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Rolla Peace News August 6, 2019 |
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Dear Friends: http://tomsager.org/Peaceletters/peaceletter080619.html In this newsletter is: 1. NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE: THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 2019 2. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org) a) Losing Our Tree Cover b) Humanity in Crisis 1. NOON VIGIL FOR PEACE: THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 2019 We vigil for peace in front of the Rolla Post Office, THIS THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, FROM NOON TO 1:00 PM (and most subsequent Thursdays until peace is established). Please try to join us. The temperature is predicted to be in the 80s. If you do not feel comfortable standing with us in front of the Post Office, please consider driving by and showing your support for our message by honking your horn and flashing a peace sign. 2. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org) a) Losing Our Tree Cover b) Humanity in Crisis Losing Our Tree Cover Arctic fires, brought on by unprecedented hot dry conditions have burned through millions of acres of northern forest. The hot dry conditions have also melted billions of tons of ice, heating the arctic and making it more susceptible to further hot dry weather and forest fires. And deforestation continues in Brazil, where Jair Bolsonaro's pro-development policies have led to the doubling in the clearing of Amazon forests over the past two years. The warming of the poles is viewed by the world's major militaries as an opportunity to further militarize the Earth, which will likely lead to increased deforestation and warming of the planet and perhaps also to war. The loss of so many trees which form an important carbon sink is likely a major culprit in the recent increases in the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, in the atmosphere. Over the first seven months of 2019, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased over 3 ppm from the first seven months of 2018. July 2019 has been declared the warmest month on Earth since record keeping began. If humanity were sane, it would be out planting new forests, nurturing existing forests, and forgoing militarization, fighting wars, burning fossil fuels, eating meat and other destructive behaviors. Since we are doing none of the above, the only possible conclusion is that we are a species bent on suicide. Humanity in Crisis I've started reading Jared Diamond's new book, “Upheaval: Turning Points for Nations in Crisis” While I am still on the first chapter, already I can recommend this book to you, wholeheartedly. Perhaps the insights Diamond gives us in this book will help us through this most difficult of times. Rolla Peace News is distributed by email once a week on Tuesday evenings (except on rare occasions) and is posted on the web at http://tomsager.org (click on Grassroots Rolla: at the top of rightmost column). If you don't wish to get notices of peace events in the Rolla area, let me know and I'll take you off this list. If you want to be added to this list, let me know. Wage peace, Helen helenm (at) fidnet.com |