effectively, we did nothing...mustn't ruffle the feathers of our bread-n-butter petro industry. Hell, how many people died during the initial explosion?. How many BP VPs are sitting in jail for those murders?...none, of course.
This is the price we all pay for the failure to react to corporate felons. We blame, blame, blame, but there are no consequences. We get sick and die, but the corporations get back their corporate lives. In all their ugly grandeur, they live on, prosper, and become our government."