Countless men and women have for generations dedicated their careers -sometimes risking their lives and their health- to power our hospitals, school buses, homes, and businesses. America owes a debt of gratitude to those in the fuel industry for greatly contributing to the early growth and success of our nation. They deserve our respect.  But their welfare remains in peril along with ours until we convert to a clean energy economy.

Aaron Dale Burkeen was a 37 year-old crewmember on the BP Deepwater Horizon oilrig. He died with 10 of his crewmates on April 20^th, 2010 when the rig exploded. At his memorial service on May 25^th, his family described Dale as a “caring and honorable son, brother, and father.” America can honor him and our many other energy veterans best by creating safe, dignified, and sustainable careers for their children.

Dale is one of many heartbreaking casualties of the BP Oil Disaster. After the deaths of these 11 workers, Americans learned about the scores of crab, oyster, and shrimp fishermen along the Gulf Coast being put out of business, perhaps forever, as a result of the spill. Dolphins, sea turtles, pelicans, and fish are washing ashore dead and soaked in oil. The National Guard and workers are racing against time to erect sandbag walls in hopes of saving miles of fragile wetlands and salt marshes from the oil. Watching aerial video of miles of red streaks across the sea, and giant plumes of oil swirling under the water, it is clear that this nightmare has only just begun.

It didn’t have to be this way..

The Gulf Coast didn’t have to suffer the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history on April 20th. Twenty-nine West Virginia miners didn’t have to die in the worst U.S. coalmine explosion since 1970 on April 5th. Tennessee families didn’t have to be left with 300 acres of poisoned land and broken homes after the worst coal ash release in U.S. history on December 22nd, 2008. It is the year 2010. Energy does not have to cost lives. America can do better.

By now we should all know that the true cost of conventional electricity and fuel is far higher than the sticker price. Even if there never were another oil spill, coalmine explosion, or power plant meltdown, the costs of fossil fuel extraction would still be enormous. Air and water pollution, climate change, and resource wars are killing jobs and taking lives all over the world each day. Passing comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation in the U.S. this year is a critical first step to putting a price on fossil fuels. And yet, for a deeply divided U.S. Congress, that seems an enormous task. It doesn’t have to be so. We know we can do better.

The U.S. government began giving tax breaks for oil and gas production in 1916. Coal mining subsidies began in 1932. Most taxpayers have no idea that we are still propping up the fossil fuel industry with $12 billion in annual subsidies and tax breaks. Clean energy technologies such as wind and solar have received weaker and less consistent government subsidies and yet are already providing fuel and power all over the world without the ecological, economic, or human costs of fossil fuels. Something is wrong with this picture. We can do better.

Today President Obama and BP are focused on stopping the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico and preventing massive wetland and coastal destruction. These efforts will save lives and should be their first priority. But once the well is capped and the cleanup begins, we must open our eyes to what this means to our nation’s future viability. President Obama and the oil industry have a simple choice to make: put another band-aid on a decaying, dangerous industry, or set a bold course for the future. By setting a goal of phasing out all oil drilling and fossil fuel extraction by 2030, BP can live up to their “Beyond Petroleum” slogan. And by aggressively championing a nationwide commitment to clean energy technologies with a price on fossil fuels, President Obama can fulfill his promise to deliver “change we can believe in”.

America can and must do better.

Filed under: Coal, Dirty Energy, global warming, Government, Impacted Communities, News and Media, Oil, Politics

photo by Bsivad (source: Flickr Creative Commons)

As an American who has lived in various European countries during the last ten years, I have an unusual, but perhaps insightful perspective on various health care systems.

The cheapest and most efficient health care I ever experienced was during my teenage years and was provided by the US military, in the form of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center in Washington, DC. They weren’t cushy and had lousy magazines, but these massive mega-mall style centers provided everything from GPs to specialists to filling prescriptions to hospital care at no cost to the patient and all in one place. They are where the President and first family go for medical care so they can’t be all that bad.

I have also experienced the self-employed, uninsured-in-America healthcare scenario, which was OK as long as I didn’t get sick or injured. The odd minor doctor visit was affordable in the 1990s – far more so than buying a private healthcare plan.

Then came an accident involving a 15-passenger van, a trailer and a 50 meter /165 ft drop down a mountainside in the Utah desert. Miraculously there were no deaths and the emergency care was adequate, even out in a rural Utah hospital. That is, until a few hours later when the van owner’s insurance reached its limit and we were all told we had to leave. All of us except the kid with the broken neck, who was taken by helicopter to another hospital. Never mind that there were cracked spines, broken legs and concussions among us. The insurance policy limit meant no more bed space.

And leaving meant walking, which I couldn’t yet do. I didn’t have any clothes on either because everything but my soccer shorts had been cut off by the nurses. After unsuccessfully attempting to walk I was unceremoniously wheeled to the waiting room to sleep on a bench for a few hours wrapped in a blanket the nurses let me borrow. Eventually my companions and I got a cab to a fleabag motel where we dozed on painkillers. I spent the next day in bed and in the bath picking chunks of glass out of my arm, something that had apparently escaped the hospital staff’s attention.

This whole debacle resulted in lawsuits by the family of the poor kid with the broken neck. You see his bills weren’t covered by the insurance policy. Neither were the x-rays on my neck, as I discovered via mail from a collection agency.

Most people naturally connect the healthcare debate to their own personal experiences – or lack thereof – with healthcare systems. I’m no different. Foreigners who have lived in the US and worked high paying jobs with expensive health plans may have experienced unrivaled care in private American hospitals that were more luxurious, attentive and up to date than what they experienced in their home countries.

There is little argument that the US provides top of the line medical services for those who can afford it. But what of those who can’t?

photo by Bsivad (source: Flickr Creative Commons)

Living in Sweden I never had to worry about health insurance. My experiences have included some very long and painful emergency room waits, an ambulance ride, a five-day stay in the orthopedic unit of an understaffed and old-fashioned looking hospital, many GP visits and plenty of prescriptions. The care hasn’t been a pleasure cruise, but it’s been adequate to my needs. Prescription and doctor visit are not free, but controlled and affordable. The only things I paid for while in hospital were my meals. No insurance company, no monthly bills. Sure, Sweden has high taxes, but since healthcare and welfare are on universal systems, both rich and poor alike benefit from them. This makes them more politically popular than the barebones safety net welfare programs of the US.

Let’s be clear: The US still has no universal health care. From an article in the Guardian:

The reform, which will cost an estimated $940bn (£627bn) over 10 years, amounts to a massive change in US healthcare provision, expanding care to 32 million more people, predominantly the poorest, and giving the country 95% coverage.

One opinion piece in the Guardian breaks the debate down to the classic cleavage of individualism vs. community:

It is a monumental accomplishment. The story of that century of failure is a story of multiple plots and subplots, but at its heart the story is about the tension in American society between the individual and the community – whether we are just a loose confederation of individuals who should be left alone to pursue self interest, or something more than that, a community of citizens with mutual ties and obligations.

As significant as this vote is, America is by no means on its way towards socialism. I’ve lived in a social democratic country – not socialist – which is much better for poor people as far as basic necessities are concerned. Sweden is also home to plenty of wealthy people who have no problem making lots of money. That said, Sweden could learn from America’s tax policies concerning the low-income self-employed / freelancers.

The most important distinction vis-à-vis healthcare in the States vs. other developed countries is profit motive. Medicine is an overwhelmingly profit-driven industry in the US, while it is considered a right in Sweden as well as in many other countries, including the very capitalistic states of Japan and Taiwan. After all, healthy workers and business owners are more productive.

The profit motive that has invaded all aspects of the American health care system is an inherent conflict of interest. This new bill will not get rid of this conflict of interest either. That would mean getting rid of private medical insurance companies. But at least it gets more people covered, which should save lives. In short: It’s a start.

For a specific rundown on what the new bill actually does, see this article in the (conservative) Telegraph. Topics covered include pre-existing conditions, lifetime limits, preventative care (wellness) and young adults.

by Graham Land

—

Lead image by Paul Keleher (image source: Flickr)

This morning activists in Philadelphia descended upon their Regional EPA branch to put an end to Mountaintop Removal mining (MTR). Decisions made here in Philly have devastating consequences for Appalachian communities and our country as a whole.

Activists prepared to enter the building and risk arrest by sitting-in until they were granted a meeting with officials inside, and after a successful engagement and demands met, the rally of 40 people exited.

In recent months, the EPA has wavered in their position on mountaintop removal coal mining (MTR); in particular with the recent approval of the high profile Hobet 45 Mine permit. Philadelphia’s EPA has oversight of MTR permits for Virginia and West Virginia, which includes the Hobet 45 Mine. Philadelphia’s Region 3 EPA is considering 16 upcoming MTR permits and is responsible for the enforcement of the Clean Water Protection Act at existing MTR sites, which makes it a critical agent in ending the mining practice.

This has become a national issue. Appalachians can’t wait any longer, and Philadelphia activists met this urgency with action.

Meanwhile, there is a simultaneous rally at EPA’s region 4 in Atlanta GA, also responsible for MTR permitting.

Every day, across Appalachia, the coal industry literally blows the tops off of historic mountains, impoverishing communities, poisoning drinking water, clear-cutting entire forests, wiping out the natural habitats of countless animals, and sacrificing the heritage and the health of families across the region. The EPA estimates that more than a million acres of American mountains across Appalachia have already been lost to MTR, and yet they allow it to continue.

More than 2000 miles of rivers and streams have been buried and contaminated by ‘fill’ waste from Mountaintop removal mines. In streams rainwater seeps over rocks that had previously been far underground, which release toxic metals that kill life in streams and cause health problems for people who drink the water. The EPA can intervene and must intervene – not in a month, not in a week, but now.

Most Americans oppose mountaintop removal coal mining. its time to ban this devastating coal mining practice, and to transition to energy that is clean, safe and forever – and to generate good clean jobs for Appalachia.

As the movement to stop coal continues to grow in the U.S. we are on the verge of ending MTR. Please help.

Filed under: mountain top removal

This morning activists in Philadelphia descended upon their Regional EPA branch to put an end to Mountaintop Removal mining (MTR).  Decisions made here in Philly have devastating consequences for Appalachian communities and our country as a whole.

Activists prepared to enter the building and risk arrest by sitting-in until they were granted a meeting with officials inside, and after a successful engagement and demands met, the rally of 40 people exited.

In recent months, the EPA has wavered in their position on mountaintop removal coal mining (MTR); in particular with the recent approval of the high profile Hobet 45 Mine permit. Philadelphia’s EPA has oversight of MTR permits for Virginia and West Virginia, which includes the Hobet 45 Mine. Philadelphia’s Region 3 EPA is considering 16 upcoming MTR permits and is responsible for the enforcement of the Clean Water Protection Act at existing MTR sites, which makes it a critical agent in ending the mining practice.

This has become a national issue. Appalachians can’t wait any longer, and Philadelphia activists met this urgency with action.

Meanwhile, there is a simultaneous rally at EPA’s region 4 in Atlanta GA, also responsible for MTR permitting.

Every day, across Appalachia, the coal industry literally blows the tops off of historic mountains, impoverishing communities, poisoning drinking water, clear-cutting entire forests, wiping out the natural habitats of countless animals, and sacrificing the heritage and the health of families across the region. The EPA estimates that more than a million acres of American mountains across Appalachia have already been lost to MTR, and yet they allow it to continue.

More than 2000 miles of rivers and streams have been buried and contaminated by ‘fill’ waste from Mountaintop removal mines. In streams rainwater seeps over rocks that had previously been far underground, which release toxic metals that kill life in streams and cause health problems for people who drink the water. The EPA can intervene and must intervene – not in a month, not in a week, but now.

Most Americans oppose mountaintop removal coal mining. its time to ban this devastating coal mining practice, and to transition to energy that is clean, safe and forever – and to generate good clean jobs for Appalachia.

As the movement to stop coal continues to grow in the U.S. we are on the verge of ending MTR. Please help.

Today the Yale Project on Climate Change released its latest (3rd) report: Americans’ Actions to Conserve Energy, Reduce Waste, and Limit Global Warming. In brief, they found that there is a significant gap between Americans’ conservation attitudes and their actual behaviors. For example:

• 88 percent of Americans say it is important to recycle at home, but only 51 percent “often” or “always” do;
• 81 percent say it is important to use re-usable shopping bags, but only 33 percent “often” or “always” do;
• 76 percent say it is important to buy locally grown food, but only 26 percent “often” or “always” do;
• 76 percent say it is important to walk or bike instead of driving, but only 15 percent “often” or “always” do;
• 72 percent of Americans say it is important to use public transportation or carpool, but only 10 percent say they “often” or “always” do;

On the positive side, large majorities of Americans think these actions are important. Yet there is also plenty of room to improve. It is important to recognize, however, that each behavior confronts its own set of barriers. For example, public transportation may not be locally available or convenient. Policies to lower these barriers will make it much easier for people to act in ways consistent with their values.

The survey also found that, in the past year, approximately 1 out of three Americans have rewarded companies that are taking steps to reduce global warming by buying their products, while slightly fewer report that they have punished companies that have opposed steps to reduce global warming by not buying their products. Finally, in the past year 12 percent of Americans have contacted government officials about global warming. Of these, 72 percent urged officials to take action to reduce global warming.

A copy of the report can be downloaded from http://environment.yale.edu/uploads/BehaviorJan2010.pdf

Filed under: Climate Policy, global warming, Government, green jobs, Jobs, Polls, Transportation, United States

Recycled Percussion

I’m currently watching the Season 4 finals of America’s Got Talent and the final act was this band called Recycled Percussion. You might have heard about them before and I just learnt that they won third place in the season of AGT.

In any case, I think that they actually serve as a great example to artists and musicians out there that there is an outlet to consider the environment in their work! Plus they sound really good! Check it out!

Do Singaporeans like such junkyard rhythm that the Americans seem to be so taken to? The use of recycled materials as instruments are a good way of bringing the message of the need to be sustainable to people. So there is avenue for youths to express their work yet while being environmentally conscious and appeal to the masses.. and be entertained at the same time!

Let me go check out if there are such bands or artists in Singapore who can champion such a movement here. Anyone knows of anybody?

Mel

]]> http://youthclimate.org/recycled-percussion-32940/feed/ 0 http://youthclimate.org/msnbc-interview-with-thomas-friedman-copenhagen-%e2%80%98an-unprecedented-breakdown%e2%80%99-30811/ http://youthclimate.org/msnbc-interview-with-thomas-friedman-copenhagen-%e2%80%98an-unprecedented-breakdown%e2%80%99-30811/#comments Wed, 23 Dec 2009 19:01:30 +0000 Graham_Land http://www.greenfudge.org/?p=3265

Yesterday night Canada won a first place for suggesting to switch the base year from 1990 to something more contemporary. This is so that their political numbers seem bigger, and is a complete fallacy.

Croatia also supported the Canadian initiative and won a first for it as well.

Second place: Russia, for saying their commitments are just a political action and not actually going to happen or a submission to the Kyoto Protocol.

A new award, The Ray of HOPE, an award for the country that did the most to save the future was award today to Tuvalu, the fourth smallest nation, with the third smallest population size, Wikipedia it for more information.

Tuvalu: To discuss the legal outcome of the COP. They must be legally binding and enforcable.

Some interesting facts. Of the 195 countries in the UN. 194 of them have signed the Kyoto Protocol. The remaining country is the United States of America. No don’t be little them for not signing. They routinely, (at least some of their politicains do), point out how signing doesn’t do anything, look at Canada. Canada signed on yet hasn’t attempted to meet their targets. As well, I joined in on a Tar sands protest. The Tar Sands are TARnishing Canada’s reputation, and in fact Canada is stalling climate talks and negotiations more than any other Annex 1 country currently. We were in fact ranked 8th out of the G8 on a 2009 ranking of climate change policy, past, present and future in a WWF report. Shame on Us!

Here is a big event we did at the Americans for Prosperity meeting, which is an orginization that believes that the business world will take care of the climate problems. We were called, “Crazed Hitler Youth!” Awesome! Really hilarious by the way, since we ended up being the majority of this meeting…

http://bit.ly/4FAljl

This morning I was part of a protest that was amazing, I’m not going to spoil the surprise until I can find a video of it to post, unless you see it on the news first (crossing my fingers for this), so hopefully I’ll get that out by tonight.