#Environmental Catastrophe

[tomorrowusa]

Greta Thunberg's visit to Ukraine reminds us that Putin's invasion is an act of ecocide. The Russian destruction of the dam at Kakhovka is just one of many Russian war crimes with harmful effects on the environment.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Thursday with Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg and prominent European figures who are forming a working group to address ecological damage from the 16-month-old Russian invasion. The meeting in the Ukrainian capital came as fighting continued around the country. [ ... ] The working group on the environment includes Thunberg, former Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Margot Wallström, European Parliament Vice President Heidi Hautala, and former Irish President Mary Robinson. Zelenskyy said forming the group is “a very important signal of supporting Ukraine. It’s really important, we need your professional help.” Thunberg said Russian forces “are deliberately targeting the environment and people’s livelihoods and homes. And therefore also destroying lives. Because this is after all a matter of people.” The objectives of the working group are evaluating the environmental damage resulting from the war, formulating mechanisms to hold Russia accountable, and undertaking efforts to restore Ukraine’s ecology.

Assessing the environmental impacts of the war in Ukraine

Every environmental disaster caused during this war is the direct responsibility of Vladimir Putin and Russia. Putin's efforts to become the Peter the Great of the 21st century set off a string of ecological catastrophes which actually began by compounding a previous Russian environmental calamity at Chernobyl.

[frankenseusslabs]

[leftbluebirdthing]

The Final Collapse

THE FINAL COLLAPSE

Is AI Deceiving Christians?

How AI Is Misleading Christians…

Proof AI Is Deceiving Christians

Should Christians Use AI?

American Christian Exposes The Real Danger Of AI

American Christian Forces AI To Expose Its Real Purpose

1 John 2:18

"Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that Anti-Christ is coming, so now many Anti-Christs have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour."

There is no doubt that we’re in times of confusion and uncertainty. Many would even say the end times or as John calls it, “the last hour”.

Some bible scholars say that this verse references the rise of AI,

And Christians have been shocked by the woke anti-faith bias of Chat GPT

Unfortunately, the truth is far more sinister…

AI’s influence is rapidly spreading around the world in disguise.

And most people are blissfully unaware.

Or perhaps already corrupted by its “touch.”

If you’ve ever had a bad feeling about artificial intelligence,

Perhaps it is God’s way of warning you that

AI is NOT here for what you think…

Blinded by the trillion-dollar profits,

Big Tech has no idea of what it has unleashed upon the world.

And they may have already lost control of their own creation.

This short documentary exposes 5 shocking facts misguided tech gurus are desperately trying to hide…

Therefore, it could be scrubbed off the internet at any moment.

Click the book below to watch the video:

THEFINALCOLLAPSE.COM

[mapecl-stories]

Title: 24. The Fire at Sea: Kaiman's Brave Battle for the Protection of the North Sea

In the picturesque town of Flensburg lived a young man named Kai. He led a normal life until one day an extraordinary event changed his destiny. While taking a walk, Kai discovered a mysterious object that granted him incredible superpowers. From that moment on, he called himself Kaiman and decided to use his newfound abilities to protect his homeland, Schleswig-Holstein, from evil.

However, Kaiman was not alone in his mission. He met Louisa, a young woman with equally impressive superpowers. They decided to team up as an unbeatable duo and safeguard the people of Schleswig-Holstein from impending dangers. Supported by their magical animals, Max, the clever dog, and Luna, the agile cat, they embarked on their journey.

Yet, in this story, Kaiman took a solo vacation to recover from his endeavors on the beautiful island of Ameland in the Netherlands.

Ameland is one of the five inhabited West Frisian Islands in the North Sea and belongs to the Netherlands. The island is a popular holiday, travel, and excursion destination for families, caravan campers, school groups, and vacation camps. Ameland is accessible from the mainland via the ferries "Sier" and "Oerd" from Holwert.

Kaiman sat on the small porch of his vacation cottage on Ameland, enjoying the sunset over the North Sea. It was his first day on the island, and he had looked forward to a relaxing week filled with hikes and bike tours. However, suddenly, a loud explosion shattered the tranquility of the coast. Kaiman jumped up and rushed to the beach.

There, he saw a massive cloud of smoke on the horizon, followed by an orange glow of fire. His heart pounded with fear as he realized it must be a burning cargo ship. An environmental catastrophe loomed, and worry spread within him like a poisonous mist.

Immediately, Kaiman rushed back to his vacation home and called the coast guard. He explained the situation and offered his help. They informed him that all crew members had been rescued, but the ship was still ablaze and listing. Kaiman couldn't fathom the seriousness of the situation. Something had to be done to prevent the disaster.

Determined, he headed to the nearest harbor, where a rescue-equipped boat was located. He convinced the captain to let him on board, and together, they set sail. The North Sea raged wildly, but Kaiman's determination provided him with the necessary strength.

When they reached the burning ship, a dreadful sight awaited them. The flames had already spread across the entire deck, threatening to turn the cargo ship into an inferno. Kaiman and the captain risked their lives to contain the fire. They fought against the flames and managed, with great effort, to extinguish a part of the fire. However, time was running out as the ship began to sink.

In the nick of time, Kaiman decided they had to abandon the burning wreck and save the cars on board. He opened the gates of the cargo ship and, together with the captain, freed the still untouched vehicles. One by one, they loaded them onto the rescue boat as the cargo ship slowly sank into the sea.

With the rescued cars, Kaiman and the captain returned to the mainland. The extent of the potential environmental catastrophe was never forgotten. Kaiman shared his story with the media, called for stricter safety measures for the transportation of vehicles across the sea, and dedicated himself to environmental protection.

Gradually, the North Sea recovered from the looming catastrophe, and Kaiman became a hero who had narrowly averted an underestimated danger. His courage and determination not only saved lives but also showed how crucial it was to protect our oceans. From that day on, Kaiman embarked on new adventures, determined to preserve nature and warn others of impending hazards.

[politijohn]

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Nothing matters

[you-need-not-apply]

If you can, reblog.

Australia’s newest climate report has shown how bad the climate crisis has gotten. The information is both horrifying and not new.

We knew this would happen. They knew this would happen. There is no longer an excuse.

Australia’s climate has warmed by an average of 1.51 +_ 0.23 Celsius, its oceans have warmed by 1.08 Celsius since 1990.

There is less rain, less water flow, sea levels are rising and the risk of catastrophic fires grows every day.

If you have the means to change: change.

If you don’t: inspire others to.

Link to report

[reasonsforhope]

An illegal toxic dump site in Croatia, the theft of water from a major aquifer in southern Spain, illegal trading of ozone-depleting refrigerants in France: This is just a sampling of the environmental crimes that European countries are struggling to stop. The lack of accountability for these acts stems in part from the European Union’s legal code, which experts say is riddled with vague definitions and gaps in enforcement. That’s about to change. 

Last week, EU lawmakers voted in a new directive that criminalizes cases of environmental damage “comparable to ecocide,” a term broadly defined as the severe, widespread, and long-term destruction of the natural world. Advocates called the move “revolutionary,” both because it sets strict penalties for violators, including up to a decade in jail, and because it marks the first time that an international body has created a legal pathway for the prosecution of ecocide.

“This decision marks the end of impunity for environmental criminals and could usher in a new age of environmental litigation in Europe,” wrote Marie Toussaint, a French lawyer and EU parliamentarian for the Greens/European Free Alliance group, on X...

The new directive uses the term “ecocide” in its preamble, but does not criminalize the act by laying out a legal definition (the most widely accepted definition of ecocide was developed by an international panel of experts in 2021). Instead, it works by providing a list of “qualified offenses,” or crimes that fall within its purview. These include pollution from ships, the introduction of invasive species, and ozone depletion...

The new law holds people liable for environmental destruction if they acted with knowledge of the damage their actions would cause. This aspect of the law is important, experts said, because it means that a permit is no longer enough for a company to avoid culpability.  

“If new information shows that behavior is causing irreversible damage to health and nature – you will have to stop,” a member of the European Parliament from the Netherlands, Antonius Manders, told Euronews. 

Advocates like Mehta hope that the EU’s move will have influence beyond Europe’s borders. The principal goal of the Stop Ecocide campaign is for the International Criminal Court to designate ecocide as the fifth international crime that it prosecutes, after crimes against humanity, war crimes, crimes of aggression, and genocide. At the moment, environmental destruction can only be prosecuted as a war crime at the ICC, and limitations in the law make this extremely difficult to do...

Kate Mackintosh, the executive director of the Netherlands-based UCLA Law Promise Institute Europe, told Grist that the ICC is unlikely to adopt an ecocide law if other countries do not do so first. 

“It’s not something you can just pull out of thin air,” she said, adding that any international legal doctrine has to have a precedent on the national level. “That’s the way states are going to accept it.”

The EU’s 27 member states will have two years to adapt the new legislation into their penal codes. Afterwards, their implementation must be reviewed and updated at least once every five years using a “risk-analysis based approach,” to account for advancements in experts’ understanding of what might constitute an environmental crime. Mehta said that despite its omission of some important offenses, the law sets an important example for other countries. Several days before the EU vote, Belgium adapted its criminal code to include the directive, making it the first country in Europe to recognize ecocide as a crime.

The ruling “shows leadership and compassion,” Mehta said. “It will establish a clear moral as well as legal ‘red line’, creating an essential steer for European industry leaders and policy-makers going forward.”

-via Grist, March 6, 2024

[poetrythreesixfive]

Helene

September was a dry affair

until we found the rain,

until the South was saturated

by a hurricane.

A wind machine of epic size,

a thousand miles wide,

a surge propelled by savage winds

and fattened by the tide.

We thought we hid in safety

up North, above the fray,

but Hurricane Helene, we found,

unsated, would not stay.

She tore across the marshlands,

and onto drier land,

and soon we felt the wrath of God

delivered by her hand.

Perhaps there is a lesson,

to grace this bitter pill—

but every year, the wounds are worse,

and healing, harder still.

-GeorgeFilip

[decaf-lesbian]

RS isn't the only place in Brazil in a climate crisis and we need to talk about it.

the main thing i've talked about on this blog since last friday (may 3rd) is the catastrophic floods devastating my home state, Rio Grande do Sul, located in southern Brazil. it's an unprecedent tragedy that we won't be able to recover from anytime soon. but we also can't ignore what's happening in the rest of the country, so i decided to extensively rant about it.

over the course of a week, these historic floods have taken over a state the size of Ecuador, raising the levels of rivers and wiping out entire cities. i've said it before and i'll say it again: this is not natural, although some smooth-brained people might say it is. the last flood of this magnitude in my state was the flood of 1941, which was a result of 24 days of continuous rain, raising the level of the Guaíba lake to 4.75 meters.

the floods we're facing now raised the level of the lake up to 5.30 meters. and it only rained for seven days.

we all hear climate change deniers saying it's just the weather patterns, but it's impossible to deny the fact that human actions are changing them. we didn't have nearly as many torrential rainstorms here a couple years ago, not even in autumn (which is the usual season for it). yet, from 2022 to now, the frequency with which these occur have been cranked up to the max. i used to joke about how it rained every single week, but now it sounds less like a joke and more of a grim commentary on the sad reality we're living.

that's why, in addition to what's happening here, we really need to talk about the climate crisis in the other regions in Brazil.

the center-west and southeastern regions have been suffering from dry weather and a heatwave that has been going on for days (and will still go at LEAST up to may 10th). they are registering temperatures above 30° C/86°F, which means they are having perfect summer weather IN MID AUTUMN. i am not joking; São Paulo has registered an alarming temperature of 32° C/89,6°F, breaking the record for the highest temperature ever registered in a day of may for the last 81 years.

in the northeastern region, the end of last year was marked by an extreme drought intensified by the deforestation of the cerrado biome, which is crucial for maintaining water distribution. and this was basically in the countryside; the coast was the target of heavy torrential rains (and is currently under the threat of more rain). some cities registered an extreme and alarming 240mm of precipitation in just 24 HOURS.

and in the northern region and some parts of the center-west and northeastern regions, the number of wildfires from january to may is already the highest in recorded history (which began to be recorded in 1998 by Inpe): 17.421 spots. and the dry season in the biomes of the Amazon rainforest, cerrado, and pantanal HAS BARELY BEGUN. this is already a horrifying tragedy and it can become one of the worst catastrophes in the history of Brazil if we don't act on it fast.

ever single time something like this happens, scientists from all over the country (and all over the world) warn us of what can happen next. every single time, scientists extensively talk about the human actions that are directly and indirectly interfering with the environment. every single time, nobody listens. every. single. time.

and we still have time. we have the technology and the means to prevent this. and yet the government does absolutely NOTHING to help (hell, in my state only 0,2% of the budget was allocated to preventing climate disasters; an ABYSMALLY low R$50k, which is about US$9.850,00). everyone, and i mean EVERYONE, knows about the ever increasing frequency of extreme climate events. even the DENIERS WON'T DENY IT. this should be enough proof that we need to do something fast or we will irreversibly ruin the only place we can call home. but governments will always prioritize money over lives. always.

these disasters have always happened in Brazil, but they were far apart. this country should be blessed by god and beautiful by nature, like a popular song says. yet we are currently experiencing the worst climatic crisis we have ever seen here. and it will only get worse if we don't stop it now.

[anarchywoofwoof]

imagine the Earth has been keeping a temperature diary since 1850, jotting down how warm or cold it feels each day.

now, fast forward to March 19th this year.

if you average out all the temperature notes from the last 365 days and compare it to what was considered "normal" between 1850 and 1900 (the pre-industrial baseline), we find that the Earth felt 1.57 degrees Celsius (about 2.8 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than it used to back then.

the intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) has set a "safe" warming threshold at 1.5 degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels to significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change. this threshold was established to avoid some of the most severe effects on ecosystems, human health, livelihoods, food security, water supply, and economic growth. the goal is to keep global temperature rise in this century well below 2 degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels while pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees celsius.

the recent measurement of the 365-day running mean global surface temperature reaching 1.57°c above the pre-industrial baseline indicates that we have surpassed this 1.5°c threshold, albeit in the context of a running mean and not yet as a long-term average. this means we are already in the zone where the risks of more significant impacts from climate change become higher, according to IPCC guidelines.

in New Zealand, over 3,500 eels were found dead in a stream.

the gray whale dieoff on the west coast of america has been declared "over," but has been attributed to malnutrition

sea lions and dolphins have also been washing up on the west coast with increasing regularity

over 150 amazon river dolphins died in october during a drought and heatwave in south america

salmon farm dieoffs are increasing exponentially across the globe

sawfish are spinning in circles, acting bizarre and in some cases, dying, in the waters off the florida keys

scientists have declared the world is on the verge of "historic levels of coral bleaching"

climate change is causing the world's trees to struggle to breathe

but oil executives continue their hubris:

how much more do we need to see??? our natural world is not dying. it is being killed. and we know who is responsible for the murder.

[tomorrowusa]

Russia is losing the war. Drunken Russian combatants are even shooting at each other. So in desperation, Vladimir Putin blew up the most important dam in southern Ukraine. The result was the ecological equivalent of an atomic bomb.

Ukrainian scientists are waiting for the water to subside before fully assessing the environmental impact of the Kakhovka dam breach, but one former minister warned it could prove the country’s worst ecological disaster since the Chornobyl nuclear meltdown.

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, called an emergency meeting of his security council after the partial collapse of one of the biggest dams in the world. The country’s public prosecutor said it is investigating a possible case of “ecocide”.

[ ... ]

Analysts told the Guardian that the scale of the damage would depend on the amount of water released and the extent of the damage to the barrier, both of which are still unknown. At the very least, it has forced the evacuation of thousands of people, flooded national parks and jeopardised water supplies to millions of people. In the worst-case scenario, it may pose a long-term danger to Europe’s biggest nuclear plant, Zaporizhzhia, and could also spread agrotoxins and petrochemicals into the Black Sea.

This Putin-made disaster, like Chernobyl, will have an impact outside Ukraine.

Former minister of ecology Ostap Semerak told the Guardian that in his opinion this was the greatest threat currently posed by the breach, but other dangers could emerge in the days and weeks ahead as flood waters engulf cities, petrol stations and farms, become contaminated by agrochemicals and oil products and then flow into the Black Sea.

“This will have an impact on Romania, Georgia, Turkey and Bulgaria. It will be harmful for all the region” he said. “Our government has announced this is the biggest environmental catastrophe in Europe over the past 10 years, and I think it may be the worst in Ukraine since Chornobyl in 1986.”

The turbine room at the hydropower plant is already under water and 150 tonnes of industrial lubricants have been washed away, according to Zelenskiy.

Olena Kravchenko, the director of the Ukrainian Environment People Law NGO, said Russia’s “ecocide” risked “unprecedented environmental consequences” to the areas downstream of the Dnipro River, the Dnipro estuary, and ecosystems in the coastal area of the Black Sea.

With images of entire houses being washed away, she says the river will be polluted by debris and hazardous chemicals. Water supplies could be reduced or cut in several cities, including Kherson, and irrigation may prove impossible in swathes of agricultural land, affecting crops.

[ ... ]

She expected to see mass mortality of fish, mollusks and other aquatic species, widespread habitat disruption and negative impacts of ecologically important national parks: Nyzhniodniprovs’kyi, Kam’yanska Sich, Biloberizhzhia Sviatoslava, the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve (which is also a Unesco biosphere reserve) and the Kinburn Spit Regional Landscape Park.

Putin is not just a war criminal, he is an enemy of the planet.

She argued that if Russia had breached the dam, it would be sufficient for a charge of “ecocide” under Article 441 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Denys Tsutsaiev from Greenpeace Central and eastern Europe told the Guardian that the dam destruction caused by the Russian military presence “once again puts in danger thousands of lives of civilians and nature”.

Despite the rantings of Tucker Carlson and his pals in the Kremlin, US intelligence points to Russia being responsible for the dam's destruction.

It had been suspected since the Russian retreat from Kherson late last year that they had tried to destroy the Nova Kakhovka dam. It is possible that they failed to do so last year but weakened it badly enough so that it finally gave way this week. From November 12th...

Damage found on major Ukrainian dam after fears Russia could blow it up and flood area

US satellite imagery company Maxar, which released the pictures, said: "Satellite images this morning ... reveal significant new damage to several bridges and the Nova Kakhovka dam in the aftermath of the Russian retreat from Kherson across the Dnipro river.”

It added sections of the northern extent of the dam and sluice gates had been "deliberately destroyed".

The possibility of Russia destroying the Kakhovka plant was previously raised by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a major US think tank.

The ISW said in its 21 October update: “Russian forces will likely attempt to blow up the dam at the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) to cover their withdrawal and to prevent Ukrainian forces from pursuing Russian forces deeper into Kherson Oblast.

“Russian forces will almost certainly blame Ukraine for the dam attack.”

There's other talk that Russia blew up the dam as a prelude to a retreat from Crimea. Much of Crimea's water comes from the North Crimean Canal which flows out of the Kakhovka Reservoir at Nova Kakhovka.

Putin will, of course, blame the dambusting on Ukraine and then possibly say that Russia needs to leave Crimea due to the disruption of the water supply.

As @neil-gaiman would say, "wait and see".

[ahb-writes]

Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions (Ecological Challenges and Environmental Disasters)

Ecological Challenges and Environmental Disasters Worldbuilding Questions:

What are the unique or different ecosystems in this world (e.g., terrestrial or aquatic systems). Which are stable, and which (if any) are under pressure and why?

What was the last major environmental catastrophe (e.g., a major fire, tremors, flood)? What happened?

Who is concerned about the environment’s well-being, and why?

Who is skeptical about environmental threats or dangers, and why?

Where is the environment most robust, and where are the greatest threats to stability, life, the land’s well-being?

Where would people seek refuge in the event of a disaster and why?

When do seasonal or periodic climate or other ecological changes occur, and why?

When major events affecting the environment occurred, and what are dominant attitudes towards it? Do they differ between inhabitants?

Why are certain environmental challenges predominant?

Why do inhabitants of this world value or exploit the natural world, and how?

❯ ❯ ❯ Read other writing masterposts in this series: Worldbuilding Questions for Deeper Settings

[nando161mando]

These fuckers are content to watch us die.

This bullshit is going to condemn our species to extinction unless we find a way to depose these sociopaths.

#cop28 #copOut #ClimateEmergency #ClimateCrisis #ClimateChange

[lilithism1848]

[blocklists-just-4-u]

A place for climate crisis posts and rants as well as connecting to new people. Not US based for once so you get world wide views!!