Global Warming and Our Health

Now that we've accepted that 2008 is really here, we turn our attention to global warming. And social justice. Again.

What we Trailing Edge enthusiasts lack in promptness, we make up for in repetition and sloth.

So we want to urge you to join us in observing Global Action Day - January 26...
[Nota Bene: Trailing Edge Significant First! Announcement of an event about 8 hours before the fact. Significance: p=.0001 (that is, the probability that this prior notification is a random event, likely to occur any old time is vanishingly small).]
...by not doing stuff.

You can visit the World Social Forum 2008 website and find out about lots of things we can stop doing.

We will start stopping by quoting - rather than rewriting - all the good information that Lanny Smith (the excellent Dr. Clyde Lanford Smith, that is, not the excellent basketball player) posted to the Spirit of 1848 Group.

But in the interest of sloth, we will first summarize the stuff we can all stop doing. (Of course, as mentioned, we can wait until tomorrow, January 26, 2008, to start stopping.) (Although if you’re too lazy to wait, that’s OK, too.) (We certainly are.) As of whenever, we can:
· Take a break from doing all sorts of things that keep on costing: quit using not-so-extra energy, stop throwing reuseable stuff away, forget to plug things in or turn on the electronics, give ourselves a rest from toxic products, delay buying until we find local and/or green stuff, and like that;
· Don’t bite our tongues when we see Environmental Racism – defined as dumping our dregs on those of our neighbors who have plenty of dregs already;
· Quit worrying about the difference between home and abroad when it comes to environmental or social justice issues, so we don’t have to bother keeping track of how fast the world is shrinking; and
· Stop closing our minds’ eyes to the link between our health and what we breathe, sip, munch, float in, and snooze on.

And we quote [although we added hyperlinks, dropping the related web address text, and shortened and reformatted a bit]:

Global Action Toward Environmental Health and Social Justice 26 Jan…
Posted by: LANNY SMITH
Posting Date: Sun Jan 20, 2008 4:34 pm (PST)

Dear Members, Supporters, AND Everyone dedicated to Environmental Health and Social Justice, here is an invitation to be with the People's Health Movement-US and Global, 26 January 2008 on World Social Forum Global Action Day:
Global Action Day is this year’s World Social Forum Global Action toward “Another World Is Possible,” and will be held around the world on 26 January 2008 (and during the following week).

We hope that each of you will join either this specific activity (put together initially by Doctors for Global Health [DGH] Board Members Emily Rosenberg, Maureen McCue and Lanny Smith—in view of the DGH Board Meeting on 26 January 2008--and inviting your input) or another of your making or choice. In some places around the world (for example Egypt and Lebanon), the People’s Health Movement is having day-long conferences around a specific Social Justice topic. Whatever you do for Social Justice on a daily basis, try to educate other persons about it (including all of us) always but specifically this day, focus and join together with others, look for ways to synergize expertise.
...
Please consider [sharing this blog with] your local activist, student and educational groups and list-serves. We would like for them to invite the People’s Health Movement to become a partner in solidarity with their daily Health and Social Justice activities.

Proposed Activities (see below for details):
Promote Environmental Health and Social Justice;
Expose Environmental Racism being done near you;
Expose pseudo-pro-environmental anti-immigrant policies and what environmental destruction does to people’s health world-wide;
Promote your personal awareness toward Environmental Health
…
Special thanks to Jennifer Cox of the PPEHRC (Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign - a Member of the International Council of the World Social Forum) and Kensington Welfare Rights Union for her encouragement that “Another World is Possible” in the United States of America…

1. Promote Environmental Health and Social Justice. Another Way
Many people who have seen The Story of Stuff have asked what they can do to address the problems identified in the film. Each of us can promote sustainability and justice at multiple levels: as an individual, as a teacher or parent, a community member, a national citizen, and as a global citizen. As Annie says in the film, “the good thing about such an all pervasive problem is that there are so many points of intervention.” That means that there are lots and lots of places to plug in, to get involved, and to make a difference. There is no single simple thing to do, because the set of problems we’re addressing just isn’t simple. But everyone can make a difference, but the bigger your action the bigger the difference you’ll make. Here are some ideas:
10 Little and Big Things You Can Do
1. Power down! A great deal of the resources we use and the waste we create is in the energy we consume. Look for opportunities in your life to significantly reduce energy use: drive less, fly less, turn off lights, buy local seasonal food (food takes energy to grow, package, store and transport), wear a sweater instead of turning up the heat, use a clothesline instead of a dryer, vacation closer to home, buy used or borrow things before buying new, recycle. All these things save energy and save you money. And, if you can switch to alternative energy by supporting a company that sells green energy to the grid or by installing solar panels on your home, bravo!
2. Waste less. Per capita waste production in the U.S. just keeps growing. There are hundreds of opportunities each day to nurture a Zero Waste culture in your home, school, workplace, church, community. This takes developing new habits which soon become second nature. Use both sides of the paper, carry your own mugs and shopping bags, get printer cartridges refilled instead of replaced, compost food scraps, avoid bottled water and other over packaged products, upgrade computers rather than buying new ones, repair and mend rather than replace….the list is endless! The more we visibly engage in re-use over wasting, the more we cultivate a new cultural norm, or actually, reclaim an old one!
3. Talk to everyone about these issues. At school, your neighbors, in line at the supermarket, on the bus…A student once asked Cesar Chavez how he organized. He said, “First, I talk to one person. Then I talk to another person.” “No,” said the student, “how do you organize?” Chavez answered, “First I talk to one person. Then I talk to another person.” You get the point. Talking about these issues raises awareness, builds community and can inspire others to action.
4. Make Your Voice Heard. Write letters to the editor and submit articles to local press. In the last two years, and especially with Al Gore winning the Nobel Peace Prize, the media has been forced to write about Climate Change. As individuals, we can influence the media to better represent other important issues as well. Letters to the editor are a great way to help newspaper readers make connections they might not make without your help. Also local papers are often willing to print book and film reviews, interviews and articles by community members. Let’s get the issues we care about in the news.
5. DeTox your body, DeTox your home, and DeTox the Economy. Many of today’s consumer products – from children’s pajamas to lipstick – contain toxic chemical additives that simply aren’t necessary. Research online (for example, Skin Deep) before you buy to be sure you’re not inadvertently introducing toxics into your home and body. Then tell your friends about toxics in consumer products. Together, ask the businesses why they’re using toxic chemicals without any warning labels. And ask your elected officials why they are permitting this practice. The European Union has adopted strong policies that require toxics to be removed from many products. So, while our electronic gadgets and cosmetics have toxics in them, people in Europe can buy the same things toxics-free. Let’s demand the same thing here. Getting the toxics out of production at the source is the best way to ensure they don’t get into any home and body.
6. Unplug (the TV and internet) and Plug In (the community). The average person in the U.S. watches T.V. over 4 hours a day. Four hours per day filled with messages about stuff we should buy. That is four hours a day that could be spent with family, friends and in our community. On-line activism is a good start, but spending time in face-to-face civic or community activities strengthens the community and many studies show that a stronger community is a source of social and logistical support, greater security and happiness. A strong community is also critical to having a strong, active democracy.
7. Park your car and walk…and when necessary MARCH! Car-centric land use policies and life styles lead to more greenhouse gas emissions, fossil fuel extraction, conversion of agricultural and wildlands to roads and parking lots. Driving less and walking more is good for the climate, the planet, your health, and your wallet. But sometimes we don’t have an option to leave the car home because of inadequate bike lanes or public transportation options. Then, we may need to march, to join with others to demand sustainable transportation options. Throughout U.S. history, peaceful non-violent marches have played a powerful role in raising awareness about issues, mobilizing people, and sending messages to decision makers.
8. Change your lightbulbs…and then, change your paradigm. Changing lightbulbs is quick and easy. Energy efficient lightbulbs use 75% less energy and last 10 times longer than conventional ones. That’s a no-brainer. But changing lightbulbs is just tinkering at the margins of a fundamentally flawed system unless we also change our paradigm. A paradigm is a collection of assumptions, concepts, believes and values that together make up a community’s way of viewing reality. Our current paradigm dictates that more stuff is better, that infinite economic growth is desirable and possible, and that pollution is the price of progress. To really turn things around, we need to nurture a different paradigm based on the values of sustainability, justice, health, and community.
9. Recycle your trash…and, recycle your elected officials. Recycling saves energy and reduces both waste and the pressure to harvest and mine new stuff. Unfortunately, many cities still don’t have adequate recycling systems in place. In that case you can usually find some recycling options in the phone book to start recycling while you’re pressuring your local government to support recycling city-wide. Also, many products – for example, most electronics - are designed not to be recycled or contain toxics so recycling is hazardous. In these cases, we need to lobby government to prohibit toxics in consumer products and to enact Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws, as is happening in Europe. EPR is a policy which holds producers responsible for the entire lifecycle of their products, so that electronics company who use toxics in their products, have to take them back. That is a great incentive for them to get the toxics out!
10. Buy Green, Buy Fair, Buy Local, Buy Used, and most importantly, Buy Less. Shopping is not the solution to the environmental problems we currently face because the real changes we need just aren’t for sale in even the greenest shop. But, when we do shop, we should ensure our dollars support businesses that protect the environment and worker rights. Look beyond vague claims on packages like “all natural” to find hard facts. Is it organic? Is it free of super-toxic PVC plastic? When you can, buy local products from local stores, which keeps more of our hard earned money in the community. Buying used items keeps them out of the trash and avoids the upstream waste created during extraction and production. But, buying less may be the best option of all. Less pollution. Less Waste. Less time working to pay for the stuff. Sometimes, less really is more.

2. Expose Environmental Racism being done near you.
What is Environmental Racism? “Intentional or unintentional racial discrimination in the enforcement of environmental rules and regulations, the intentional or unintentional targeting of minority communities for the siting of polluting industries, or the exclusion of minority groups from public and private boards, commissions, and regulatory bodies. The term was coined and defined in 1987 by Reverend Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. Executive Director and CEO of the United Churce of Christ Commission for Racial Justice. (wikipedia) Look around you for signs of Environmental Racism, and write or call your local elected officials (they may know already, and may well be receiving campaign donations from whichever entity is doing the oppression), write an Op-Ed, make a noise, make a stink, find community action groups and work with them to amplify their voices). Ex: As I write from El Salvador now, I contemplate the destruction of entire communities of Native Salvadorans as the World Bank plans to build a series of dams on the Torola River in Morazan. Ex: near where I live in the Bronx (end of the #4 train), the City of New York is building a “water-treatment plant” over the protests of community members, most of whom are people of color, in what used to be part of Van Courtland park. Signs warn us not to use cell phones because blasting caps may go off. Signs warn us not to drink the water in the ugly fountains built to appease the community, stating that the water is not fit to drink. These are recipes for some serious creative anger action. Look around you and see what you can see. Then “Observe, Reflect, Act and Evaluate” toward Liberation Environmentalism.

3. Expose pseudo-pro-environmental anti-immigrant policies.
Realize what Environmental destruction does to people’s health world-wide.
Support the People's Health Movement (PHM) Right to Health Campaign
…
Note: Some Presidential Candidates have already signed a position of oppression concerning undocumented persons (put them in jail; send them back to their countries; make it impossible for them ever to become US Citizens). Try and make those candidates regret their declared position. Try to keep other candidates from joining the fascist way.

Infamous Sierra Club motion: Remember that in 2004 some members of the Sierra Club decided that undocumented immigrants coming to the US were an environmental problem, and urged curbing immigration. Write the Sierra Club to thank them for no longer supporting that motion. Their official stand on Migration now includes the following:
As Americans progress in promoting conservation laws here at home, we inadvertently export much of the environmental burden [we created] to developing countries. These countries—and the communities within them—are often less capable of resisting such exploitation…The North American Free Trade Agreement, for example,…has been blamed for pushing more than one million small-scale Mexican farmers off their land since its 1994 implementation…As a result, hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of former corn growers from Mexico are now in this country, some illegally, harvesting our crops. The Sierra Club wants a trading system different from the corporate “free trade” model, which is destroying lives and livelihoods around the world… Recently, the Sierra Club teamed up with Amnesty International to…help ease the plight of people who might otherwise become environmental refugees…

Earth Day and Nixon: Remember that the original Earth Day was made in 1971, under the eyes of Richard Nixon, in what some believe was an attempt to divide the left (then fighting to stop the American War in Vietnam) and divert a significant percentage of activist energy toward potentially less radical endeavors (and probably not counting on the likes of the Greenpeace that was then, when its founders tried to stop a US nuclear test on Amchitka island, off Alaska’s coast). The Earth Day buttons and chants said “Give Earth a Chance,” echoing the rallies of “Give Peace a Chance” from the Anti-War Marches. Turn the clock and educate toward an Environmental Justice perspective, “Justicia, Tierra y Libertad,” (Emiliano Zapata, viva!)

Environmental Refugees A Cause for Concern
Made by: Jenna Armstrong, Amanda Lee, Chelsea Butler, and Amanda Irish-Key.

Definition: People who can no longer gain a secure livelihood in their homelands because of drought, soil erosion, desertification, deforestation and other environmental problems of population pressures and profound poverty (1).

· Scholars are predicting that 50 million people worldwide will be displaced by 2010 because of rising sea levels, desertification, dried up aquifers, weather-induced flooding and other serious environmental changes(2).
· The environmental refugees total may very well double by the year of 2010. An estimated 200 million people could be affected by global warming by refugees of water-related disasters alone.(3) Some Examples:
o 530 residents of displaced persons camps in northern Kosovo face the lead poisoning health effects from lead pollution in an abandoned lead-smelting site. This was well-known in 1999, when the camps were set up by the UN, but to this day many local people have not been informed(4).
o Reoccurrences of history are a fact. 3 million “Okies” from the southern Great Plains left during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Failing crops moved forced them to seek homes in California. Recently, the 1999-2002 national drought was one of the three most extensive droughts in the last 40 years(5).
o Heat waves have been more frequent and intense. In 2003, heat waves were the cause of more than 35,000 deaths in Europe and India (5).
o Rising seas is a source of huge refugees. For example, a just a 1-meter rise could wipe out half of Bangladesh’s Riceland. 40 million people will be displaced in an already densely populated country (3)
o Nutritional concerns could be immense. In sub-Saharan Africa, 80 million people may be starving, and this is primarily due to environmental factors (1). Could it be agriculture-related? In Nigeria, 3,500 square kilometers of land become desert every year. Farmers and herdsmen are forced to leave and share land or live in cities. In Kenya, nomadic tribes that were formerly enemies now share water and pastures(3). Sana’a, Yemen’s water table is falling by an overwhelming 6 meters a year, and the World Bank is predicting it will exhaust its water supply by 2010. Yemen already houses 66,000 refugees. How can we measure the possible health consequences of such an event?
o The ILO estimates that the tsunami of Sri Lanka in 2005 forced half a million men and women from their homes, taking the lives of an estimated 31,000 and injuring 24,000 individuals (6). This shows how one event caused by climate change can be a health emergency. What can we do? We all play a part.
· World Refugee Day, on June 20th, is a great time to promote awareness and educate the general public about the cause for environmental refugees in particular.
· Lobby for more about global migration policies that transcend national boundaries, and the establishment of rights for these displaced persons.
· Educate your own community about the presence of environmental refugees worldwide.
· No longer the “Not in My Backyard” problem. By concentrating on sustainable living and doing our part to lower our impact on global climate changes, perhaps we can save others’ lives by saving our own.
[Pictures included in the original text – websites or pictures may not currently be available:] Comparable maps showing water scarcity and deaths attributed to climate change; map from BBC world news, Humans 'affect global rainfall,’ July 23 2007; and map from World Health Organization.

References:
(1) Myers, Norman. Environmental Refugees: An Emergent Security Issue. 13th Economic Forum, Prague 23-27 May 2005.
(2) Simms, Andrew. “Environmental Refugees,” The Guardian. New Economics Foundation 2003.
(3) Statistics from Earth Policy Institute. www.earth-policy .org
(4) Statistics from Amnesty USA at www.amnestyusa.org
(5) Natural Resources Defense Council, Jan. 9th, 2006.
(6) International Labor Organization, www.ilo.org
…

4. Promote your personal awareness toward Environmental Health.
Low Carbon Diet: a 30 day program to lose 5000 pounds [describes] actions: Drive Earth Smart; Scrub-a-Dub Tub; [and] Wear It Again Sam.
(The book has a whole lot more actions to take, but these three are available for free and in an email-able format. I [Lanny Smith, that is] particularly like the drive earth smart one as an awareness-raiser.)

Call for Day(s) of Action and Mobilization - January 26th 2008
We are millions of women and men, organizations, networks, movements, trade unions from all parts of the world; we come from villages, regions, rural zones, urban centers; we are of all ages, peoples, cultures, beliefs; but we are united by the strong conviction that ANOTHER WORLD IS POSSIBLE! With all the richness of our plurality and diversity and our alternatives and proposals, we struggle against neo-liberalism, war, colonialism, racism and patriarchy which produce violence, exploitation, exclusion, poverty, hunger and ecological disaster and deprive people of human rights. For many years we have been resisting and constructing innovative processes, new cultures of organization and action from the local to the global, in particular within the processes and Charter of Principle of the World Social Forum from which this call emerges. Aware of the need to set our own agenda and to increase the impact of these thousands of expressions and manifestations, we are committed to strengthening the solidarity and convergence among our struggles, campaigns, and constructions of alternatives and alliances. We commit ourselves to a week of action which will culminate in a Global Day of Mobilization and Action on January 26, 2008. With our diversity which is our strength, we invite all men and women to undertake throughout this week creative actions, activities, events and convergences focusing on the issues and expressed in the ways they choose.
ACT TOGETHER FOR ANOTHER WORLD!!
See: WORLD SOCIAL FORUM 2008 - another world is possible [to add your voice of support].

So let’s hear it for the 8-page quote (and hope he doesn’t mind my shortening and editing it a bit). Not to go on at length or anything, but we could all trail along and stop doing things that will get us poor health, grumpy neighbors, limited visibility, costly tomorrows, and – if we live in any of the world’s real population centers and manage to survive for another 20 or 30 years – wet feet.

I’ve not done enough today; think I’ll take a nap.
Lengthily and respectfully submitted,
Sherry