Posts

Showing posts from February, 2020

(12ab) International solidarity to tackle climate change

Image
How I think the world community can help each other to create a better world that is affordable and benefits everyone. For instance, when climate change hits a region or country, other regions and countries that are not hit can help with contribution of food and drinks, showing that respect for farmers and their work is important. In summary, solidarity is important in times of crises. But first why I defend Greta Thunberg's speech at the UN and afterwards. Indeed, over the past weeks (see here and here ) and even years ago I wrote, after reading climate scientists' warnings, we should take climate change serious and act to prevent the worse possible scenarios. It may not only concern loss of ice at the arctics and glaciers and thus rising sea levels (as Venice, Italy  and Jakarta, Indonesia experiences) or fires due to extreme hot and dry weather (as Australia  and Russia experiences) but may even result in a different distribution of weights in the world and as a res...

(12aa) Fantasy and realism

Image
A plan as a result of fear for rising sea levels Some engineers consider that two dams should be built to protect millions of people in the Netherlands, Belgium, Scotland and England at a cost of 250 to 500 billion £. The proposal comes from the Netherlands because after having sold their gas, now the country fears part of it may disappear below the sea due to climate change. I think that taking climate change actions to prevent or at least slowdown climate change happens are probably much cheaper although less spectacular but at least the result will be clean air, ground and water. Further, huge pumps will be needed to remove the large volumes of water that rivers empty in what will eventually become a freshwater lake. Thus, the result will be a rising sea level of the ocean and a low freshwater sea so we only need to wait for the moment one or both dams break so a huge tsunami destroys the whole area. Not to mention the closing of what is now the busiest sea for transport over sea...

Animal conservation

Image
Everywhere in the worlds animals are on the brink of extinction. Indeed, animals in the wild killed for ivory while lions and giraffes are not even safe in zoos. And when animal numbers recover, humans complain and say we need to kill them. I've warned before against blaming animals for the destruction of the environment and climate change or we start to reduce their numbers - now your own species. And thus now there is a discussion about whether deer  need to be killed and more specifically about the numbers of animals that should be killed. But did they study other ways? Here some suggestions: Deer in Richmond Park, located in the middle of London, UK Maybe relocate them to other parts of Europe where they went (almost) extinct? Maybe reintroduce wolfs. Of course, not large numbers but sufficient so they can hunt the deer without being a treat to humans. Maybe castrate a number of male deer so they can live without multiplying. Maybe replant trees in enclo...

Remembering the end of madness and death

Image
Liberation of Auschwitz signaled end of WWII This year, and certainly this week, humanity remembers the end of one of the many terrible moments in Europe's history, i.e. the liberation of Auschwitz and many other but similar places where millions of humans were tortured and killed simply for who they were, including Jews , other religious people, Gypsies , LGBTs as well as people who are considered to be left because they defended human rights and thus solidarity although for a short time Stalin's communism and Nazism seemed to join forces . And thus, although Jews were the largest group who were targeted, also the other groups should be remembered. Gay (and lesbians) during Hitler's time This Attitude article discusses mainly gay men although also lesbians were victims but I think also people who were accused to be LGBT so society would get rid of them. These men received little help from society as they were considered by society at large to be below any other hu...