Climate&Energy “Speak Up&Out” Results

In April SEN published “Drill Oil and the USA and World to Hell?”

To our users we said “Tell Sustainability Education Network’s sen4earth.org what YOU believe and what YOU Demand of government in Energy & Climate policy and legislation.”

“SEN will report the overall results to you and to media, AND ON YOUR BEHALF to the heads of state of every nation represented, the UN and select other international organizations, and to the President of the United States, Senate and House leaders of both parties, pertinent committees, and to the Senators and Congressmen of every state and district represented in the results.”

Many respondents are users of Care2, a cause-oriented social site with 13 Million members. The SEN article posted on Care2 and linked to this poll was the most widely read on all of Care2 shortly after posting. The majority of respondents are citizens of the USA, but also represented are citizens of Canada, Australia, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Russia, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, China, South Africa, Brazil, India, Malaysia, Israel, Pakistan, Greece, Cyprus, Montenegro, and Mexico. Click here to express your views via the poll.    Click here for SEN’s view.

Below are the Results of SEN’s Climate & Energy “Speak Up & Out” Poll thru April 28, 2010

Executive Summary:

• Overwhelmingly, respondents believe Global Warming is real and that governments are not doing enough now, nor planning to do enough this year, to address climate change and to invest in clean energy sources in lieu of oil and coal.

• Overwhelmingly, respondents favor huge investment in solar and wind energy, and significant investment in tidal, permacultural ethanol, and advanced-technology alternatives.

• The great majority are opposed to more than negligible (if any) investment in “clean coal”, “cleaner oil”, nuclear, and “agribusiness monoculture ethanol”.

• The great majority are opposed to any increase in offshore oil drilling, and most who are not completely opposed want strict controls.

• The great majority are convinced that corporate trading of “Carbon Credits” will lead to massive frauds and do little to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

• A huge majority do not think their government and international corporations are being honest with the public about how fast we are exhausting global resources, and the consequences for our children.

• A huge majority agree we should invest 5% of our GDP yearly to reverse resource exhaustion and greenhouse gas emissions, would accept a 3% increase in their taxes to reverse resource exhaustion and emissions if the wealthy paid a 10% increase in theirs, and think their nation must begin to discuss nationalization of energy, water and other natural resources for the good of all.

Graphs of Detailed Responses

 

 

Reading the composite graph above: The mountainous peaks and large volumes of brown, green and red reflect EXTREMELY STRONG SUPPORT for investment (in order of highest to lowest) in Solar and Wind; STRONG SUPPORT for Other Hi-Tech R&D, Tidal, and Permaculture Ethanol; WEAK SUPPORT for River Dams, Cleaner burning oil, and Cleaner burning coal; NEGLIGIBLE SUPPORT for Agricorp Monoculture Ethanol; OPPOSITION to Nuclear.

 

 

Respondent Comments

Despite having just completed a detailed poll requiring thought and mental math, many respondents troubled to enter a comment as a “parting shot” or elaboration of their views. We have reproduced a number of them below, shorn of those that were highly partisan politically or acutely hostile to particular governmental or political leaders they felt should be held to account for “crimes against humanity” (etc) for their failure to address the mounting climate, energy and resource crisis.

I believe Coal mining should totally cease and those workers should be re-trained and re-directed into biomass fuel production, solar, wind. The same goes for oil, totally bad for the planet and its inhabitants. Re-train, re-direct workers into clean, safe, sustainable energy sources.

Human greed is a treatable disease. Yet it permeates civilization so thoroughly that few can see any alternatives. We MUST start NOW: turning our attention to our survival as a PLANET, i.e. all life forms on Earth. We must have the fortitude and willingness to let go of our more baser instincts in order to train ourselves and future generations to live WELL, not simply to live “better,” (which entails more “stuff,” i.e., more greed).

We have KNOWN about CLIMATE CHANGE for OVER 30 YEARS and have DONE NOTHING (or Little, at best) and NOW YOU WANT TO DRILL? Build NEW PLANTS? AND you want ME to pay for it NOW? TOO LITTLE TOO LATE! A day LATE and a DOLLAR SHORT!!! Big Corporations are and have been running THIS COUNTRY for a long time. NOW, I AM SUPPOSED TO PAY FOR IT? Make THEM PAY FOR IT! THEY are the ones who paid you OFF 30 yrs ago and still are today! SO, NOW that things are getting “sticky”… THEY can pay for their mistakes! I have NO INTENTION of paying for their screw-ups!

I believe the oil era is over and coal is dirty no matter what they do. Stop the lobbyists and their lies.

Clouding issues and outright lying by politicians MUST STOP. We cannot wish away our problems. Uncle Sam is living in denial and must have an intervention. Uncle Sam is trying to place the blame rather than facing the solution. Uncle Sam is addicted to oil, coal and taxes. He needs our help; we must show some tough love here. We must demand more responsibility from Uncle Sam.

We cannot go on like this. If government keeps on doing what it has always done, we will keep on getting what we have always gotten and that is not acceptable. Lead, follow or get out of the way.

Save the planet! Put the politicians in protective custody before they kill themselves!

We need to invest in wind and solar power for the future, the NEAR future. We need less and less oil dependency and fast! I am for any clean energy development that is eco-friendly as possible!

If the government invested more into clean energy, I would be happy to pay higher taxes in order to support this, I would consider this an investment in our children’s future.

What about the cover-up that keeps information secret about advanced energy and propulsion systems that already exist? Please see http://www.disclosureproject.org/

More specific information is needed in regard to what exactly will work to significantly reduce global warming country by country and on a global scale.

In my mind there’s NO such thing as Clean Coal. I think we ought to stay off coal, gas and oil completely. Also we should stop the cutting down of our forests as they clean the air and give us oxygen and sustain food and plants we can use for medications.

I believe we’ll end up forced to go back to the way of living of all our Natives no matter where we live in this world. Some countries will disappear completely because of the rising water from the melting ice in the Arctic and Antarctic areas. Parts of Europe will disappear ie The Netherlands will disappear completely as most of the land is below sea level, ie the level it was long before we even started thinking of Global Warming.

I do not agree with more gas and oil drilling, it only keeps us dependent. There is NO such thing as ‘clean coal’. We can’t dispose of the waste from nuclear power plants, so we don’t need more plants.

We must find other ways and means of power, solar, wind…..put our tax dollars into funding for these.

The CEOs of oil, coal and other past and current energy sources have stolen enough. Invest in wind, tidal, and other non-global-warming solutions!

Drilling for oil offshore does little to increase output in the USA but it does increase greenhouse gas emissions. When will we learn?

Overpopulation. Until we can control our numbers, anything else we do is only to postpone the inevitable.

Maintain forests and plant more trees. Stop destroying old growth forests. We are destroying too much of the life-sustaining forests and water supplies.

I think long-term stability of the environment should be the most important issue facing our government and any other government in the world right now. If we don’t fix these issues, the earth will die. Period.

We all have to be on the same page with our future or there may not be one. Or worse, one that our children struggle to breathe or survive the legacy we leave them.

Crooked politicians need to all be held accountable for their actions or lack thereof. They need to be tried and sentenced just as anyone else would be if they committed the same crimes.

I believe global warming is a fraud, but I also believe all current energy systems are run by giant corporations that overcharge on everything. I believe everyone should start finding their own power and get off the usual grid. My local National Fuel sent me a $300 bill once… for a vacant apartment I owned that had NOTHING turned on gas wise. They pick and choose their own prices, and I have had it with their monopoly.

I am a small time bee keeper, and have been keeping bees for most of my life. I know global warming is real. I know climate is rapidly changing. Because my small business like all of agriculture is dependent on the climate and our food crops pivot on bees. Think of a world with NO Blueberries or Almonds! Crops are totally dependent on bees and we are losing them at an alarming rate . We all need to pitch in.

It is time we change. We have ignored this long enough already.

We have to stop killing wildlife. Predators such as lions and wolves are a necessary part of the food chain and play a huge role in keeping our eco-systems in balance. Mankind has to curb its ego and stop taking over every square inch of the earth. The animals have shared while we push and push and push them out of our way. We need to stop pushing and leave the wildlife their own space.

Big oil companies and industries need to be held accountable for ALL pollution they produce. Giving them any kind of a break leaves them with too many ways to get around having to clean up their acts.

I guess I really want accountability on all levels of government and industry.

Oil companies and huge produce growers need to stop lying to people and stop bribing officials to allow them to destroy rain forests and water sheds. Just because we CAN get away with doing what’s wrong does not mean we should.

Outlaw chemical fertilizers and go back to old fashioned composting! Make better use of natural pest controls as well.

There has to be a limit put on the production of plastic and other petroleum based products worldwide.

We have to clean up our oceans and stop overfishing. Leave the whales and dolphins alone for they too have a part to play in the whole scheme of life.

We need to act quickly on these issues. People worldwide are suffering when it is needless.
Population control needs to be encouraged worldwide. We cannot continue reproducing at the rate we are now. This is one of the most important issues we need to look at and act upon!

Witnessed and Certified as to Authenticity

Gregory Hilbert, Co-Founder SEN, Chairman Green Education Network, USA Citizen at Glastonbury CT 06033

Suzanne Sparling, Co-Founder SEN, USA Executive Director Greenhouse Neutral Foundation, USA Citizen at Phoenix AZ 85032

Now That You’re Here, Take Some ACTION!

Express YOUR Views in SEN’s Climate & Energy Poll

Take the Sustainability Pledge

Enter Your Name in SEN’s Book of Life

Visit SEN’s Prayer Chain for Mother Earth

Learn the Truth About Catastrophic Resource Exhaustion in 60 seconds

Join the Symbolic Palin Alaska Boycott for the Sake of Many Causes

Sign (by May 3) Oceana Petition vs Offshore Drilling

Sign Care2 Petition Against Offshore Drilling

Sign NRDC-assisted Petition Against Florida Offshore Drilling

Sign the Crash Alternative Energy Petition at PeaceTeam

Sign Defenders of Wildlife Offshore Drilling Petition

Do This For Koo and New Zealand (Greenpeace)

Do Something, Please, Do Anything Except Nothing!

Late-breaking Bulletin: BP Ignores the Most Effective Means of Locking Up Oil in Fragile Coastal Area

BP Is ignoring the most effective and safest means of locking up the oil in zones around the fragile coastal zones of the Gulf Coast. The video link below demonstrates how MOP (Maximum Oil Pickup) sorbent works. It can be introduced above the surface or blown in from below the surface to grab the oil as it rises to the surface. It is 100% recycled material and 100% biodegradable and safe for the environment, animals and people. Tell BP to USE MOP. Pass this on please. Help us spread the word, this will help and it works. The maker has offered to ship a free truckload to BP to prove it.

http://mopsolutions.blogspot.com/ 

http://www.spe.org/jpt/2008/01/new-technology-offers-profitable-holistic-approach-to-oil-spill-cleanup/