Giant Sequoia, Mariposa Grove, Yosemite, 2005Hard Rain Journal 7-26-06: NRDC reports on Global Warming's Direct Threat to 12 National Parks in Western USA
By Richard Power
Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) continues his criminally insane rhetoric:
In an interview with Tulsa World, Inhofe compared people who believed global warming was a problem to Nazis...“It kind of reminds . . . I could use the Third Reich, the big lie,” Inhofe said. “The big lie,” is a propaganda technique Adolf Hitler attributed to Jews in his book Mein Kampf. It involves telling lies “so colossal” that no one would believe “others could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously.” Inhofe added that every claim in An Inconvenient Truth “has been refuted scientifically.” He also admitted he’d never seen the movie. Inhofe also compared An Inconvenient Truth to Hitler’s book, Mein Kampf. Sen. Inhofe Compares People Who Believe In Global Warming To ‘The Third Reich’, Think Progress, 7-24-06
Sen. Inhofe is Chairman of the US Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works. How could this person be allowed to hold on to such great power? The answer, of course, is twofold -- without campaign finance reform, Exxon's money is more powerful than the conscience of the nation, and without real media reform most people will not hear the truth about global warming, climate change, sustainability, or the consumption of fossil fuels.
Meanwhile, in the reality-based community...
Global warming puts 12 of the most famous U.S. national parks at risk, environmentalists said on Tuesday, conjuring up visions of Glacier National Park without glaciers and Yellowstone Park without grizzly bears. All 12 parks are located in the American West, where temperatures have risen twice as fast as in the rest of the United States over the last 50 years, said Theo Spencer of the Natural Resources Defense Council...The report released by the council and the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization stressed the connection between global warming and environmental damage at the parks, including the loss of specific wildlife, and called on the U.S. government to cut greenhouse gas emissions significantly in 10 years....
The report said the parks at greatest risk are:
- Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico;
- Death Valley National Park, California;
- Glacier National Park, Montana;
- Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah and Arizona;
- Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California;
- Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming;
- Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado;
- Mount Rainier National Park, Washington state;
- North Cascades National Park, Washington state;
- Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado;
- Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho;
- Yosemite National Park, California.
Deborah Zabarenko, Global warming puts 12 US parks at risk: report, Reuters, 7-25-06
National parks, whether in the US or Kenya or New Zealand or Argentina, are more than tourist spots or recreation centers, they are an essential ingredient in the alchemy of civilization. Neglect them, and you neglect yourself. Destroy them, and you destroy yourself.
To download the full NRDC report in .pdf, click here.
To download the executive summary of the NRDC report in .pdf, click here.
The political establishment is not providing leadership. The news media is not providing leadership.
Want to participate in the effort to mitigate the impact of global warming? Download "Ten Things You Can Do"
There is a powerful magic in personal commitment.
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Richard Power is the founder of GS(3) Intelligence and http://www.wordsofpower.net. His work focuses on the inter-related issues of security, sustainability and spirit, and how to overcome the challenges of terrorism, cyber crime, global warming, health emergencies, natural disasters, etc. You can reach him via e-mail: richardpower@wordsofpower.net. For more information, go to www.wordsofpower.net
Global Warming, Energy Security, Environmental Security, Alternate Energy, Sustainability, Renewable Resources, Climate Change, Weather, Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth, National Resources Defense Council, National Parks