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Rolla Peace News September 5, 2023 |
Dear Friends:Editor's notes:In this newsletter is: 1. THE MISFIT MATHEMATICIAN (Tom's column, http://tomsager.org) a) Japan Begins Release of Radioactive Water into Pacific Ocean b) Two More Steps Toward Nuclear World War III c) CO2 Concentrations Exceed 420 ppm d) Dasher, Dancer, Rudolph and 39 Others Invade Russia e) Colonial Exploitation and Destruction of Natural Ecosystems Set Stage for Maui Fires f) Strange Happenings in Moscow: Octuple Sewer-Cide Japan Begins Release of Radioactive Water into Pacific Ocean Japan has begun to release millions of tons of radioactive water used to cool the damaged nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi complex into the Pacific Ocean. This is probably a violation of the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter. China, South Korea and other Asian nations are protesting the pollution of the commons. China, formerly the largest buyer of Japan's seafood exports has banned imports of Japan's ocean products. Tens of thousands in South Korea have demonstrated against the dumping which opposition party leader, Lee Jae-myung, has branded an “act of terror.” According to a recent poll, 80% of South Koreans oppose the dumping. 60% have vowed not to eat Japanese sea food. Japanese fishermen have also protested the dumping and demanded that it stop. Japan apparently has no plan in place to decontaminate or seal off the Fukushima complex. Currently it is a disaster waiting for the next earthquake to happen. Isn't it past time to ban this dangerous technology? Isn't it time to work toward the closing of the world's nuclear power plants? Two More Steps Toward Nuclear World War III Step 1: Not content with sending cluster bombs, which create a danger to civilians long after a war's end, the United States now proposes to send depleted uranium (DU) weapons to the Ukraine. Depleted Uranium is both a radiological and chemical toxin and is responsible for birth defects and miscarriages in Serbia and Iraq where NATO has used DU weapons. Once it gets into the environment, DU continues to kill and destroy for years to come. In March when the UK sent DU weapons to the Ukraine, Russia responded by placing nuclear weapons in Belarus. It seems likely that Russia will respond to the placement of US DU weapons in Ukraine too. Russia says it considers DU weapons as dirty bombs, which is what they are. Step 2: According to Bloomberg, the US is considering placing nuclear weapons in the UK. US nuclear weapons were removed from the UK in 2008 due to popular protests by UK citizens. Russia says it will consider this an escalation. This is how big wars can start: a sequence of small escalations from small wars. Isn't it past time to deescalate? How about a cease-fire, followed by negotiations to end the war. Sadly, the Biden Administration shows no desire to end this conflict. CO2 Concentrations Exceed 420 ppm For the first time, the 12 month running average of atmospheric CO2 concentrations as measured at Mauna Loa / Maunakea has exceeded 420 ppm (parts per million), reaching a 420.12 average over the September 2022 through August 2023 period. Why is this important? Well, actually it is no more important than the 419.90 ppm over the August 2022 through July 2023 period or the even higher concentration it will likely reach over the October 2022 through September 2023 period. What is important is that the 12 month running average has increased each month since 1974 and unless we learn to stop dumping our waste products in the atmosphere, it will keep increasing each month. So, if you believe fires, floods and heat waves this summer have been bad, just wait until tomorrow. 420 ppm also happens to be 50% greater then the 280 ppm, widely believed to be the CO2 concentration during pre-industrial times. But we got a long way to go yet. During the Eocene Epoch, 50 million years ago, atmospheric CO2 concentrations are believed to have been as much as 1,000 ppm or even higher, with temperatures perhaps 10°C higher than today. It is unlikely that humans, much less “Western civilization,” would be able to survive in an Eocene-like climate. But don't panic, folks. At this rate we shouldn't reach Eocene levels for another 250 years. Of course, we may reach Eocene levels far sooner. Our climate is full of surprises. And we don't need to go much higher than today's 420.12 ppm average to spell the end of what is often referred to as “civilization.” Dasher, Dancer, Rudolph and 39 Others Invade Russia According to the Associated Press, so far in 2023, 42 reindeer have crossed the border from NATO member, Norway, to Russia in search of greener pastures. 40 have so far been returned to Norway where they have been slaughtered by Norwegian authorities, in fear that they may return to Russia. Russia has billed Norway over $4 million for the grass eaten by the Norwegian reindeer. For millennia, the indigenous Sami people, whose homeland stretches across the northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Northwestern Russia have followed the wild reindeer herds as they migrated. In more recent times, reindeer were also domesticated and herded by the Sami. This article raises several questions: 1. When their homeland was divided up among four foreign powers, were the Sami consulted? Did they agree to this?Colonial Exploitation and Destruction of Natural Ecosystems Set Stage for Maui Fires Dov Korff-Korn, an attorney with the Lakota People's Law Project, points out that over a century of dispossession of indigenous Hawaiians and destruction of ecosystems to make way for plantations, golf courses and resorts set the stage for the fires which devastated Maui last month. “The news will tell you that the fires were caused by high winds, a downed electric pole, and/or climate change. These factors certainly contributed to the tragedy. However, the underlying truth is that over a century of systematic dispossession by rapacious colonizers, armed with support from federal, state, and military agencies, set the stage for this devastation. Decades of water diversions drained Maui of its water, evaporating ecosystems and suppressing sovereignty.”Strange Happenings in Moscow: Octuple Sewer-Cide I was in the Moscow sewers, when they flooded and I died;It seems that eight sight-seers, one as young as 15, were taking a tour of the Moscow sewers, when a freak storm caused flash-flooding, drowning the tourists, whose bodies have been recovered from the waters. Not mentioned in this article from Russia Today is why they were touring the Moscow sewers. If I were to go sightseeing, the Moscow sewers would be among the last places I would choose. Sounds like a Fish Story to me. And while we're on the subject of Fish Stories, here's my favorite: The most wanted man on Earth was found unarmed in a large compound in Pakistan. He was shot dead by highly trained US Navy Seals and his body dumped in the ocean. Food for the fish.Beat that one, Mr. Putin! Rolla Peace News is distributed by email once a week on Tuesdays (except on rare occasions) and is posted on the web at http://tomsager.org (click on Rollaites for Peace: near the top of rightmost column).Wage peace, Tom yushasager (at) yahoo.com |