Sarah Myhre: Scientist/feminist/activist, all in one

At the American Geophysical Union fall meeting in New Orleans last December, Sarah Myhre, PhD, joined with other scientists on a panel presenting and fielding questions on the science, economics, and politics of climate solutions.

Sarah Myhre, a veritable force of nature in addressing
 climate and other issues she is passionate about.

Myhre (pronounced my-ree) delivered a message that may have been startling to some in the audience – that climate change cannot fully be addressed without also grappling with the misogyny and social injustice that have perpetuated the problem for decades. Myhre characteristically delivered her talk with a sense of urgency, confidence, and polish.

After the presentations, an audience member directed a comment to panelist Stefan Rahmstorf, PhD, of the Potsdam Institute. Rahmstorf had illustrated just how quickly the world will need to stop burning fossil fuels if warming is to be kept to no more than 2 degrees C, about 3.6 degrees F.

Read the Yale Climate Connections story Karin Kirk - “Sarah Myhre: Scientist/feminist/activist, all in one.”

The Great Flood - Chris Hedges

How many times will we rebuild Florida’s cities, Houston, coastal New Jersey, New Orleans and other population centers ravaged by storms lethally intensified by global warming? At what point, surveying the devastation and knowing more is inevitable, will we walk away, leaving behind vast coastal dead zones? Will we retreat even further into magical thinking to cope with the fury we have unleashed from the natural world? Or will we respond rationally and radically alter our relationship to this earth that gives us life?

"People walk down a flooded street as they evacuate their homes
after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey
 on August 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas." 

Civilizations over the past 6,000 years have unfailingly squandered their futures through acts of colossal stupidity and hubris. We are probably not an exception. The physical ruins of these empires, including the Mesopotamian, Roman, Mayan and Indus, litter the earth. They elevated, during acute distress, inept and corrupt leaders who channeled anger, fear and dwindling resources into self-defeating wars and vast building projects. The ruling oligarchs, driven by greed and hedonism, retreated into privileged compounds—the Forbidden City, Versailles—and hoarded wealth as their populations endured mounting misery and poverty. The worse it got, the more the people lied to themselves and the more they wanted to be lied to. Reality was too painful to confront. They retreated into what anthropologists call “crisis cults,” which promised the return of the lost world through magical beliefs.

“The most significant characteristic of modern civilization is the sacrifice of the future for the present,” philosopher and psychologist William James wrote, “and all the power of science has been prostituted to this purpose.”

Read the Common Dreams story by Chris Hedges - “The Great Flood.”.”

Yes. Your streets are flooding more

Destiney Bell’s yard is flooded, and this isn’t the first time. Most storms turn Bell’s lawn into a lake, transforming her house on a busy New Orleans corner into an island of inconvenience. A half hour of heavy rain means that she wades through half a foot of water just to leave her house. Her roommate, a doctor, often worries that she won’t be able to get out of their flooded driveway and to get to work.

Flooding has become a common sight
 in New Orleans during heavy rains.

Bell also keeps an eye on the kids around the school bus stop on her street. “Whatever trash or debris is in the street is getting flooded up into our yard,” she said. “I’m constantly watching to make sure they’re all OK, because with all that water, you have no idea what’s going to happen.”

This story has echoes across New Orleans. Throughout this summer, major rain storms have hit the city. On July 22, one such storm dumped over 4 inches in an hour and left parts of the city in disarray. A foot of water poured into the lobby of the movie theater on Broad Street, and a foot and half inundated Louisiana State University’s dental school. Cars across the city were dragged into the floodwaters. Another round of major flooding that began August 5 led Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards to declare a state of emergency.

Read the Yale Climate Connections story - “Yes. Your streets are flooding more.”

Deadly combination claiming Southest Louisiana

The deadly combination of sea level rise and subsidence threatens huge sections of coastline in Southeast Louisiana.

The dilemma is explained in an article published on The Lens, which focusses on New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.

Headed: “New measurements show sea level rise swallowing Grand Isle at record rate” the story says the rate is so high because the entire southeast portion of the state is sinking while seas are rising worldwide due to global warming.