“We have reached a point of planetary emergency… Elements of a perfect storm, a global cataclysm, are assembled… the oft-stated goal to keep global warming less than +2 C (+3.6 Fahrenheit) is a recipe for global disaster, not salvation.” ~ NASA’s Dr. James Hansen, global warming testimony to Congress, June 23, 2008
When this reporter pointed out that some scientists are writing books and saying in public that they believe this crisis is so serious that if humanity goes on with business as usual — not significantly cutting overall greenhouse gas emissions — it could seriously lead to the collapse of civilization, even in the lifetime of today’s children, he replied: “I think that is a correct assessment. People say that action should have been taken yesterday. If we take action today, it may not be too late.” ~ ABC News interview with Ban Ki-moon by Bill Blakemore, NY, Sept. 24, 2007
“This is an emergency and for emergency situations we need emergency action.”
~ U.N. Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, Antarctic visit, Nov. 12, 2007“…our world faces a true planetary emergency.” ~ Al Gore, Global warming testimony to Congress, March 21, 2007
“With dryer vegetation and a warmer world and more dead vegetation because of the pests and beetles that are no longer held back by frost, the fires are out of control at record levels on every continent; the strength of the storms, the depth of the drought, the movement of tropical diseases into areas that never experienced them before. This is the result of a dysfunctional, INSANE global system, pattern that we have to change.” ~ Al Gore, Clinton Global Initiative, Sept. 25, 2008
“Congress…without debate and without a single hearing, (is) preparing to lift the moratorium on the development of oil shale, which would vastly multiply the amount of CO2 from every gallon of gasoline. This is utter insanity!” ~ Al Gore, Clinton Global Initiative, Sept. 25, 2008
“Since we met here last year, the world has lost ground to the climate crisis. This is a route. We are losing badly.” ~ Al Gore, Clinton Global Initiative, Sept. 25, 2008
“…I believe we’ve reached the stage where it is time for civil disobedience.” ~ Al Gore, Clinton Global Initiative, Sept. 25, 2008
“Climate policy is characterized by the habituation of low expectations and a culture of failure. There is an urgent need to understand global warming and the tipping points for dangerous impacts that we have already crossed as a sustainability emergency that takes us beyond the politics of failure-inducing compromise. We are now in a race between climate tipping points and political tipping points.” ~ David Spratt, Philip Sutton, Climate Code Red, Australia, Published July, 2008
“We are not acting like people and organizations who genuinely believe that the world is at risk. Therefore, we cannot take the measures required, nor can we be effective leaders.” ~ Ken Ward, Environmental and Communications Strategeist, Former Deputy Director, Greenpeace USA, as Quoted in Climate Code Red (D. Spratt, P. Sutton) – Excerpt: The Perils of Playing Nice, Published July, 2008
“…unless we adopt the strongest measures — emergency action — it will be too late. It is no longer a matter of how much more we can heat the planet, but how quickly can we cool it.” ~ David Spratt, Co-Author, Climate Code Red, Speech in Australia, Oct. 10, 2008
“Our changing climate is placing our planet in peril.” ~ U.S. President-elect, Barack Obama, Campaign Speech, Lansing, MI, Aug. 4, 2008
“If there’s no action before 2012, that’s too late. What we do in the next two to three years will determine our future. This is the defining moment.” ~ Chair of the IPCC, Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, Valencia, Spain, Nov. 17, 2007
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