Two decades ago, financial leaders committed harakiri when they impaled themselves on carbon economy rhetoric. Bleeding irrational logic the emperors of excess then assaulted science–making any sane transition to a sustainable economy almost impossible. As a result, the Black Swan strategy has hatched and the business community has garnered substantial losses due to climate events–even though many of the losses were predictable and addressable, while their remediation was potentially profitable and socially redeeming. Laughably, many in the investment community were peeved to have collided with a planetary reality–and with lemming-like ferocity–now seek out a push-back strategy.
Jun 242011
Recently there have been a number of layoffs in software companies, news outlets, and other white-collar organizations here in the U.S. The laid-off are information workers. On the face of it, that seems laughable. Isn’t this the Information Age? Why remove skilled knowledge workers from the team when the whole point of the game is developing information into leverage?
Jun 182011
After a long debate, it has been agreed by the COP, Conference Of Parties, that an extension to the Kyoto Protocols is unlikely. The Kyoto Protocols, a worldwide plan for the reduction of GHGs has had a rocky ride these last few years as various industry groups have fought the plan in conjunction with certain developing and developed nations. A new, more widely accepted, and easily understood strategy has been developed.
May 312011
From: W. Smith–Ministry of Truth–Oceania
To: All Staff
Subject: Deck chair arrangement on the Titanic
Date: May 30, 2011
Reports of increases in waterspouts, tornadoes, and other peculiar weather phenomena are to be ignored by staff. Work on rearrangement of the deck chairs for the Titanic will continue unabated.
May 052011
In an effort to write about the most bizarre topic possible, I thought I would write about climate models. In this case, a climate model that policy makers in the developed nations, the developing nations, the UN, and the NGOs are using to simulate the climate over time. The policy-maker’s objective in using this model is to examine how different national policy options on GHGs (Greenhouse Gases) will affect human society.
The Green House
Office of the Press Secretary
________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release April 23, 2011
Statement from Gaia on Events Surrounding Commerce-based WMD
The Green House is troubled by reports of continued development of WMDs by the economic engines of both the developing nations and the developed nations. Gaia has made a number of calls to both foreign and domestic leaders regarding the ongoing situation with little response. As a result, surgical strikes have been undertaken at high value targets both here in the US, and abroad. This release will detail the latest on Gaia’s efforts to curtail the development and deployment of WMDs.
Apr 202011
Seriously, folks, how does media do it? To fulfill the task of NEWS, the media has to spend 24/7 looking for hideous circumstance–or even better–circumstance that leads to outrage. Then produce columns of scorn, pictures of evil, witty flash with indignation, careful clarification on the crafty affluent, troubled terms apropos the drug ridden poor, blasts at the government, vapid indignation at corruption, commerce-based concern at corporate contempt, and my all time favorite: myopic melodies producing diminutive murmurs about the degrading milieu. And have you ever spoken to someone who was at the core of a NEWS story?
“Ladies and gentlemen, it’s a miserable stormy day here in the Midwest. Welcome to opening day of 2011 Tornado Season. I am your host Random Mishap and this WSPN, a station for all seasons–with apologies.”
“This year we will be covering the 2011 Tornado Season in depth, with reports from ravaged cities, destroyed malls, mangled homes, and incapacitated manufacturing locations–in addition to trailer parks and the empty prairie. On a lighter note: the President did not throw the first bit of debris from this season’s opener–as has been the tradition in the previous administration. Due to a rules change, a member of Congress has handled that task. Now this message.”
Apr 052011
Time to face reality: The nation state is dead and the corporate state is on the upswing. Our corporate parents and their progeny, the ubiquitous lobbyists, own the conduits of power. Therefore, I suggest that we immediately embrace these next logical steps in our society’s growth:
1) We declare the United States and all the other nations of the planet to be window dressing and abandon them.
2) We embrace the concept of slavery.
Mar 222011
The link between force majeure and a black swan event matters to your business. They are key elements in the reliability in your supply chain.
A black swan event, as reported by the iconic NY Times, March 19, 2011: “The details of this catastrophe (the Japan quake, tsunami, and nuclear tragedies) were unforeseeable, leading some to conclude this was a black swan event–something so wildly unexpected, so enormous in its impact, that it seems to defy our understanding and expose the fragility of our knowledge of the world. How could anyone have predicted this.” Please ignore the curtain and commence wringing your hands.
This is the primary energy flow by source and sector for the United States in 2009. There are caveats galore, but you get the picture (I guess it wasn’t as obvious as I had thought, so I have added):
Mar 092011
*Reader Beware: Having just returned from a technology conference, I’ve developed a rare flu called Acronymitis–inflammation of the acronym–so please bear with me.
The oceans are beginning to intrude into places that we once considered safe, like San Francisco. Some suggested solutions are:
- *MLR (Maginot Line Redone), a fortification against the intruding ocean. This reinvigoration of a wildly ineffective World War II strategy is currently deployed in London and other places.
Feb 282011
“On February 24, 2011, the Australian Government announced the introduction of a carbon tax beginning on July 1, 2012. The tax will transition to a cap-and-trade-system within five years. A multi-party parliamentary committee agreed upon the program as part of a blueprint for dealing with climate change.”
Huh?
Feb 202011
The defining issue of our generation will be our culture’s response to human forcing of the planet’s radiative balance. So far, our clumsy response to the crisis is not the fault of science, technology, or a lack of riches. Our pitiful response is the result of a societal rot fostered by a leadership that now believes Cain was correct. To achieve an effective response, we must refocus our resources in ways that support the ideals that founded this nation.
So you just don’t understand why “they” don’t get it.
Wait, which they? In this case, the “they” is the guys with the money, and more specifically, the World Bank. We know the folks at the World Bank have quantified the cost of carbon dioxide, or they are trying to. A noble steed, no doubt, can’t they see the horror that awaits us?
Or maybe they are fudging the numbers? Would you believe it’s the numbers that tell them there is no problem?