James Hansen - "Human-Made Climate Change : A Scientific, Moral and Legal Issue"

A great lecture aimed towards the general public by Dr. James ("Jim") Hansen. He gives a clear and engaged description of the science and the challenges that lies ahead. One of the best talks I've seen.

The talk was recorded at James Hansen's New Zealand tour in spring 2011 at the University of Otago, NZ.

The lecture draws much from the paper "The Case for Young People and Nature: A Path to a Healthy, Natural, Prosperous Future" by James Hansen, Pushker Kharecha, Makiko Sato, Paul Epstein, Paul J. Hearty, Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, Camille Parmesan, Stefan Rahmstorf, Johan Rockstrom, Eelco J.Rohling, Jeffrey Sachs, Peter Smith, Konrad Steffen, Karina von Schuckmann, James C. Zachos. The paper can be downloaded from James Hansen's homepage : columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/ (under 2011)

Dr James E. Hansen is the director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York City. He is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University.

Climate Change 2012 by Peter Sinclair

newculture

Fantastic TED style talk by Peter Sinclair on climate change at the International Conference on Sustainability, Transition and Culture Change : Vision - Action - Leadership organized by Local Future non-profit and directed by Aaron Wissner.

http://sustainabilityconference.org

The Gulf Stream and The Next Ice Age

maan100283

In the battle against climate change there is no enemy to fight, just our attitudes." (Nicolas Koutsikas, Director, The Gulf Stream & the Next Ice Age)

Climate Change is hot on the political and social agenda internationally. Our climate is changing, with industrial production, habitat, transport and everyday human activities acknowledged as causes of global warming.

The Gulf Stream and the Next Ice Age is a one-hour documentary which explores the results of a recent American government report that believes the collapse of thermohaline circulation will take place around the year 2010 and impose a minor ice age on Europe. Could Dublin acquire a climate like Spitzberg, and London like that of Siberia?

The Gulf Stream is a powerful surface current, driven by the Trade Winds. Its origins lie in the Gulf of Mexico and it carries the tropical waters from the Florida Strait to the great banks of the United States, where it heads eastward, carrying its warm waters to the borders of the North Atlantic. As soon as the tropical waters hit the Arctic Ocean, they cool abruptly and plunge towards the abyssal zone to form a loop, known as "thermohaline circulation." Then, like an immense conveyor belt that slows down in the ocean depths, it sets out again southward to rejoin the beginning of the Gulf Stream.

Nicolas Koutsikas

Five "Indisputable Points" About Human Caused Climate Change

TheRealNews
 

Jeff Kiehl : There has been a breakdown between scientific information and effective public policy

La Historia de REDD : Una solucion real contra la deforestacion?

FERN FERN

“Vídeo producido por FERN con el apoyo de la Asociación de Aprendizaje Grundtvig “¿El Comercio de Carbono puede salvar los bosques?”
Para más información : http://www.fern.org/thestoryofREDD

http://www.redd-monitor.org/2012/05/01/the-story-of-redd-a-real-solution-to-deforestation/

L'histoire de REDD: Une reelle solution a la deforestation?

http://www.fern.org/fr

Film produit par FERN avec le soutien de Grundtvig Learning Partnership « Le commerce du carbone peut-il sauver les Forêts? » Pour plus d’informations, (en Anglais seulement) visitez: www.fern.org/storyofREDD

The Story of REDD : a real solution to deforestation?

Film produced by FERN

REDD, or reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, is one of the most controversial issues in the climate change debate. The basic concept is simple: governments, companies or forest owners in the South should be rewarded for keeping their forests instead of cutting them down. The devil, as always, is in the details.

‘The story of REDD: A real solution to deforestation?’ considers the more complex issues that must be considered by any initiative to reduce deforestation. The attached script includes links to reports, websites and briefings that explain the issues in more detail or outline where facts and figures come from. It is intended not to be comprehensive, but to give a flavour of the research and a starting point for finding out more information about these issues.

For more information visit : http://www.redd-monitor.org/redd-an-introduction/

Time history of atmospheric CO2

CarbonTracker

Time history of atmospheric carbon dioxide from 800,000 years before present until January, 2009. Recommend full screen/HD to read titles. See http://carbontracker.noaa.gov for more information on the global carbon cycle.

Texas Towns Run Out of Water as Drought Takes its Toll

PBSNewsHour

For more: http://to.pbs.org/GIVJcb In collaboration with StateImpact Texas (a project of KUT austin, KUHF Houston and NPR) the PBS NewsHour takes a closer look at the struggle for water in two Texas towns and how the state plans to meet a drier future. This report is part of our new series Coping with Climate Change.

James Hansen: Why I must speak out about climate change

http://www.ted.com

Top climate scientist James Hansen tells the story of his involvement in the science of and debate over global climate change. In doing so he outlines the overwhelming evidence that change is happening and why that makes him deeply worried about the future.

Carbon Markets: Trading with our Future

As COP17 draws to a close the only game in town is the market-based mechanisms that are false solutions to climate change. The same institutions, corporations and governments who have led the world into economic chaos are leading us towards climate chaos.

However, the cracks in the façade are starting to show. Carbon trading and offsetting, the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) have failed to cut carbon emissions, which reached record high levels in 2010, whilst further impoverishing the worlds poorest people, facilitating the largest land grab in history, destroying biodiversity and trampling the rights of indigenous communities.

In this video, critics of the markets and even the architects and gatekeepers of climate finance admit to its failure.

Source: http://carbonmarketscop17.wordpress.com/

David Orr @ Schumacher College: The Oberlin Project

DartingtonTV

David Orr will talks about the US-based Oberlin Project and how it can inspire communities in the UK to work collaboratively with other groups to create a greener future. The Oberlin Project is a collaborative venture, developed by David, between Oberlin College, the City of Oberlin, Oberlin city schools and private sector and arts organisations to build a post-fossil fuel based economy.

This video was recorded at Schumacher College.
Schumacher College is part of The Dartington Hall Trust, a registered charity, which focuses on the arts, social justice and sustainability.
For more information about Schumacher College and Dartington visit:
http://www.schumachercollege.org.uk/ and
http://www.dartington.org/

Naomi Klein Debunks Ethical Oil at Tar Sands Action

shockdoctrine

September 3, 2011 in Washington D.C. Special thanks to Dahlman Cook Productions.

TEDxPSU - Michael Mann - A Look Into Our Climate: Past To Present To Future

TEDxTalks 
 

Michael Mann is a professor in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, a climatologist, and the director of the Earth System Science Center at Penn State University. Michael is best known for his extensive background and research in the field of paleoclimatology. This work led to Michael's graph of temperature trends over the last thousand years, popularly coined as the "hockey stick graph" because of its resemblance to the sporting equipment. The graph has received acclaim and criticism since its publishing. He has received many awards and honors including, but not limited to, the Outstanding Scientific Paper Award by NOAA in 2002 and also was named one of the 50 Leading Visionaries in Science and Technology by Scientific American. Michael is also one of the founders of RealClimate.org, a highly acclaimed climate science website that was chosen in 2005 as one of the top 25 "Science and Technology" websites by Scientific American and as one of the top 15 "green" websites by Time Magazine in 2008. Michael's educational background includes an M.S. degree in Physics from Yale, and a Ph.D. in Geology & Geophysics from Yale.

AGU FM11 - Paleoclimate record points toward potential rapid climate changes

AGUvideos

Press Conference from 2011 AGU Fall Meeting - Tue. 11 a.m. PST

Even if we are able to limit global warming to two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times, Earth could likely see drastic and rapid climate change this century, new research by NASA's Jim Hansen suggests. Paleoclimate data paints a different picture than models about the sensitivity of the climate system. Detailed analysis of the Earth's paleoclimate history of recent interglacial periods reveals we are less than a degree Celsius away from equaling a time when sea level was several meters higher than it is today.

Participants:
James Hansen
Director, NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA;
Ken Caldeira
Senior Scientist, Department of Global Ecology Carnegie Institute of Washington, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA;
Eelco Rohling
Professor of Ocean and Climate Change, Southampton University, Southampton, United Kingdom.

La Era de la Adaptacion

Documental corto producido según la filosofía de "código abierto", es decir, de libre distribución. Examina la íntima relación entre tres factores convergentes que resultan claves para comprender la situación actual: El cambio climático, la desigualdad social y la inestabilidad económica, tanto a nivel local como global. Intenta plantear un mensaje urgente que pueda alejarnos a tiempo de nuestro actual modelo de desarrollo, el cual está basado en la ilusión del crecimiento infinito a toda costa, y cuestiona frontalmente al paradigma sagrado del Producto Bruto Interno, esa especie de mantra que recitan todos los políticos y economistas, con preguntas profundas tales como: ¿más crecimiento de qué, y para qué? Asimismo pone de manifiesto las nuevas retóricas que han surgido para convertir el drama planetario del cambio climático en un negocio, a partir de nuevas tecnologías "verdes" y supuestamente ecológicas, tales como el "carbón limpio" y los sistemas de compensaciones de carbono, cuyas pretensiones son resolver el desequilibrio climático a través de los mismos mecanismos de mercado conocidos, pero sin modificar en nada nuestros hábitos de consumo.

Los subtítulos en español fueron elaborados por la Red de la Transición de la Comarca Andina (Patagonia, Argentina), y hasta el momento es la única edición existente en español de este documental.
Para ver la ficha técnica completa y un resumen más detallado, visitar:
sites.google.com/​site/​sinpetroleo/​cine/​ageofadaptation

La Era de la Adaptacion

Documental corto producido según la filosofía de "código abierto", es decir, de libre distribución. Examina la íntima relación entre tres factores convergentes que resultan claves para comprender la situación actual: El cambio climático, la desigualdad social y la inestabilidad económica, tanto a nivel local como global. Intenta plantear un mensaje urgente que pueda alejarnos a tiempo de nuestro actual modelo de desarrollo, el cual está basado en la ilusión del crecimiento infinito a toda costa, y cuestiona frontalmente al paradigma sagrado del Producto Bruto Interno, esa especie de mantra que recitan todos los políticos y economistas, con preguntas profundas tales como: ¿más crecimiento de qué, y para qué? Asimismo pone de manifiesto las nuevas retóricas que han surgido para convertir el drama planetario del cambio climático en un negocio, a partir de nuevas tecnologías "verdes" y supuestamente ecológicas, tales como el "carbón limpio" y los sistemas de compensaciones de carbono, cuyas pretensiones son resolver el desequilibrio climático a través de los mismos mecanismos de mercado conocidos, pero sin modificar en nada nuestros hábitos de consumo.

Los subtítulos en español fueron elaborados por la Red de la Transición de la Comarca Andina (Patagonia, Argentina), y hasta el momento es la única edición existente en español de este documental.

Para ver la ficha técnica completa y un resumen más detallado, visitar:
sites.google.com/​site/​sinpetroleo/​cine/​ageofadaptation

Noam Chomsky: How Climate Change Became a 'Liberal Hoax'

http://www.thenation.com/video/158093/noam-chomsky-how-climate-change-became-liberal-hoax

In this sixth video in the series “Peak Oil and a Changing Climate” from The Nation and On The Earth Productions, linguist, philosopher and political activist Noam Chomsky talks about the Chamber of Commerce, the American Petroleum Institute and other business lobbies enthusiastically carrying out campaigns “to try and convince the population that global warming is a liberal hoax.” According to Chomsky, this massive public relations campaign has succeeded in leading a good portion of the population into doubting the human causes of global warming.

Known for his criticism of the media, Chomsky doesn't hold back in this clip, laying blame on mainstream media outlets such as the New York Times, which will run frontpage articles on what meteorologists think about global warming. “Meteorologists are pretty faces reading scripts telling you whether it’s going to rain tomorrow," Chomsky says. "What do they have to say any more than your barber?” All this is part of the media’s pursuit of “fabled objectivity.”

Of particular concern for Chomsky is the atmosphere of anger, fear and hostility that currently reigns in America. The public’s hatred of Democrats, Republicans, big business and banks and the public’s distrust of scientists all lead to general disregard for the findings of “pointy-headed elitists.” The 2010 elections could be interpreted as a “death knell for the species” because most of the new Republicans in Congress are global warming deniers. “If this was happening in some small country," Chomsky concludes, "it wouldn’t matter much. But when it’s happening in the richest, most powerful country in the world, it’s a danger to the survival of the species.”

Go here to learn more about "Peak Oil and a Changing Climate," and to see the other videos in the series.

- Kevin Gosztola

Peak Oil and a Changing Climate

videonation

The scientific community has long agreed that our dependence on fossil fuels inflicts massive damage on the environment and our health, while warming the globe in the process. But beyond the damage these fuels cause to us now, what will happen when the world's supply of oil runs out? In a new video series from The Nation magazine and On The Earth Productions, Bill McKibben, Noam Chomsky, Nicole Foss, Richard Heinberg and other scientists, researchers and writers explain.

Visit TheNation.com (http://www.thenation.com/article/157434/peak-oil-and-changing-climate) for more videos in this series.

WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE WAR, DADDY?

WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE WAR, DADDY? from Green Turtle Films on Vimeo.

Clive Hamilton is an Australian author and public intellectual who has written extensively on Climate Change, exposing the hypocrisy and corruption behind the climate change denialists. This short film has been produced by Green Turtle Films to highlight Clive's work and to give greater voice to those fighting climate change denialism. We all have to change our own lifestyles, and more importantly, have to pressure our governments to take real and immediate action on this most urgent of issues.