[TheClimate.Vote] November 17, 2019 - Daily Global Warming News Digest.
Richard Pauli
richard at theclimate.vote
Sun Nov 17 09:59:47 EST 2019
/November 17, 2019/
[The Pope warns, invokes]
*While Warning of Nazi-Like Fascism and Corporate Crimes, Pope Francis
Proposes Adding 'Ecological Sin' to Church Teachings*
In remarks at the Vatican, the leader of the Catholic Church condemned
"the large-scale delinquency of corporations."
by Jon Queally, staff writer Common Dreams
Pope Francis on Friday issued a warning against the rise of fascist
forces worldwide that remind him of the Nazis of the 20th Century as he
also railed against corporate crimes and announced consideration of
adding "sins against ecology" to the church's official teachings.
During a speech at the Vatican before the 20th World Congress of the
International Association of Penal Law, a network of justice system and
criminology experts from around the world, the leader of the Catholic
Church said worrying developments both in the political arena and from
the world of business remind him of dark episodes from humanity's past,
including Adolf Hitler's Third Reich.
"It is not coincidental that at times there is a resurgence of symbols
typical of Nazism," Francis said as he decried the "culture of waste and
hate" represented by contemporary politicians who spew derogatory and
racists attacks against homosexuals, gypsies, Jewish people, and others.
"I must confess to you," he continued, "that when I hear a speech (by)
someone responsible for order or for a government, I think of speeches
by Hitler in 1934, 1936."
The Pope also highlighted environmental degradation and said the church
was considering adding crimes against nature and the environment to the
catechism--the official text of church doctrine and teachings.
"We have to introduce, we are thinking about it, in the catechism of the
Catholic Church, the sin against ecology, the sin against our common
home, because it's a duty," he said. Francis has been championed by
climate activists for using his position to preach about the urgent need
for humanity to recognize the dangers of human-caused global warming and
calling on other world leaders--and the estimated 1.2 billion Catholics
in the world--to act boldly to address the crisis...
- - -
Francis also spoke of the crimes of big business, many of which receive
too little attention and often go unpunished...
- - -
"The principle of profit maximization, isolated from any other
consideration, leads to a model of exclusion which violently attacks
those who now suffer its social and economic costs, while future
generations are condemned to pay the environmental costs," Francis said.
"The first thing lawyers should ask themselves today is what they can do
with their knowledge to counter this phenomenon," he said, "which puts
democratic institutions and the development of humanity itself at risk."
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/11/16/while-warning-nazi-fascism-and-corporate-crimes-pope-francis-proposes-adding
- - -
[From Vatican News]
*Pope urges strengthening of penal law against "idolatry of market"*
Pope Francis on Friday received in audience in the Vatican participants
in the 20th International Congress of Penal Law and examined several
critical issues of human justice in the light of the Christian vision of
justice.
By Robin Gomes
"Criminal law has not been able to protect itself from the threats that
weigh down democracies and the full force of the rule of law." Pope
Francis made the point while addressing some 600 participants in the
20th International Congress of Penal Law.
Known by its French acronym, AIDP (Association Internationale de Droit
Penal), the group is the oldest scientific association of specialists in
criminal law, such as university professors, lawyers, magistrates,
researchers, students and criminal law practitioners. The theme of their
November 13-16 congress in Rome is "Criminal Justice and Corporate
Business".
What threatens penal law, he said, are the "idolatry of the market" and
the "risks of criminal idealism".
*Idolatry of market and penal idealism*
The fragile and vulnerable person, the Pope said, is defenceless in the
face of the interests of the market and the power that some economic
sectors exert over the state.
To defend democratic institutions and the development of humanity, the
Pope said, jurists need to contain the punitive irrationality which
manifests itself in many forms, such as mass imprisonment, crowding and
torture in prisons, arbitrariness and abuse by security forces and the
criminalisation of social protest.
He said that penal science needs to overcome an idealistic vision and
come close to reality.
Global financial capital, the Pope said, is the cause of serious crimes
not only against property but also against people and the environment.
He called it "organised crime" that is responsible for issues such as
the over-indebtedness of states and the plundering of the natural
resources of our planet.
*Crimes against humanity*
The Pope said that penal law cannot be alien to behaviours in which
those in power exploit society's fragile situations to the detriment of
the collective well-being. "This happens, for example, when the prices
of public debt securities are artificially lowered through speculation,
without worrying that this will affect or aggravate the economic
situation of entire nations".
When such acts lead to hunger, misery, forced migration and death from
avoidable diseases, environmental disaster and ethnocide of indigenous
peoples, the Pope said, they are as serious as crimes against humanity.
*The environment*
According to Pope Francis, acts such as the massive pollution of air,
land and water resources, large-scale destruction of flora and fauna,
and any action capable of producing an ecological disaster or destroying
an ecosystem should be regarded as "ecocidal" and must not go unpunished.
In this regard, he recalled the Synod for the Panamazon Region, which
proposed to define an act or omission against God, against one's
neighbour, the community and the environment, as "ecological sin".
*Abuse of power*
Pope Francis also spoke about some worsening problems such as "the
improper use of pre-trial detention" and justifying crimes by security
forces as legitimate forms of defence and performance of duty.
*Culture of waste and hatred*
The culture of waste, the Pope lamented, is degenerating into a culture
of hatred, an example of which, he said, is the reappearance of emblems
and actions typical of Nazism.
*
**Call to responsibility*
The Pope urged those dealing with penal law to a passion and
responsibility to justice, saying, only in this way will every law not
be an end in itself, but at the service of those responsible for the
crimes and the victims.
*Justice that heals *
According to Pope Francis, committing an evil does not justify the
imposition of another evil as a response. It is a question of "doing
justice to the victim, not of executing the aggressor".
In the Christian vision, the model of justice finds perfect incarnation
in the life of Jesus, who, after being subject to injustice, brings a
message of peace, forgiveness and reconciliation. These, he said, are
values that are difficult to achieve but necessary for the good life of all.
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-11/pope-francis-penal-law-justice-environment.html
- - -
[text of address]
Audience with participants in the 20th World Congress of the
International Association of Penal Law, 15.11.2019
This morning in the Vatican Apostolic Palace the Holy Father Francis
received in audience the participants in the 20th World Congress of
the International Association of Penal Law, taking place in Rome
from 13 to 16 November 2019 on the theme: "Criminal Justice and
Corporate Business".
The [link to the text to] the Holy Father's address to the participants -
http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2019/11/15/191115j.html
[Jet Set, set back]
*Extinction Rebellion Members Blockade Private Jet Terminal Used by
Wealthy Elites in Geneva*
"We want to denounce this completely absurd means of transport since a
private jet emits twenty times more CO2 per passenger than a
conventional airplane."
According to Swiss Info:
For two and a half hours, some 30 activists sat in front of the
entrance to the private jet terminal, partially blocking its
entrance. Others were reportedly singing and holding signs with
white clouds or flags with the symbol of the movement. The group's
stated aim is to use nonviolent civil disobedience to compel
government action to avoid ecological collapse.
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/11/16/extinction-rebellion-members-blockade-private-jet-terminal-used-wealthy-elites
[follow the money - trains carry coal]
*New Paper Reveals Rail Industry Was Leader in Climate Denial Efforts*
By Justin Mikulka - Nov 14, 2019
A recent paper analyzing the major players in the organized efforts to
attack climate change science and delay action had a surprising
revelation -- the biggest contributing industry/sector was not oil and
gas but rail/steel/coal with the most active organization in the climate
denial movement being the Association of American Railroads (AAR).
- - -
And the allied trade association that was most active was the AAR. Why
would the rail industry care about climate change and be active in
promoting denial? Coal.
Coal has historically been the biggest business for U.S. rail, and still
generates over 16% of Class 1 rail revenue in 2018, according to the
AAR. Without coal the U.S. rail industry has a major revenue problem --
which explains the decades of climate denial activity documented in this
new paper.
Of course, the U.S. coal industry is in serious decline despite all of
the climate denialism funded by the rail and coal industries. Moody's
has estimated that the rail industry is facing a loss of $5 billion in
coal revenues (from current levels of approximately $10 billion) by 2030.
That reality hasn't stopped the AAR from continuing to push coal while
not acknowledging climate change. In a May 2019 publication on rail and
coal, the AAR fails to mention climate change while also touting
debunked ideas like "clean coal" as potential lifelines for the dying
coal industry.
https://www.desmogblog.com/2019/11/14/new-paper-reveals-rail-industry-was-leader-climate-denial-efforts
- - -
[Denialism across industry sectors]
*EXPOSING THE NETWORKS OF CLIMATE ACTION OPPOSITION, IT'S NOT JUST OIL…*
A new study by Drexel environmental sociologist and Professor Emeritus
Robert J. Brulle, PhD, shows the structure of key political coalitions
that have worked to oppose climate action between 1989 and 2015. By
analyzing the membership of these climate countermovement coalitions,
Brulle found the CCCM had mounted a well-funded and organized effort to
undermine public faith in climate science and effectively block action
by the U.S. government to regulate emissions. The largest CCCM sectors
are electrical utilities, coal companies and railroads, followed by
conservative movement organizations.
https://newsblog.drexel.edu/2019/10/22/exposing-the-networks-of-climate-action-opposition-its-not-just-oil/
- - -
[full study by Robert Brulle]
Original Article
*Networks of Opposition: A Structural Analysis of U.S. Climate Change
Countermovement Coalitions 1989-2015*
Robert J. Brulle
Abstract
The climate change countermovement (CCCM) in the United States has
exerted an important influence on delaying efforts to address climate
change. Analyses of this countermovement have primarily focused on the
role of conservative think tanks. Expanding this research, this article
initiates an examination of the structure of key political coalitions
that worked to oppose climate action. In conjunction with their allied
trade associations, these coalitions have served as a central
coordination mechanism in efforts opposed to mandatory limits on carbon
emissions. These coalitions pool resources from a large number of
corporations and execute sophisticated political and cultural campaigns
designed to oppose efforts to address climate change. Through an
analysis of twelve prominent CCCM coalitions from 1989 to 2015, I show
that over 2,000 organizations were members of these coalitions and that
a core of 179 organizations belonged to multiple coalitions.
Organizations from the coal and electrical utility sectors were the most
numerous and influential organizations in these coalitions. The article
concludes with suggestions for further research to expand understanding
of complex social movements and countermovements.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/soin.12333
- - - -
[future of railroads - 2017 paper]
*RAIL ADAPT**
**Adapting the railway for the future**
*Andrew Quinn, a civil engineer at the University of Birmingham and lead
author on the paper Rail Adapt: Adapting the railway for the future
summed up the new reality of how railways can no longer deny climate change.
"Every decision [rail companies] make should take into account climate
change," said Quinn. "This is an ongoing thing."
The rail industry should stop wasting money on science denial because it
will need every last dollar to deal with the looming climate-related
crises it faces.
https://uic.org/IMG/pdf/railadapt_final_report.pdf
[RAND corporation offers support]
*Fighting Disinformation Online**
**A Database of Web Tools*
November 12, 2019
The rise of the internet and the advent of social media have
fundamentally changed the information ecosystem, giving the public
direct access to more information than ever before. But it's often
nearly impossible to distinguish accurate information from low-quality
or false content. This means that disinformation--false or intentionally
misleading information that aims to achieve an economic or political
goal--can become rampant, spreading further and faster online than it
ever could in another format.
As part of its Countering Truth Decay initiative, and with support from
the Hewlett Foundation, RAND is responding to this urgent problem. Our
researchers identified and characterized the universe of online tools
developed by nonprofits and civil society organizations to target online
disinformation. These tools were created to help information consumers,
researchers, and journalists navigate today's challenging information
environment...
https://www.rand.org/research/projects/truth-decay/fighting-disinformation.htm
[mind]
*INTERNATIONAL SUMMIT ON PSYCHOLOGY AND GLOBAL HEALTH*
NOVEMBER 15, 2019 | LISBON, PORTUGAL
PSYCHOLOGY AND CLIMATE ACTION
There is overwhelming agreement among climate scientists that climate
change is occurring faster than anticipated, caused in large part by
human behavior. In addition to the threats to our natural environment
and physical health, climate change harms mental health and well-being.
It can threaten a sense of personal and professional identity, impede
social support structures, and increase feelings of helplessness, fear,
and fatalism. Both acute and long-term changes in climate have been
shown to contribute to the loss of social cohesion and even to elevate
hostility and interpersonal and intergroup aggression.
Psychological science not only provides solutions to encourage
environmentally-friendly behaviors, it is also important in helping
people adapt to climate change. Psychologists can help to build
resilience, foster optimism, cultivate active coping, increase
preparedness, and emphasize social connections. Health service
psychologists can also provide care to people suffering from PTSD and
other mental health conditions as a result of climate change-related events.
No single association can effectively combat our global climate crisis.
The international community of psychology must come together as one to
mobilize our memberships, raise our voices, and implement our science in
order to effect real, long-lasting societal change.
https://www.psychologyandglobalhealth.org/
- - -
[think so]
*Psychologists from 40 countries pledged to use their jobs to address
climate change*
The leaders of psychological associations from more than 40 countries
signed a proclamation this week at a conference on psychology and global
health in Lisbon, pledging to use their expertise as psychologists to
"take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts."
Already, psychologists have recognized that climate change is a threat
to psychological health. But with this move, psychological associations
from around the world are signaling a desire to actually address the
problem...
https://qz.com/1749577/psychologists-sign-pledge-to-address-climate-change/
*This Day in Climate History - November 17, 2006- from D.R. Tucker*
MSNBC's Keith Olbermann calls out Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe for
simultaneously trafficking in climate denial and blasphemy:
"But our winner, Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma, who until January
will remain the chairman of the Senate Committee on the Environment
and Public Works. This morning he declared that any global warming
is owed to 'natural causes' and is 'due to the sun.'
'God’s still up there,' he added.
"So, Senator, you’re blaming global warming on God?
"Senator James 'Is it just me or is it hot in here' Inhofe, Friday’s
'Worst Person in the World.'"
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/15814614/ns/msnbc-countdown_with_keith_olbermann/t/worst-person-world-sen-james-inhofe/
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