CG/LL Infrastructure 16Th Latin American & Caribbean Infrastructure Leadership Forum | SIDS DOCK
OPENING KEYNOTE: The Honorable Al Binger, Secretary-General, SIDS DOCK
Discussion of challenges faced by Caribbean island and coastal nations in finding reliable and economic sources of clean fuels and feed-stocks, need for diverse mix of products for diverse uses – power generation, to fuel for stoves and vehicles to feed-stocks for chemical production. Read More
Millions will be hit by poverty due to climate change - economist
Cape Town - An estimated 20 million people will be pushed into poverty because of climate change in 2030, which may possibly rocket to more than 100 million people if speedy social developments are not conducted, an economist said on Wednesday.
“We estimated that 20 million people will be pushed into poverty because of climate change in 2030, and 20 million is a big number, more especially when you are one of that 20 million people, but still small compared with the global population," lead economist at the World Bank, Stephane Hallegatte said.
"If we don't do this big push, then numbers balloon for like more than 100 million people," Hallegatte, who also has many years experience of academic research in environmental economics and climate science said speaking at the Adaptation Futures 2018 -- the world’s leading conference on climate change adaptation held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) said. Read More
EXCLUSIVE: Liberal philanthropy is dooming the planet to climate disaster, documents reveal
A 2017 paper in Science lead authored by Johan Rockström, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, concluded that global carbon emissions would have to be cut in half by 2020, then cut in half again by 2030, and then cut in half again each decade out to 2050.
This entails that emissions should be slashed by about 75 percent by 2030, and by nearly 95 percent by 2050 to stay within a safe climate.
A Nature Geoscience study similarly found that “limiting warming to 1.5C is not yet a geophysical impossibility, but is likely to require delivery on strengthened pledges for 2030 followed by challengingly deep and rapid mitigation.” Read More
Seen in this way, renewable energy for all takes on an importance beyond stopping climate breakdown; likewise free education and the internet for all has a significance beyond access to social media – as they empower women, which helps stabilise the population.
More energy and greater information availability appear to be the necessities for any new kind of society - although these changes alone could increase our environmental problems, as in the past. To usher in a new way of living today’s core dynamic of ever-greater production and consumption of goods and resources must also be broken, coupled with a societal focus on environmental repair.
Read More
Waiting for Korowicz – Albert Bates – Medium
Even though the coming of the Korowicz singularity cannot be Post-It’d to a particular date on the calendar, it’s wise to keep a foot in the prepper camp. A wall calendar, for instance.
Know where your water comes from. Have an anti-fragile supply of food — like the shiitake mushrooms that come after a big storm. They are a complete protein. Have back-up power that does not involve fossil fuels. Be able to cook. Keep your tools sharp and well-oiled. And have a good idea what you will do with your time when the internet goes away suddenly and permanently.
In the meantime, we are at the pinnacle of a gilded age. Be sure to enjoy it while it lasts.
(https://medium.com/@albertbates/waiting-for-korowicz-4e26cec88f)