Tag: Climate Change

Climate Action, Climate Change, National Security July 11, 2019February 2, 2020

Weather Weaponization | Climate Change Deluges

Washington (Gallant Gold Media Hill Report | Analysis | July 11, 2019)
by Noreen Wise

The new normal of weekly rain deluges is directly correlated to the melting polar ice sheets. The fact that these rain and snow torrents are now so consistent and prevalent, serve as a steady reminder of how urgent the climate crisis is, and how essential climate action must become in our daily choices and habits.

The increased moisture in the air, which has resulted in terrifying “weather bombs,” arises from the warming oceans that melt the polar ice sheets.

Dark blue ocean waters store heat from the sun, causing ocean temperatures to rise, triggering the increased atmospheric moisture and the damaging weather bombs. Whereas massive white polar ice sheets deflect the sun’s heat… so as these polar sheets melt, the balance between the amount of dark blue heat-absorbing water to white sun-reflecting sheets shifts, and moisture in the air increases, triggering an influx of deluges.

Understanding the science behind this life-threatening phenomenon, is very effective motivation in accelerating our personal shift to non fossil fuel sustainable energy.

Over the July 4th holiday, driving through the mountains, the skies opened and dumped a blinding amount of rain on the packed lanes of traffic. It was maddening that at that precise moment, I just happened to be next to an “Extra Wide Load” (truck carrying a mobile home) on a curve along a pothole strewn interstate highway high atop a mountain. Crazy. No place to take cover. Windshield wipers that couldn’t keep up. A flash of awareness overcame me, and I could see so clearly that something significant has changed and driving in these conditions was exceedingly dangerous.

Further down the highway, there had been a massive accident that shut down all three lanes. We had to stay parked for two hours while they cleared the wreck. The two events seem connected, but may not have been.

Individual #ClimateAction is both a moral imperative as well as a personal daily checklist. Everyone of us on earth, needs to aim for a personal carbon footprint of only 3 metric tons annually. Currently, most Americans hover around 15.5 metric tons, while there are many that cruise along at 23 metric tons.

Climate Change Expert Dr. Joseph Romm, an MIT alumni, has organized Climate Action choices into four categories:

Transportation: make the switch to Hybrid or EV autos; public transportation, walk, scooter, ride bikes
Home: go solar, LED lightbulbs, turn out lights when leaving a room
Diet: change our eating habits, red meat & dairy increase our carbon footprint
Stuff: buying, storing and carting around “stuff”

The #ClimateCrisis warnings are everywhere. Deluges are universal, striking every town, state and country. The ONLY way to alter the current climate change trajectory is to tackle all four of these climate action categories as quickly as possible. Good luck, we can do this!

Climate Action, Climate Change, Environment, National Security July 8, 2019February 2, 2020

EMERGENCY | Curbing Personal Carbon Footprint, 4 Key Areas to Nail

Washington (GGM) Analysis | July 8, 2019
by Noreen Wise

Climate expert Dr. Joseph Romm has made carbon reduction super easy for all of us by organizing our decision making into four manageable categories.

The only way for the United States to SAVE our East Coast landscape – our beautiful, fabulous cities and all the homes, businesses and assets contained within – is to RUSH on minimizing our individual carbon footprints by taking advantage of numerous green solutions under each category.

HOME: one of the easiest and fastest ways to cut carbon.
- Solar Panels: take advantage of one of the many offers being floated in 2019 where the Solar Energy provider will install solar panels with no $ down.
- Replace all lightbulbs: all traditional lightbulbs in the home should be replaced with either LEDs, halogen incandescents, or compact fluorescent lamps. These cost more, but they last 3-25% longer, so we’ll save money in the long run.
- Turn Off Lights: so basic, turn off lights whenever we leave a room.
- Buy Smaller House (if moving): it’s no longer cool to have a huge house. The new life-saving logic is to have a smaller home with more land, beautiful gardens, and plant as many trees as possible.
- Use cold water for laundry: washing clothes uses a lot of water, warming water wastes energy. Get used to cold for washing whites. New normal.
TRANSPORTATION: Hybrids and EV options have been transformed in just a few short years. Much longer range. Super fast charge. Many more charging stations. More affordable. One of these must be on our list when we replace existing cars.
- Hybrid: prices have come down and range is up to 280 MPG.
- EV: Significant price reduction, with one model as low as $30,000, range is now at 200 MPG.
- Walk, Bike, Scooter, Public Transportation, Carpool: Attend monthly Town Legislation meetings and work to get walking/bike trails set-up maintained.
- Run all errands at same time: awareness of who our actions impact the survival of other people will make us more organized about how we time manage simple things like grocery shopping and going to bank.
DIET: surprisingly, cows add as much carbon to environment as fossil fuels.
- Switch to white meat & fish: turkey & chicken, etc.
- Minimize dairy: this may also cure several health conditions that stem from high levels of antibiotics and pesticides found in dairy.
- Vegan: finding the right protein is a climate solution. Beans, lentils, eggs.
STUFF: Stuff we buy, Stuff we cart around, Stuff we store. Who knew that our “stuff,” particularly the vast accumulation and management of, is a significant factor in global warming.
- Carting around stuff, results in buying larger cars than necessary.
- Buying more stuff than we need or can possibly use, results in buying a larger house that uses more energy
- There’s substantial carbon emissions involved in the manufacturing and transporting of stuff.
- American consumerism has been a global frustration since the 1980’s.

In 2019, America’s population is only 4.6% of global total, however we are now ranked #1 in carbon emissions. We are responsible for the deaths of thousands. Let’s jump on this so we can save lives and save our country as well as the world.

Climate Action, Climate Change, Mitch McConnell, Politics July 7, 2019September 22, 2019

Mitch McConnell & Global Population | Climate Crisis

Washington (Gallant Gold Media Hill Report |Analysis | July 7, 2019)
by Noreen Wise

In 1985, when Mitch McConnell began his career in the U.S. Senate, there was a global population of 4.85 billion, with 237.9 million, 4.9%, living in the United States.

America has 6% of the World’s land mass. And our carbon emissions rate in 1985 was 4,600 million metric tons, which was approximately 15% of the world’s total. So our carbon output is more than three times our population rate. Our excesses, a portion of which is a result of our land mass, and suburban sprawl, is clearly a problem for other nations, as well as ourselves.

After 34 years in office, McConnell has been a major force behind the meteoric rise in the US carbon emissions rate. In fact, during McConnell’s Senate leadership tenure, rather than galvanize the US public to lead the way in dramatic carbon eduction, his record highlights the opposite. McConnell has been a steely carbon emissions reduction obstructionist, blocking every piece of legislation in his power that mandated restrictions on carbon.

McConnell was the voice Trump listed to when he pulled the US out of the Paris Agreement back in 2017.

Today, in 2019, the world’s population is 7.7 billion, with the U.S. population only at 4.3% of total… 329.1 million Americans. Sadly though, we are currently ranked #1 in cumulative carbon emissions, clocking in at a rate of 397 Gt CO2. China, with it’s 1.1 billion citizens, only emits 214 Gt CO2.

We have a lot of work to do to make things right. Our excesses are killing innocent children and families around the world. The immigration crisis at our southern border is directly related to climate change across low lying Central America and its rising water levels. We are in desperate need of the public’s commitment to tangible action. Reducing carbon is so much easier than we realize.

The most important action we can accomplish as quickly as possible is removing Mitch McConnell from office, and neutralizing his negative impact on the #ClimateCrisis in his remaining few months in office.

Climate Action, Climate Change, Environment June 7, 2019February 2, 2020

Exxon In Pitched Battle With the World

Washington (Gallant Gold Media Hill Report | Analysis | June 7, 2019)
by Noreen Wise

A growing number of world leaders, and state attorney generals, are taking off their gloves and flexing their muscles in an effort to drive home the point with Exxon that they aren’t backing down. In fact, they plan to ramp up their resolve, and persevere through to the next level and pry the appropriate climate action commitment from Exxon. Not only that, the world’s prepared to continue bringing charges against Exxon for climate fraud.

ExxonMobile Corp is the world’s largest publicly traded oil company. Back in 2015, during the build up to the 2016 presidential election, documents leaked revealing that Exxon had intentionally kicked off a misinformation campaign for the purpose of undermining climate science in the hopes it would steer decision makers to continue with the massive use of oil for automobiles and energy. Since the 1970’s, Exxon has known that oil production causes global warming and has continued to mislead consumers, failing to warn of the hazards.

Now, 40 years later, we see Exxon’s misinformation campaign worked. Carbon levels have risen significantly – 335 PPM to 415 PPM. Thousands of innocent people have died as a result.

The state Attorney General’ who have and/or will be filing climate fraud charges against Exxon:

Massachusetts
New York
Rhode Island
Washington DC – tentative

Foreign Nations are leveling penalties against Exxon through the European Parliament.

Climate Action, Climate Change May 30, 2019February 2, 2020

Exxon Shareholder Majority Rejects Climate Action Responsibility | Votes for High Profit at World’s Expense

Washington (Gallant Gold Media Hill Report | Analysis | May 30, 2019)
by Noreen Wise

American publicly traded global fossil fuel companies are in for a turbulent next twelve months. Exxon was feeling this rough ride at it’s annual shareholders meeting Wednesday May 29, 2019. Two of its largest shareholders were demanding climate action accountability and threatened to wrangle the support of fellow shareholders and vote the directors out.

The New York State Common Retirement Fund, led by Thomas DiNapoli, the New York State Comptroller, along with The Church of England led the proxy fight. And although they may have missed their targeted goal of outright removal, they successfully increased shareholder support for climate responsibility. More eyes will now be closely following decision makers, and tweeting about their objections.

The Church of England, another large Exxon shareholder, believes in ethical finance. They’ve made their shock and frustration with Exxon’s refusal to act on #climatechange very public.

“This has been a very difficult AGM for Exxon and a warning shot to management.” ~Edward Mason, Church of England

Climate Action 100+ is a force to be reckoned with. This powerful group of 324 #climate focused international investors, control $33.4 trillion in assets. They have a reach far beyond America’s political divide with a proven ability to move mountains. American conservative investors who aren’t paying attention may find their political allegiance selling them short in the long run, maybe even the short run depending on where the next Category 4 or 5 hurricane or tornado strikes.

Exxon’s press release, following their shareholder’s meeting on May 29, 2019, stated: “ExxonMobil expects to increase annual earnings potential more than 140 percent and double potential annual cash flow from operations by 2025 from 2017 adjusted earning, assuming a 2017 oil price of $60 per barrel adjusted for inflation based on 2017 margins.” Seeing numbers like 140% and a doubling of “potential cash flow” without a concrete plan for climate action, is a clear statement that Exxon views profits as far more important than cutting carbon.

The climate action world does not agree with Exxon’s disregard for their responsibility to decrease Exxon’s carbon footprint. The climate focused public will happily avoid Exxon gas stations, and instead choose Shell and BP. If dollars are the only way to connect with Exxon’s decision makers, the public will accept this and send our objections using dollars. No problem.

Health May 27, 2019August 20, 2019

Hope for the Future of Healthcare In America | Gathering Ideas

Washington (Gallant Gold Media Hill Report | Perspective | May 27, 2019)
by Noreen Wise

The House Congressional Budget Office attempted to shed light on the pressing healthcare issues Wednesday May 22, 2019, during a robust exchange of bipartisan ideas shared at its hearing on a potential single payer healthcare system for America.

Fielding questions from the House CBO Committee members was a panel of experts:

Mark Hadley, Deputy Director, Congressional Budget Office
Dr. Jessica Banthin, Deputy Assistant Director for Health, Retirement, and Long-Term Analysis, Congressional Budget Office
Dr. Jeffrey Kling, Associate Director for Economic Analysis, Congressional Budget Office

After several rounds of questions and answers between House Representatives and the panel of witnesses, it seemed clear that there is bipartisan support for unravelling the healthcare tangled knots of challenges and finding solutions for each one. Doing so will enable a bipartisan push towards creating a strong healthcare system for all Americans. The following are several key areas that need to be addressed in order to reach a bipartisan agreement:

Finding a way for Americans with strong private healthcare plans, provided by their employer, to keep these plans if they so choose. Typically, these healthcare plans are associated with America’s largest companies.
- The vast majority of large companies are located in specific regions of the country, as well as in certain cities. For example, silicon valley employs nearly 1 million people. They likely all have exceptional healthcare and won’t want to change it, nor should they have to.
- However, just a few hundred miles away it may be that the majority of employers are small mom & pops who struggle to provide adequate healthcare for themselves as well as the few employees they may have, and are eagerly awaiting a government healthcare plan.
- A substantial percent of the employed work as contractors and are simultaneously reliant of alternative solutions.

IT infrastructure. A looming obstacle for establishing one giant healthcare plan for America, is crafting the IT plan for securing all medical records and making them accessible anywhere. An example cited was the modernization of securing the VA health records.
- The IRS seems to have this down and may be a potential roadmap for healthcare.
- Our election systems are another possible pathway that can be duplicated for health records. However, we’ve recently learned that this intricate system can be successfully hacked.
- The GOP House Representative who raised the IT roadblock, seemed to be implying that this was the reason why we would never be able to implement a massive national healthcare program. But again, we have several expansive systems already in place that can be be potentially duplicated and modified for healthcare. Breaking down the large national map into smaller state components, divided into districts just like our voting districts, seems like an effective starting point on the IT front.

Competition. Our American system of free markets has proven that competition results in innovation, strengthens ingenuity and resourcefulness, and drives down prices. It was apparent at the hearing, that a bipartisan majority believe that competition will improve the quality and price of healthcare in America.
Toxic and contaminated zones that impact health. Certain parts of the country are more toxic than others. Industries such as coal and oil, farming communities with toxic fertilizers, military bases, superfund sites, polluted city air all impact health and create a large pool of Americans who are often born with pre-existing conditions as well as impacted with health conditions at a young age. It’s self-evident that these Americans have been impacted health wise through no fault of their own and should be covered by some type of medical plan that can aid with managing their care – ie, healthcare support similar to what was provided to those who worked at Ground Zero following 9/11.

The real cost of healthcare. The real cost of healthcare is mystifying, but thanks to technology, it shouldn’t be too difficult to figure out. What we know instinctively as individuals by going through bills with a fine-tooth comb, is that there’s a huge markup and that none of us would pay that price if we had to cover everything on our own. But since the insurance company writes the check for a significant portion, we often let it go, even if when frustrated. However, a certain percent of Americans end up filing for bankruptcy when the monster medical bills begin to roll in.
Miscellaneous. Establishing creative solutions for those who believe in natural and holistic methods for staying healthy, and are willing to cover the cost of their own vitamins and wellness regemines, and only need healthcare for a catastrophic event. There are currently no alternatives for this slice of the public if they’re over the age of 30. And yet, there’s an increasing number each year who fall into this particular niche. An effective healthcare plan should find ways to grow this niche.

If we’re willing to find common ground in these specific areas, and are open to comprise, then we should be able to find a path that will lead to bipartisan support for a healthcare overhaul sooner rather than later.

Climate Action, Climate Change, Environment March 29, 2019September 3, 2019

Fallen Trees in Forest | Time To Reforest

Washington (Gallant Gold Media Hill Report | Opinion | March 29, 2019)
by Noreen Wise

I run along the winding forest trail every evening, headphones blaring, so many things on my mind. I notice the fallen trees. I marvel at how massive the roots are, stunned by the way they seem to creep beneath the surface as deeply as they grow tall.

Today it suddenly dawned on me, that when we see fallen trees in a forest, we should plant new ones in the same vicinity. More than one perhaps. We don’t even have to wait for anyone to direct us, although I guess I’ll inquire at town hall just to be on the safe side. Who would actually notice if a tree-loving, anti-Global Warming citizen planted a barrel of trees, though.

It never really occurred to me before that:

“Reforesting & restoring mangrove forests are a key solution for Climate Action. They act as a barrier against floods & storm surges caused by rising sea levels, erratic rains, land degradation & erosion.” ~UN Environment

Any Climate Action project that’s this simple, easy, economical and fun is going to be a winner. A newly planted tree is like a new friend. I can’t wait to watch it grow. I’ve read that trees can communicate, so this will be another positive benefit. I can conduct tests. Scientific experiment of sorts. For example, if I stop and talk to the tree every day after I run, will it grow taller faster? Will it be stronger than otherwise? It’ll be exciting to find out.

“Trees exhale for us so that we can inhale them to stay alive. Can we ever forget that? Let us love trees with every breath we take until we perish.” ~Munia Khan

You know something’s a really big deal, when citizens from the state with the Senator who’s the strongest anti-environment advocate in the Legislature, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, are hosting their 20th annual “Reforest the Bluegrass” event tomorrow March 30, 2019, the last Saturday of the month. Good luck and have fun, Kentuckians! You may want to plant ten times as many trees as other states to offset all the coal carbon. Again, thank you!

“The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.” ~Chinese Proverb

Budget, Constitution, Corruption, Environment, Trump March 19, 2019September 3, 2019

Cakeism |Why Good People Support an Evil Leader (Trump)

Washington (Gallant Gold Media Hill Report |Opinion | March 19, 2019) – This phenomenon that we’ve been witnessing for nearly three years now – friends, family and colleagues who we get along with very well, many of whom we even admire, supporting Trump, and we can’t figure out how they can be so blind – can be explained. Cakeism. We’ve seen it before. In fact, illustrations of this are everywhere. Securing a new credit card and jetting around the world. Buying a fancy car when the existing one only has $35,000 miles. Eating delicious cake. Cake is so delectable. Does anyone doubt this? It’s certainly my weakness.

“Let them eat cake.” ~ Marie Antoinette, 1789

When good things are good, they can’t be bad, right? Take low unemployment rate as an example. It’s certainly wonderful. No one can deny it. Who doesn’t love an excellent job market? I’ll take doubles, even triples. Trump announced at CPAC, that the unemployment rate is so low we don’t have enough skilled Americans to fill the open positions, so we need immigrants. Yes, Trump did emphatically state that we desperately needed immigrants, even though he’s demanding a wall to keep immigrants out. He clarified. According to Trump, we need the right kind of immigrants.

If a low unemployment rate is good, how can it be bad? Very easily. There’s always a downside to a short cut. Consequences are inevitable. Increasing our national debt by a trillion dollars a year, will lead to the death of America unless a fierce and noble leadership team steps in to quickly fix this disaster. Cutting environmental protections, as well as all the regulations that keep our landscapes and health safeguarded, will have very serious repercussions to our food supply, our tourism industry, and our physical well-being. Our crumbling infrastructure can’t be ignored. Modernizing requires public funds. Taxes. The downside to our low unemployment will quickly become our worst nightmare in the not so distant future.

Cakeism. The belief that there’s only one side of the coin, the good side. The upside. The belief that there are never any consequences for bad decisions or short cuts.

So yes, low unemployment rate is sensational, the same way chocolate ganache cake is to die for. We can absolutely thank Trump for this. Thank you, Mr. Trump. But an increasingly polarized country, with the far right demanding a civil war (what they mean by this, is slaughtering innocent liberals and their families with assault rifles, the same way the New Zealand terrorist slaughtered innocent families at the Mosque) is a frightening traumatic reality. A corrupt cabinet that undermines our future. A president without a moral code, leading through fear, serving himself, bettering himself, at the expense of everyone else. Extreme weather conditions that will only grow worse, flattening towns, destroying thousands of square miles of personal property, killing thousands of Americans, eliminating our coastal communities and many of our most important military bases.

Destroyed American landscapes. Unattended superfund sights. Gargantuan national debt. Crumbling infrastructure. An entire generation of undereducated. Alarming healthcare crisis. Our cherished institutions, the very pillars of our democracy, smashed. Extreme wealth disparity. Out of control white collar crime. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

“Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives – choice, not chance, determines your destiny,” ~Aristotle, 322 BC

Excellence is what America has always reached for. Excellence has been our collective purpose for two straight centuries. Excellence is what propelled us to become a global titan. Excellence, not cakeism.

I’m sure many of us have family, friends and/or colleagues who’ve made comments to the effect, “I like a lot of his policies, but I’m not a big fan of Trump.” We can now simply reply, “Cakeism. The belief that you can have all the advantages, and never have to deal with the disadvantages.” Cakeism isn’t rational of course. Bad decisions will always have negative consequences, despite the momentary short term gain.

Climate Change, Environment, Health March 17, 2019August 20, 2019

Think Green When Making Weekend & Vacation Plans

Washington (Gallant Gold Media Hill Report | Perspective | March 17, 2019)
by Noreen Wise

GREEN should forever be at the forefront of our minds whenever we make weekend plans as well as vacation plans.

Climate Action, is nothing more than a resolution. A proposal. An urgent call of action to help address the most challenging crisis facing America and every nation around the world. Climate change impacts all of us. The traumatic reality brings our diverse global population together through a shared purpose.

With the arrival of spring, we can move into the GREEN fast lane and start planting trees. As many trees as space allows. Pakistan has planted over a billion trees. The most important step for us to remember here in America is that steady consistency is the best path forward. Let’s be inclusive. Let’s create a vision for solving this crisis that the vast majority will identify with and participate in. No closed doors. No closed minds.

Here’s a quick lesson on how to properly plant a tree:

Have fun! Make it a family or friend event. It’s wonderful to know that around the world, communities are gathering to plant trees. Not only will this reduce carbon, it will provide cleaner oxygen and a more beautiful environment that will add cheer to our lives. Health and beauty are worth fighting hard for.

Climate Change March 12, 2019August 20, 2019

Climate Strike | Young Voices That Haunt

Washington (Gallant Gold Media Hill Report | Perspective | March 12, 2019)
by Noreen Wise

Children are often far more intuitive than adults. They have natural child’s intuition, similar to our pet’s intuition. Children are excellent at reading body language, with an uncanny ability to accurately deduce what kind of day we’re having without us saying a word.

Further, children are observant, typically hyper observant. When walking along a sidewalk, or driving the familiar route to school, a child will notice if the Lopez’s tulips have suddenly blossomed, or if the Wilsons’ painted their front door, whereas we adults may not. Young children are that much closer to the ground and thus silently absorb any number of signals from nature about its well being. Their memories are extremely sharp, recollecting with great accuracy if the water level along the river bank is higher this year than it was several years ago.

Children are idealists. We teach them what’s right. Provide for them a strong moral code to live by. They trust it. They believe that we live by the same code. They expect adults to practice what we preach.

The Climate Strike, led by alarmed children reaching out to adults and demanding that we please “panic” about their Climate Change plight, the same way they are, intuitively projects that the point of no return will land squarely on their shoulders. Doomsday will arrive when they’re graduating from college, launching into their young adult lives. Do we remember our blissful 20’s? Instead, these terrified Americans will have to suffer the consequences of our indifference, of our blind eye. They’re profound Climate Strike message arrives at the right time and in the tone. An urgent plea for help. If only our president could stand up with the rest of us and do something noble.

In a New York Times article, the founder of Climate Strike, 16 year old Greta Thunberg of Sweden, had a very poignant message for adults:

“‘Adults keep saying, “We owe it to the young people to give them hope,’ she said. ‘But I don’t want your hope. I don’t want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. And then I want you to act.’”

No adult with a conscience wants children to endure this type of fear, and yet so many do. In the United States, children and teens already feel terrified with Active Shooter Lock Down Drills in their schools. If our action will help alleviate their young troubled minds, then let’s get to it. This forward path should be a very simple daily roadmap that will become a powerful force for curbing global warming and brightening the future outlook of today’s youth.