Sunday, April 01, 2018

The European Community has taken the climate crisis seriously since it's original discovery and the initial alarm was sounded.

Europe does has endangered species. (click here) 

To the left is the Apennine Charmoise.

...The risks (click here) that are associated with the illegal wildlife trade within the EU are mainly related to long-term issues like deforestation or the extinction of rare domestic species. More concerning are the impacts outside of Europe, especially in Africa, Latin America and South East Asia. Although at times, without defining the concept of organized crime, several literature sources claim that organized criminal groups operate in the illegal wildlife trade (Alacs and Georges 2008). In the case of Vietnam, for example, transnational networks are illegally trading rare and endangered wildlife, in particular tiger, panther, bear, elephant, snake, and pangolin (Cao and Wyatt 2013). Organised Crime Groups (OCGs) use poaching, trafficking of wildlife products and illegal trade in timber to finance criminal activities like purchasing firearms (Wyatt 2013b). As EnviCrimeNet warns, this poses not only a problem for the national governments, but also for the economical and security interests of the European Union (EnviCrimeNet 2015)....


List of the three most seized species 2007-2014

Species find themselves struggling to keep their habitat at times. But, a part of the problem is poaching and sale of animals or their parts. 

There just isn't much to say when countries are as dedicated as this to their people and their best outcomes.

In 2015, (click here) greenhouse gas emissions in the EU-28 were down by 22 % compared with 1990 levels, representing an absolute reduction of 1,265 million tonnes of CO2-equivalents, putting the EU on track to surpass its 2020 target, which is to reduce GHG emissions by 20 % by 2020 and by 40 % by 2030 compared with 1990....

Why argue with success, especially when these countries continually try to do better.

March 23, 2018
The European Commission (click here) on March 22 hosted a high-level conference on its strategy to reform the financial system in support of the EU’s climate and sustainable development agenda.
According to the Commission, this event is an opportunity to maintain the momentum established at the One Planet Summit, cementing the support and commitment of EU leaders and key private players for the changes needed in the financial system and the economy. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis jointly host the event in Brussels.
“Europe is open for sustainable business. But climate change knows no boundaries and will affect us all,” Juncker said. “We cannot work alone. This is why we want to lead international efforts and will work with our G7, G20 and United Nations partners to set global sustainable finance standards […] Two decades ago, sustainability was a specialist topic for experts and scientists. Today, it is a daily reality and a priority for governments, for financial institutions, for business and for citizens […]. At its heart it is about making sure that our money works for our planet as well as our bottom line. There is no greater return on investment,” the European Commission added.
Participants discussed how best to put the Commission’s Action Plan on Sustainable Finance into practice. The Action Plan, launched on March 8, is part of the Capital Markets Union’s (CMU) efforts to connect finance with the specific needs of the European economy to the benefit of the planet and our society. It is also one of the key steps towards implementing the historic Paris Agreement and the EU implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

France has returned to protecting and promoting forests.

The French forest to the left are oaks.

Our statistics (click here) show that France has 14 million ha of forest. A further 8 million ha are found in the overseas territories, mainly in French Guyana. Overall, one-quarter of France's territory is under forest cover. The varied configuration of our forest heritage is reflected in our wealth of climates, which range from mild and humid oceanic conditions through to the extremes of the continental land mass and arid Mediterranean and harsh mountain climates, and in our geological diversity ancient granite soils, dry limestone and fertile alluvial loam....

...The Forestry Inventory gives a very wide definition of forest: it must provide at least a 10 percent cover, i.e. 500 trees/ha: with copse included from the age of five years. One indication of the extent to which French policy is aware of the diversity of forest functions is the addition of highly productive high forest to natural forest areas as a result of growing recognition of their ecological and social importance. Our society is becoming increasingly and rightfully demanding with regard to forests. It has become common to cite the three basic uses of the forest: economic, ecological and social. Forests must now be a protective cover for soils; a sponge that regulates the flow of springs; a landscape that provides scenery; a game reserve; a wood-producing plant; a place for strolls and fun; a valuable gene pool; an oxygen-producing lung; an enormous air-conditioner; and a dust and pollutant filter.

France in recent years has started to reintroduce and support forest practices not in use since the mid-17th century. Pictured here are the forests of Fontainebleau, about 40 miles outside of Paris.

Nature lovers demand that the environmental and social aspects of the forest be favoured. Economists would like this heritage to contribute more to economic activities and employment. Foresters have to contend with all these conflicting interests; they know that improvement felling and regenerating exploitation is necessary to maintain the prime beauty of forests....

Estimated 35,000 dead that summer, at least 10,000 occurred in France.

10 October 2003

By Shaoni Bhattacharya

Map to left shows increases in temperatures during this climate event.

At least 35,000 people (click here) died as a result of the record heatwave that scorched Europe in August 2003, says an environmental think tank.
The Earth Policy Institute (EPI), based in Washington DC, warns that such deaths are likely to increase, as “even more extreme weather events lie ahead”....

...Silent killer

August 2003 was the hottest August on record in the northern hemisphere. But projections by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predict more erratic weather, the EPI notes. By the end of this century, the average world temperature is projected to climb by 1.4 to 5.8°C.
“Though heat waves rarely are given adequate attention, they claim more lives each year than floods, tornadoes, and hurricanes combined,” warns the EPI. “Heat waves are a silent killer, mostly affecting the elderly, the very young, or the chronically ill.”
The searing August heat claimed about 7000 lives in Germany, nearly 4200 lives in both Spain and Italy. Over 2000 people died in the UK, with the country recording is first ever temperature over 100 degrees Fahrenheit on 10th August.

Cooling mechanisms

High temperatures are well known to result in a rise in deaths, as is cold weather. When the body is subjected to extreme heat, it struggles to maintain its ideal temperature of 37°C. The body attempts to do this by sweating and pumping blood closer to the skin, but high heat and humidity can confound these cooling mechanisms.
If the internal body temperature rises above 40°C, vital organs are at risk and if the body cannot be cooled, death follows.
Over the last 25 years, the average global temperature has risen by 0.6°C. The World Meteorological Organization estimates that the number of heat-related deaths could double in less than 20 years.
The EPI says it is confident that the August heatwave has broken all records for heat-related deaths and says the world must cut the carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming....

Discussed at the "World Economic Forum"

Our current global target of 2C is too optimistic, according to the latest scientific research. No fewer than five meteorological institutions have released their predictions as to how much the world will heat up before 2030 if our current efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions continue. The numbers range between 2.7C and as much as 3.7C, leaving our previous ambition of 2C in the dust. It gets worse: according to the UN, if we don't act now on global warming, temperatures could rise by as much as 4.8C.

None of these matters are minor concerns. These problems impacts lives in a real way.

27 October 2016
By Ramin Skibba

Seville and Lisbon (click here) have thrived for more than a thousand years in a temperate climate. But if global warming continues at the current pace, these cities will be in the middle of a desert by the end of the century, climate modelers report on 27 October in Science.

Maintaining the historic ranges of the region’s ecosystems would require limiting warming to just 1.5 ºC, by making substantial cuts to the world’s greenhouse-gas emissions, the analysis concludes. Otherwise, the vegetation and ecosystems of the Mediterranean basin will shift as temperatures rise. Increasing desertification in southern Europe is just one of the changes that would result.

“Everything is moving in parallel. Shrubby vegetation will move into the deciduous forests, while the forests move to higher elevation in the mountains,” says Joel Guiot, a palaeoclimatologist at the European Centre for Geoscience Research and Education in Aix-en-Provence, France, and lead author of the study....

It is a foregone conclusion, a 2 degree Celcius world is dangerous.

..."We are detecting large changes (click here) in climate impacts for a 2C world, and so should take steps to avoid this," said lead editor Dann Mitchell, an assistant professor at the University of Bristol.

The 197-nation Paris climate treaty, inked in 2015, vows to halt warming at "well under" 2 deg C compared to mid-19th century levels, and "pursue efforts" to cap the rise at 1.5 deg C.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday said climate change was "the most systemic threat to humankind".

With only one degree of warming so far, Earth has seen a crescendo of droughts, heatwaves, and storms ramped up by rising seas.

Voluntary national pledges made under the Paris pact to cut CO2 emissions, if fulfilled, would yield a 3 deg C world at best.

The treaty also requires that - by the end of the century - humanity stop adding more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere than oceans and forests can absorb, a threshold known as "net zero emissions".

"How fast we get to a 2C world" is critical, Dr Mitchell told AFP. "If it only takes a couple of decades, we will be in trouble because we won't have time to adapt to the climate."...

Example of the danger of 3 degree Celcius rise in temperatures.

June 14, 2011
By Jeremy Lovell

...France has pledged hundreds of millions of euros in aid to its drought-stricken livestock farmers, who have watched feed supplies dwindle and prices rise. Water restrictions are in place in more than half of the country's administrative regions or departments.
"The situation is serious for French farmers. We wanted to act swiftly and on a large scale," Le Maire told reporters last week.
And the French government has set up a committee to keep an eye on the country's electricity supply situation and monitor river levels, as 44 of the 58 nuclear reactors that supply 80 percent of France's electricity are cooled by river water....
March 21, 2018

By Bob Berwyn

Flooding like Carlisle, England, experienced during Storm Desmond in 2015, is becoming more common as the planet warms, research shows.

Europeans (click here) are facing more frequent extreme weather as the planet warms. Floods and big landslides have quadrupled and extreme heat waves and crop-damaging droughts have doubled since 1980, with a sharp spike in the last five years, according to the European Academies' Science Advisory Council's latest extreme weather update.
The increase in the frequency of extreme weather events should spur European countries to boost adaptation and resiliency efforts, said EASAC Environment Program Director Michael Norton.
"Policy makers and lay people think climate change is something gradual and linear, but we need to keep explaining that the gradual change is increasing the chance for dangerous extremes, and that's what we have to prepare for," Norton said.
"The increasing frequency and magnitude of extreme weather events makes climate-proofing all the more urgent. Unfortunately, there's a disconnect between the political time scale of taking action, and the time scale on which climate change happens," he said. "And by the time a lot of these more serious problems are widely recognized, the changes will be irreversible."
Earth's fever is nearing the climate change benchmark of 1.5 degrees Celsius warming, and new research shows how global warming is affecting key climate drivers like ocean currents and temperature-controlling winds....
22 March 2018
20 October 2017

Vianden Luxembourg mountains and forests

On 20 October 2017, (click here) the Luxembourg Ministries of Finance and Sustainable Development and Infrastructure, together with the BCEE, BIL and Foyer have launched the Forestry and Climate Change Fund (FCCF)

The public-private partnership will provide financing for companies, communities and small farmers to manage secondary and degraded forests in the tropics. By creating the enabling environment for business models that allow the generation of revenues, deforestation is stoppedand forest growth leads to a substantial positive climate impact.

The Paris climate agreement has established the ambitious but essential target to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Part of the challenge is focused on changing the way we produce electricity, our mobility and industrial production. Another part of the challenge is to stop the conversion of forests to agricultural land and harness the power of growing forests to absorb greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere. Deforestation today contributes about 15% of annual greenhouse gas emissions which is why it is essential to convert forests from a source of carbon emissions to a mitigation tool against climate change.

At the launch event, Minister of Finance, Pierre Gramegna and Minister for the Environment, Carole Dieschbourg highlighted the importance of innovative financing solutions to leverage private capital on the fight against climate change....
Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy 1999, volume 17,4
pages 1 / 17
A Jordan 
CSERGE (Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment), School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglin, Norwich NR4 7TJ, England; e-mail: a.jordan@uca.ac.uk
Received 6 August 1998

"Editorial introduction: the construction of a multilevel environmental governance system"

Abstract. (click here) At its founding in 1957, the European Union (EU) had no environmental policy, no environmental bureaucracy, and no environmental laws. When, in 1973, the EU began systematically to address environmental concerns there was little expectation that the environment would develop into one of the largest areas of common activity. Twenty-five years on, the EU has some of the most progressive environmental policies of any state in the world although it is not itself a state. At the same time, the preexisting environmental policies of the member states have undergone a progressive change through their involvement in EU environmental policymaking. In other words, the member states have created an institutional entity to perform certain tasks which has in turn deeply affected the way they themselves perceive and act against environmental problems. This theme issue of Government and Policy offers a retrospective analysis of these developments. The purpose of this introductory essay is to describe the historical evolution of EU environmental policy and to identify the most salient themes.  

Banks with a conscience.

29 March 2018
By Alice Cuddy

Leading European banks have taken steps to reduce their financing of “extreme” fossil fuels that contribute to global climate change, according to a new report. The report especially highlights the Netherland's ING and France’s BNP Paribas as good options for environmentally conscious customers.

The report, Banking on Climate Change, by NGOs including BankTrack and the Rainforest Action Network, says many European banks have “realised the risks” of climate change and put policy restrictions on fossil fuel financing.

“Extreme” fossil fuels include those that contribute the most to climate change, such as tar sands, oil extracted from the Arctic and ultra-deepwater, liquefied natural gas exports, and coal.

“Across the board, the majority of the 14 European banks we assessed have reduced their financing for ‘extreme’ fossil fuels in 2017,” BankTrack climate campaigner Greig Aitken told Euronews.

The leaders

In June 2017, ING showed its commitment to ending financing for the production and transport of carbon-heavy tar sand by saying it would not fund any of Canada’s major pipeline projects, including Keystone XL and Line 3....

...The worst offenders

Three major European banks - HSBC, Credit Suisse and Standard Chartered - increased their “extreme” fossil fuel financing in 2017 by $2.6 billion (€2.1 billion), $1.1 billion, and $643 million respectively placing them among the 10 worst climate offenders in the world, according to the report....


30 million copies in 30 languages since its first publication in 1972

The price of progress: When each of us as an individual decides to buy something, we first consider the price. Yet society at large has long bought the idea of continual growth in population and production without adding up the final reckoning.
The Limits to Growth (click here)

by 
Paperback207 pages
Published October 31st 1972 by Signet (first published October 1st 1972)

ISBN 0451057678 (ISBN13: 9780451057679)

Edition Language
English

This is the decade of the environmental movement, with 
This is the decade of the environmental movement, with the creation of the first green parties and the setting up of the first environment ministries in government.

The Club of Rome publishes The Limits to Growth, a book which stresses the importance of the environment, and the essential links with population and energy.

The first UN Conference on the Human Environment leads to the creation of the UN Environment Programme. The European Economic Community adopts its first Environment Action Programme, and starts developing a vast body of Community environmental legislation.

An oil price shock is sparked by the Arab–Israel war and triggers action on energy efficiency. An explosion near Seveso, Italy, releases a toxic cloud containing dioxin. The first World Climate Conference takes place. A panel on climate change set up by the National Academy of Sciences in USA advises that ‘A wait-and-see policy may mean waiting until it is too late’.

Membership of the EEC grows to nine with the accession of Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom.
September 22, 2016
One of the most important environmental books of all time, which I actually read as millions others did in 1972, largely "discredited" by the "establishment" Pro-Growth industry. It was written by a group of several assembled thinkers--scientists and industrialists, working together, imagine that--of the time called The Club of Rome. It was translated into dozens of languages, and in 1979, some U. S. poll had it that while a third of this country was "pro-growth," another third was actually "anti-growth," consistent with E. P. Shumacher's Small is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered, which everyone I knew then also read.
Here's a short summary of what it said:...

It's Sunday Night.

Nicole Minetti (click here for Facebook site) 

She was originally a professional dentist and later the Regional Councillor for the PDL of Italy from 2010-2012 and her life in politics has been known for the famous Rubygate scandal where she allegedly arranged meetings for former president Silvio Belersconi with a 17 year old prostitute. She was handed a 5 year sentence for the crimes in 2012.

Her favorite politician was Silvio Berlusconi. The unfortunate fate in 2013 of Ms. Minetti is very different than her boss.

Three of Silvio Berlusconi's associates, (click here) including the Anglo-Italian showgirl-turned-politician Nicole Minetti, are facing jail after they were found guilty of procuring prostitutes for the former Italian prime minister's 'Bunga Bunga' parties.

5 March 2018

Berlusconi's children play a big role in running his business empire: his daughter Barbara was vice-president of AC Milan

Few Italians have wielded (click here) more influence and attracted more notoriety than Silvio Berlusconi, four-time prime minister and billionaire businessman.

For years he successfully brushed off sex scandals and allegations of corruption.

But it was the effects of Italy's burgeoning eurozone debt crisis in 2011 that saw his influence temporarily wane as his coalition lost power.

Worse was to come for the man whom many Italians had come to see as untouchable.

He was convicted of tax fraud in 2013 and ejected from the Italian Senate. Because of his age, a four-year jail term became a year of community service at a care home near Milan.

Another conviction in 2015 and it looked like his political career was finally over.

But despite suffering a heart attack that his doctor said could have killed him in 2016, the charismatic showman was set for yet another political comeback....

Bunga, Bunga

...The phrase is legendary (click here) and refers to apparent sex parties which the former Prime Minister is said to have attended.

In fact he says in the book the phrase originally came from Colonel Gaddafi who told him a joke.

Berlusconi is quoted as saying: "A pair of Italian politicians are captured by a fierce...tribe and tied to poles.

"A tribal leader says to one of the Italians: 'You, do you want to die or bunga bunga?'"

The politician chooses the second option. But bunga-bunga turns out to mean forced intercourse.

"All the warriors in the village did him," said Berlusconi, the book says.

"The tribal leader then approaches the second Italian and asks the same question.

"The terrified Italian says: "I'd prefer to die." The tribesman replies: "Fine, you will die, but first let's do some bunga bunga!"...

European Community Anthem

The six founding members: Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany.

The Council of European Ministers officially announced the European Anthem on January 19th 1972 at Strasbourg: the prelude to "The Ode to Joy", 4th movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's 9th symphony.

Freude, schöner Götterfunken
Joy, bright spark of divinity,

Tochter aus Elysium,
Daughter of Elysium,

Wir betreten feuertrunken,

Fire-inspired we tread

Himmlische, dein Heiligtum!

Thy sanctuary.

Deine Zauber binden wieder

Thy magic power re-unites

Was die Mode streng geteilt;

All that custom has divided,

Alle Menschen werden Brüder,

All men become brothers

Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt

Under the sway of thy gentle wings.


Wem der große Wurf gelungen,
Whoever has created

Eines Freundes Freund zu sein;
An abiding friendship,

Wer ein holdes Weib errungen,
Or has won

Mische seinen Jubel ein!
A true and loving wife,

Ja, wer auch nur eine Seele
All who can call at least one soul theirs,

Sein nennt auf dem Erdenrund!
Join in our song of praise ;

Und wer's nie gekonnt, der stehle

But any who cannot must creep tearfully

Weinend sich aus diesem Bund!

Away from our circle.


Freude trinken alle Wesen
All creatures drink of joy

An den Brüsten der Natur;

At nature's breast.

Alle Guten, alle Bösen

Just and unjust

Folgen ihrer Rosenspur.

Alike taste of her gift ;

Küsse gab sie uns und Reben,

She gave us kisses and the fruit of the vine,

Einen Freund, geprüft im Tod;

A tried friend to the end.

Wollust ward dem Wurm gegeben,

Even the worm can fell contentment,

und der Cherub steht vor Gott.

And the cherub stands before God!


Froh,

Gladly, like the heavenly bodies

wie seine Sonnen fliegen

Which He set on their courses

Durch des Himmels prächt'gen Plan,

Through the splendour of the firmament ;

Laufet, Brüder, eure Bahn,

Thus, brothers, you should run your race,

Freudig, wie ein Held zum Siegen.

As a hero going to conquest.


Seid umschlungen, Millionen!
You millions, I embrace you.

Diesen Kuß der ganzen Welt!

This kiss is for all the world!

Brüder, über'm Sternenzelt

Brothers, above the starry canopy

Muß ein lieber Vater wohnen.

There must dwell a loving Father.

Ihr stürzt nieder, Millionen?

Do you fall in worship, you millions ?

Ahnest du den Schöpfer, Welt?

World, do you know your Creator ?

Such' ihn über'm Sternenzelt!

Seek Him in the heavens!

Über Sternen muß er wohnen.

Above the stars must He dwell.
I looked and looked for a while today and could not find any information on how much gambling debt Donald Trump ran up every year to take off his taxes.

Anyone have a clue about it?