Summary of "Climate Crisis, Climate Genocide & Solutions" by Gideon Polya - Climate Criminal Australia & US Ignore Climate Crisis, Climate Genocide & Solutions
By Dr Gideon Polya
The climate change denialist Trump Administration has been replaced by the relatively sane Biden Administration, but anti-science, nationalist, exceptionalist, truth-subverting and fascoid Trumpism continues to have massive popular support in the US, and in climate criminal, pro-fossil fuels and US lackey Australia that is ruled by an effective climate change denialist, Trumpist Coalition Government enabled by a weak and compromised Labor Opposition.
I have just published a huge, 846-page book in Germany entitled “Climate Crisis, Climate Genocide & Solutions” that describes the appalling dimensions of a Climate Crisis that is associated with climate change-exacerbated physical threats to Humanity, a massive loss of Biodiversity, the approach to or exceedance of critical tipping points, and a worsening Climate Genocide that, in the absence of requisite action, may see the avoidable death of 10 billion people this century en route to sustainable human population in 2100 of merely 1 billion. However I also provide a detailed and documented range of 38 key Solutions to this worsening disaster [1]. Unfortunately, as set out in this essay, the 2 worst countries in the world for climate action policy, the US and US lackey Australia, are crippled by the powerful fossil fuel lobby and (political rhetoric aside) ignore the existential threat posed by man-made climate change and largely ignore all but 3 of these 38 key Solutions to the worsening Climate Emergency.
Yes, there is great hope that the Biden Administration will rapidly put America back on track to address the worsening Climate Crisis. Biden has moved rapidly to scrap the disastrous Canada-US Keystone XL oil pipeline, to suspend oil and gas drilling on federal lands (notably in Alaska wilderness areas), and determined that America will re-join the Paris Climate Agreement and hence global action on climate change. However that global hope is tempered by the realities of only a few votes Democrat majority in the House, Vice President Kamala Harris having the casting vote in deadlocked Senate, uncertainties from fascoid Trumpist populism in the next mid-term elections, the horrendous and worsening tragedy of the Covid-19 pandemic in America, and the innate neoliberal conservatism and fanatical religiosity of America.
Downunder, a US lackey, pro-fossil fuels, climate criminal Australia is mis-ruled by a right-wing, Trumpist National Party-Liberal Party Coalition which is opposed by a weak, pragmatic and compromised Labor Party Opposition. Australia is a world leader in exports of both coal and liquid natural gas (LNG). The effective climate change denialist Coalition Government has an explicitly climate change denialist, extreme right-wing, Trumpist rump that curtails government action on climate change. The anti-science and fervently pro-coal Coalition (COALition) Government is led by a blustering Pentecostalist Christian Zionist Prime Minister Scott “Scomo” Morrison (aka Skim-o, Scam-o, Scum-o and Scheme-o) who publicly prays, has declared “I believe in miracles”, and brought a lump of coal into Parliament declaring “This is coal. Don’t be afraid”.
The Australian Labor Opposition is strong on climate change rhetoric and supports uptake of renewable energy but otherwise has the same disastrous climate change inaction policy as the Coalition Government of supporting unlimited exports of coal, gas, iron ore and methanogenically-derived meat. Notwithstanding endorsement of “zero net emissions by 2050”, the Leader of the Opposition, Anthony Albanese, has expressed support for long-term use of coal, and in a major concession to the pro-coal lobby within Labor has recently moved the effective, articulate and science-informed Mark Butler from shadow Climate Change spokesperson to shadow spokesperson for Health. The Australian Greens are science-informed and human rights cognizant but only have about 10% electoral support. Australia’s excellent, compulsory, preferential voting system means that “second preferences” are taken into account if no candidate achieves 50% of the vote. The Greens typically give their “second preference” to Labor which can only hope to secure government on the basis of Greens preferences. Educated, science-informed and humane Australians are distressed by the likelihood that a climate criminal Coalition Government will be returned to power at the next elections with the backing of the powerful, dominant and variously climate change denialist or effective climate change denialist, pro-Trump, US-based Murdoch media empire.
The lack of action on climate change action by America and US lackey Australia has been scored for 2020 by the German Climate Change Performance Index. For overall performance, of 61 countries considered the US ranked worst at 61 and Australia ranked 6th worst at 56. For climate action policy Australia ranked worst at 61 while the US ranked 2nd worst at 60 [2]. The major problem in both countries is the power of the fossil fuel lobby that is complemented by the lying by commission and lying by omission of variously climate change denialist or effective climate change denialist Mainstream media, notably the dominant Murdoch media empire in both countries [3]. For all their endless, self-congratulatory and self-aggrandising rhetoric about “democracy” and the Trump aberration, Australia and the United States are effective one-party Kleptocracies, Plutocracies, Murdochracies, Corporatocracies, Lobbyocracies and Dollarocracies in which Big Money purchases people, politicians, policies, public perception of reality, votes, more political power and hence more private profit [3-13].
The US has a significant problem under the apparently well-intentioned Biden Administration in that the previous Democratic Administration under Barack Obama espoused a massive coal to gas transition. Natural gas (mostly methane, CH4) leaks and CH4 has a Global Warming Potential (GWP)105 times greater than that of the same mass of CO2 on a 20 year time frame and with aerosol impacts considered [14]. However depending on the rate of systemic gas leakage, gas utilization can be can be dirtier greenhouse gas-wise (GHG-wise) than burning coal, and thus the prior Democratic Administration helped lock in a dirty and conceivably dirtier fossil fuel technology for decades to come [15-20]. Further one can predict powerful corporate push-back on Biden’s laudable ban on oil and gas exploration on public land. No such problem for the science-ignoring, pro-coal and pro-gas Coalition Government of Australia that absurdly and dangerously advocates a disastrous post-Covid-19 gas-led recovery. While Biden espouses the long-term goal of “zero net emissions by 2050” (by which time Biden would be 108 years old), former marketing executive Australian PM Scott “Scotty from marketing” Morrison has an evolving, spin-based public position of “net zero emissions sometime” dependent upon “technology” and likely in the latter half of this century.
Nevertheless there is a publicly expressed perception among Australian Mainstream journalist, politician, academic and commentariat presstitutes that US lackey but climate action laggard Australia will be embarrassed by the laudable public enthusiasm for climate change action by the Biden Administration. However these vocal Australian Mainstream presstitutes do not acknowledge the horrendous extent of the Australian Government’s climate change inaction. Thus an egregiously climate criminal Australia is among world leaders in 16 areas of climate criminality, namely: (1) annual per capita greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution, (2) live methanogenic livestock exports, (3) natural gas exports, (4) recoverable shale gas reserves that can be accessed by hydraulic fracturing (fracking), (5) coal exports, (6) land clearing, deforestation and ecocide, (7) speciescide or species extinction, (8) coral reef destruction , (9) whale killing and extinction threat through global warming impacting on krill stocks , (10) terminal carbon pollution budget exceedance, (11) per capita Carbon Debt, (12) ultimately GHG generating iron ore exports, (13) climate change inaction, (14) climate genocide and approach towards omnicide and terracide, (15) increasing Domestic GHG pollution despite Paris commitments to lower GHG pollution, and (16) complicity in 9 million annual air pollution deaths from burning carbon fuels, Australia’s share being 75,000 overseas and 10,000 Domestically [21-23]. Australia (0.33% of world population) generates 2.5% of upwardly revised global GHG emissions (Australian Domestic use only) and 5.4% of global emissions (Australian Domestic plus Exported GHG emissions) [15]. Australia (0.33% of global population ) contributes 1% of global CO2 emissions, and the US (with 4.3% of global population) contributes 14% of global CO2 emissions, whereas China (18.5% of global population) contributes 28% of global CO2 emissions i.e. rich Australia, the rich US and poor, Developing China contribute 3.0 times, 3.3 times and 1.5 times their “fair share” [24, 25].
My book “Climate Crisis, Climate Genocide & Solutions” has 28 chapters organized into 8 Sections A-H in addition to a Preface, a notes-based summary Introduction to the biochemistry and biology involved (and designed for readers with just a basic high school science background), and an Epilogue that summarizes the key Solutions to the Climate Crisis [1]:
Preface
Introduction: Climate Change, Biochemistry & Solutions Course Notes
A: Climate Crisis, Climate Emergency & Biodiversity Catastrophe
B: Drought, Flood, Fire, Storm, Sea Surge, Heat & Water Crises
C: Existential Threat, 2100 Carrying Capacity, Climate Holocaust & Climate Genocide
D: Gas is Dirty Energy, Gas Is Dirtier Than Coal GHG-Wise & Arctic Methane Bomb
E: Carbon Price, Carbon Tax, Carbon Debt, Terminal Carbon Budget, Eco-Socialism Not Neoliberalism
F: Case study #1– Climate Criminal Australia Threatens Planet
G: Case Study #2 – Climate Criminal & Exceptionalist America Threatens Humanity
H: Solutions – Truth, Social Humanism, Carbon Price, Accountability, Draw-Down To 300 ppm CO2, Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, Re-Afforestation, Population Control, Economic De-Growth & Biological Sustainability
Epilogue – Summary of Solutions.
Climate Criminal Australia and America largely ignore all but 3 of 38 partial Solutions to the Climate Crisis.
The concluding Epilogue simply summarizes the things that urgently need to be done as soon as possible to mitigate man-made global warming and to minimize harm to Humanity and the Biosphere. As a check list of 38 key partial Solutions for trying to save the Planet it is broken down into 10 well-defined subsections for clarity. Briefly set out below are these 38 advocated partial Solutions (in bold) together with a summary of how Australia and America ignore about 35 of these key Solutions to the Climate Crisis (they support renewable energy, energy storage and re-afforestation). As of 2020, out of 61 Developed countries, Australia and America ranked worst and second worst, respectively, for Climate Policy, and ranked 6th worst and worst, respectively, for actual Climate Action [2]. The new Biden Administration promises climate action but is committed to gas exploitation (that can be worse than coal exploitation GHG-wise), and is constrained by the powerful fossil fuel lobby and the dominant neoliberal ideology. Neoliberal, US lackey Australia is among world leaders in 16 areas of climate criminality [22, 23].
(1). Science not spin, zero tolerance for lying, and social humanism not neoliberalism.
(a). Science not spin. There must be science and not spin in tackling man-made climate change. Science is about the critical testing of potentially falsifiable hypotheses. In contrast, anti-science spin involves the selective use of asserted facts to support a partisan position. Spin merchant Trump rejected science in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic at huge human cost (over 460,000 American deaths) and rejected climate science as a “hoax”. The Biden Administration now has to make up for 4 lost years of American climate change inaction that made the US the worst in the Developed World for overall climate action. For historical and cultural reasons, the criminal and Gerocidal “let it rip” Covid-19 policy adopted by the US, Canada, the UK and Western Europe would have been unacceptable to the Australian States, Territories and to Australia federally. The Australian Coalition Government accepted expert medical advice over the Covid-19 pandemic while resolutely ignoring science over climate change. Over 900 Australians died, about 95% being older citizens, most being in Aged Care, and most due to a failures in Border Security, Quarantine and Aged Care (all areas of Federal Government responsibility). In terms of Covid-19 deaths/ million of population Australia (35) has done 46 times better than the UK (1,606), and 40 times better than the US (1,319) but has also done 7 times worse than New Zealand (5) and 117 times worse than Taiwan (0.3) [25]. Yet US Murdoch-dominated Mainstream media give credit to the Coalition Government for this evident failure and, appallingly, this incompetent, and dangerously anti-science government is likely to be re-elected by a gullible and horribly misinformed Australian electorate notwithstanding Australia’s being the world’s worst in climate action policy. In the US the powerful Murdoch media backed the anti-science Trumpists.
(b). Zero tolerance for lying. There must be zero tolerance for lying because it utterly short-circuits the scientific process that is crucial for rational risk management. Lying by omission (e.g. as in spin-based selective use of asserted facts) is far, far worse than outright repugnant lying by commission because the latter at least permits public refutation and public debate. Trump notoriously uttered or Tweeted 25,000 falsehoods in 4 years, not least about climate change. Noting the appalling 9 million annual global air pollution deaths [21] and the worsening Climate Genocide that may lead to 10 billion deaths this century [26, 27], genocide ignoring and holocaust ignoring are far, far worse than repugnant genocide denial and holocaust denial because the latter at least allow for public refutation and public discussion. Free expression is vital for democracy, science and scholarly inquiry, and accordingly the only judicially-applied punishment for lying should be the ignominy of judicially-supervised and expertly-effected exposure. Both the US and Australia are involved in massive lying by omission in relation to the worsening but unrecognized Climate Genocide. Anti-racist Jewish American journalist I.F. Stone famously opined: “Governments lie” [4, 5].
(c). Social humanism not neoliberalism. There must be sustainable and equitable social humanism and not terracidal and inequitable neoliberalism as the World faces serious limitations on sustainable resource exploitation. As famously stated in the American Declaration of Independence, “All men are created equal and have an inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. Yet neoliberalism demands maximal freedom for the smart and advantaged to exploit natural and human resources for maximal private profit. Conversely, social humanism (socialism, democratic socialism, eco-socialism, human rights-cognizant communism, the welfare state, Universal Basic Income) seeks to sustainably maximize happiness, opportunity and dignity for everyone through culturally-sensitive and evolving intra-national and international social contracts [27-35]. Sharing and sustainability are demanded because there is no Planet B, the present exploitation is unsustainable, and each year (as of 2020) 7.5 million people presently die avoidably from deprivation on Spaceship Earth with neoliberal One Percenters in charge of the flight deck [36, 37]. However America and Australia are committed to neoliberalism, gross global inequity and presently unconstrained exploitation of natural resources.
(2). Exactly accounted Carbon Price and Carbon Tax, species and ecosystems are priceless, and unsustainable human behaviour must be modified.
(a). Exactly accounted, fully borne Carbon Price and Carbon Tax. There must be an exactly accounted, damage-related Carbon Price i.e. a price on carbon pollution. A damage-related Carbon Price is about $200 per tonne CO2-equivalent whereas presently the World average Carbon Price is a mere $2 per tonne CO2-equivalent. We are familiar in everyday life with the notion of a fair price for things but this 100-fold gap in actually applied Carbon Price is seen as “the greatest market failure in history”. It is also grand larceny on a gigantic scale. Thus failure to properly assess methane leakage and to tax it at a correct rate amounts to massive Carbon Tax Evasion. Whereas Conventional Tax Evasion results in poverty and preventable death in rich countries, Carbon Tax Evasion amounts to an existential threat to Humanity and the Biosphere. America and Australia ignore a Carbon Price, a Carbon Tax and the world’s $250 trillion Carbon Debt [38-47]. The Australian Greens (only 10% electoral support) want a Price on Carbon. When the IMF estimated that 4 million people would die by 2030 if a modest Carbon Tax were not implemented, the Australian Government still resolutely said “No”! [38].
(b). Species and ecosystems are priceless. We cannot destroy what we cannot replace. We were horrified by the attack on Michelangelo’s “Pieta” statue but enough information exists to replace it by 3-D printing. A multi-billionaire wanted to be buried with one of Van Gogh’s $150 million “Irises” but colour reproductions exist. However individual species and complex ecosystems cannot be replaced and are thus priceless. There should be cessation of the ongoing speciescide and ecocide on a remorseless path toward omnicide and terracide. Australia is among world leaders in species extinction, ecosystem destruction and land clearing [22-23]. As a disproportionate consumer of the world’s resources, America is disproportionately complicit in the ongoing massive loss of Biodiversity in the present Anthropocene era. The species extinction rate is presently about 1,000 times greater than normal [48].
(c). Mitigate deceitful and greedy human behaviour. It is claimed that while many animals deceive each other, only humans deceive themselves. This is well exampled by the clearly unsustainable and disastrous “economic growth” model accepted by all governments in a World in which de-population and economic de-growth are patently required. Polya’s 3 Laws of Economics parallel the 3 Laws of Thermodynamics underlying chemistry and physics, and simply state (1) Profit equals Price minus Cost of Production, (2) Deceit about Cost of Production strives to a maximum, and (3) no price, profit or jobs on a dead Planet [43]. The market’s “hidden hand” ignoring the huge Cost of Production externality of a damage-related $200 per tonne CO2-e Carbon Price is massive deceit that now existentially threatens much of Humanity and the Biosphere. It is difficult to modify human behaviour. Thus even a homeless and jobless person selling matches may seek to improve his “margin”. Human behaviour is hard-wired through evolution involving selection of mutable genes, but also evolves through societal selection of advantageous “memes” such as ‘love thy neighbour as thyself”. Deceitful and greedy human behaviour can be mitigated by such humane memes. Equity and sustainability mean that basic “needs” must be satisfied sustainably for all but “wants” must be mitigated by consideration of environmental impact. America and Australia are committed to remorselessly greedy and destructive neoliberalism.
(3). Resolute threat to punish climate criminals for speciescide, ecocide, inaction and intergenerational injustice through ignoring inescapable Carbon Debt.
(a). Resolute threat to punish climate criminals. Custodial and cost-recovery-based financial punishment of the worst climate criminals will be of little comfort to wretched future generations in a devastated World. However the resolute promise of severe, retrospective punishment of climate criminal corporate and government leaders may have the effect of constraining their present disastrous conduct. As such, the resolute promise of judicially-determined custodial and financial punishment of climate criminals may be a major item in the armoury of climate change actions. Politicians aside, among the worst climate criminals are the heads of polluting corporations and of mendacious media corporations spreading a mantra of climate change denialism or of effective climate change denialism through climate change inaction [49-58]. America rejects the authority of the International Criminal Court. Australia rejects applicability of the UN Genocide Convention within Australia. Both the US and Australia are world leaders in climate criminality [2].
(b). Punish climate criminals for speciescide, ecocide and inaction. All species and ecosystems are priceless, but nevertheless some level of monetary accountability for climate criminality can be pragmatically assessed from the economic value of the Biosphere. It has been estimated that the economic value of wild nature is about $40 trillion annually or about 50% of the annual global GDP, and that the cost of preserving what is left of wild nature is associated with a benefit to cost ratio of 100:1. We are responsible not only for what we do but also for what we fail to do. Exceptionalist America rejects international law being applied to Americans. Serial invaders the US and US lackey Australia have historically invaded 72 and 85 countries , respectively, but reject international law and in recent decades have grossly violated the UN Genocide Convention and the Fourth Geneva Convention in Occupied Iraq, Occupied Somalia and Occupied Afghanistan. America and Australia disproportionately contribute to the ongoing speciescide, ecocide and mass Biodiversity loss.
(c). Punish climate criminals for intergenerational injustice through their ignoring of inescapable Carbon Debt. Applying a damage-related Carbon Price of $200 per tonne CO2-equivalent to an upwardly revised estimate of past and present GHG pollution (properly taking methane and land use into account) yields a global Carbon Debt of $200-250 trillion that is increasing at $16 trillion each year. While conventional debt can be variously evaded by default, bankruptcy or printing money, Carbon Debt is inescapable. Thus, for example, unless trillions of dollars are spent on sea walls, coastal cities and arable land will be inundated. America and Australia reject the concepts of a Carbon Price, a Carbon Tax and an ever worsening global and national Carbon Debt.
(d). National and corporate climate criminality can be punished under International Law by Green Tariffs, Carbon Pollution Taxes, International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutions, International Court of Justice (ICJ) litigations, and Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS). A racist and exceptionalist America applies illegal, destructive and deadly sanctions to countries it does not like (notably Cuba, Venezuela, Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea) but rejects international law being applied to Americans (e.g. via the International Criminal Court). Because of lack of intra-national legislation, international laws such as the UN Genocide Convention and the Geneva Convention do not apply within Australia (see [59] and scroll down to Len Lindon) .
(4). Cease CO2 and CH4 carbon pollution, gas leaks and is dirtier than coal GHG-wise, bioengineering, and stop toxic air pollution, with atmospheric CO2 draw-down to a safe and sustainable level of circa 300 ppm CO2.
(a). Cease CO2 pollution. All carbon pollution from burning carbon fuels – coal, oil, gas and biomass – should cease ASAP. CO2 from cement manufacture can be partly mitigated by improved “green cement” but whatever the mechanism used, all CO2 from the high temperature conversion of limestone (CaCO3) to lime (CaO) must be sequestered. Climate change denier Trump wanted unlimited GHG pollution. President Biden has espoused a long-term goal of “zero net emissions by 2050” but short-term carbon pollution reduction remains to be seen. In climate criminal Australia there is bipartisan agreement between the Coalition Government and the Labor Opposition for unlimited export of coal, gas, iron ore and methanogenically-derived meat. The Australian Coalition Government has softened its initial hard line opposition to pollution constraints to “zero net emissions sometime”. However the extreme right National Party immediately responded with demands that the agricultural sector be exempted. Labor wants “zero net emissions by 2050” but the Australian Greens want “zero net emissions by 2040”.
(b). Cease CH4 pollution and de-fuse the Arctic Methane Bomb. Methane (CH4) is about 85% of natural gas and has a Global Warming Potential 105 times greater on a 20 year time frame than that of CO2. Atmospheric CH4 is steadily increasing due to leakage of CH4 from gas reticulation systems, from fracking and conventional gas extraction, from anaerobic bacterial metabolism in ruminants and swamps, and from release from huge CH4 stores as CH4-water clathrates in the Arctic tundra and the Arctic Ocean sea bed due to global warming. It is estimated that 50 billion tonnes of CH4 will be released from the Arctic in coming decades, this corresponding to 50 x 105 = 5,250 billion tonne CO2-equivalent or about 9 times more than the 600 billion tonne Terminal Carbon Pollution Budget from 2010 for a 75% chance of avoiding a catastrophic plus 2C temperature rise. There is a Planet-threatening positive feedback loop here known as the Arctic Methane Bomb: global warming -> disproportionate Arctic warming -> methane release -> increased global warming ->... Biden has reversed Trump’s policy and prohibited oil and gas exploitation on Federal land, including that in Alaska. However in the absence of a Carbon Price and detailed inspection there is massive and unaccounted for CH4 leakage in America and Australia that constitutes a massive financial fraud as well as a huge threat to Humanity and the Biosphere.
(c). Gas is leaks and is dirtier than coal GHG-wise, Methane (CH4) is a gas, leaks, is 85% of natural gas, and has a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 105 relative to the same mass of CO2 on a 20 year time frame and with aerosol impacts considered. At the average degree of leakage observed in the US, using gas is dirtier than using coal GHG-wise. Gas is dirty energy, gas is not clean, it is not clean-er than coal GHG-wise, and indeed gas can be dirtier than coal GHG-wise. The present absurd, dangerous and deadly coal-to-gas transition in America and Australia is testament to One Percenter and Mainstream mendacity. While the falsehood of “gas is cleaner than coal GHG-wise” can be attributed to stupidity and ignorance on the part of pro-gas American and Australian politicians, in the face of expert scientific advice (e.g. from smart, first year high school students) it thence becomes a lie, and utterly unforgivable intellectual child abuse when imposed on children (as it is in America and Australia). America has a disastrous coal-to-gas transition policy, and Australia has promised a gas-led post-Covid-19 pandemic recovery.
(d). Stop toxic air pollution from carbon fuel burning. 9 million people die annually from air pollution, 50% of which is occurring outside the home (e.g. from vehicular exhaust and coal-burning power stations) and half inside the home (e.g. from burning wood biomass and cattle dung in Africa and South Asia). There must be cessation of carbon fuel burning not only to stop this source of GHG emissions but also to stop this huge death toll from the long-term effects of exposure to toxic products from carbon fuel burning - notably fine PM2.5 carbon particulates but also N2O (nitrous oxide), NO2 (nitrogen dioxide), CO (carbon monoxide), and heavy metals and radioactivity (from burning coal). Fossil fuel-based power and transport contribute to annual air pollution deaths totalling 9 million (the World), 60,000 (America) and 10,000 (Australia). Neoliberal America and Australia both espouse the “right” of Gadarene neoliberals to mass murder their fellow citizens by air pollution [57].
(e). Atmospheric CO2 draw-down to a safe and sustainable level of circa 300 ppm CO2. Zero net emissions are not enough – there must be atmospheric CO2 draw-down (negative CO2 emissions) from the present dangerous and damaging 415 ppm CO2 to the pre-Industrial Revolution level of circa 300 ppm CO2 that is safe and sustainable for all peoples and all species. About 320 ppm CO2 is needed for retention of Arctic sea ice at former levels, and coral reefs started dying around the world at 320 ppm CO2. The cost of a return to 300 ppm CO2 is about $200-250 trillion. Various technologies are available for atmospheric CO2 draw-down:(i). Re-afforestation, (ii). Biochar , (iii). Photosynthetic algae, (iv). Direct Air Capture (DAC), (v). Accelerated Weathering of Limestone (AWL), (vi). Mineral carbonation, and (vii). Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) [60-62]. CO2 draw-down is not happening or even contemplated in America or Australia except by the humane, pro-environment and science-informed Australian Greens.
(f). Bioengineering to reduce global warming. A variety of bioengineering approaches (variously with attendant risks) have been advanced to reduce global warming:(i). Re-afforestation, (ii). Biochar, (iii). Photosynthetic algae, (iv). Umbrellas in space, (v). Painting of roof tops and roads white to increase surface albedo (reflectivity), (vi). Changes in vegetation cover to increase surface albedo, and (vii). Addition of sulphur to the stratosphere to increase light-reflecting, global dimming sulphate aerosols. These variously have downsides of ecological impacts, and apart from limited re-afforestation none of these have been adopted by America or Australia, although there are speculations that some big multi-billionaires are seeking to become involved in dangerous bioengineering, risking the world for private profit. Indeed global warming - to which America and Australia make a disproportionate contribution - has led to annually recurring massive forest fires in both America and Australia that have devastated communities, added hugely to GHG pollution, and temporarily suspended photosynthetic carbon sequestration on a massive scale [63, 64].
(5). 100% renewable energy ASAP with adequate energy storage and efficient DC and AC HV electrical transmission grids.
(a). A variety of renewable energy and energy storage technologies are available including (a) wind power (using on-shore or off-shore wind turbine arrays, (b) solar PV using photovoltaic cells, (c) solar thermal (with energy sequestration as molten potassium nitrate or sodium nitrate salts), (d) wave power, (e) tidal power, (f) geothermal power (e.g. as exploited in Iceland), and (g) hydroelectric power. With political will 100% renewable energy with back-up energy storage is possible within 10 years. Back-up energy storage can be provided by batteries, molten salts, gas compression and hydrologically (through hydroelectric dams). Both America and Australia have considerable renewable energy on the basis of non-Federal action by individual states (notably California) , corporations and individuals [64]. America has a huge gas fracking industry supported by Obama, Trump and Biden on the utterly false basis that gas is “clean” or “cleaner”. The Australian Coalition Government is similarly ignorant and dishonest, and has announced a post-Covid-19 pandemic gas-led recovery. The Australian Coalition Government has consistently resisted renewable energy uptake, and has recently proposed post-Covid-19 construction of major gas-fired power stations.
(b). Nuclear energy is often incorrectly cited as a renewable energy source but it is clearly not renewable energy because the required uranium and thorium ores are a limited resource. Further, apart from the actual nuclear fission, the overall nuclear cycle (from building the plant and mining, transporting and processing the ore to eventual safe storage of radioactive waste and de-commissioning the plant) generates a lot of CO2 in a carbon-based economy. Fast breeder reactors are extremely efficient users of uranium but would generate a plutonium economy that would be a security and human rights nightmare. Nuclear fusion is in its technological infancy, but to state the obvious, in the Sun we already have a massive nuclear fusion reactor 150 million kilometers away from the Earth that is also protected from high energy solar-origin particles by its magnetosphere [64]. America has a large nuclear power industry but conservative demands for further expansion are rejected by the market. Conservatives in Australia want a nuclear energy option but the populace are worried by safety, pollution and waste storage considerations.
(c). Adequate energy storage is available to supplement wind and solar energy via batteries, molten salts energy storage, pressurizing gas, and hydrological energy storage. Adequate energy storage is required for night-time solar energy operations, to complement wind energy in low wind situations, and for management of renewable energy systems for “dispatchable energy”. America is a world leader in these technologies that are also being taken up in Australia. However Biden’s “zero net emissions by 2050” is a 3-decade commitment to fossil fuel-based electrical energy. The Australian Government’s “zero net emissions” either “sometime” or “in the latter half of the 21st century” implies a long-term commitment to dirty energy, as does the Labor Opposition’s “zero net emissions by 2050” .
(d). High efficiency DC and AC HV electrical transmission is required for extensive power grids so that, for example, high wind and/or solar energy in a particular location can efficiently complement low wind and/or solar energy in a distant location on the grid. The American and Australian Governments are aware of these problems and solutions but are committed to long-term use of fossil fuels for much of this century.
(e). Electrical vehicles to enable renewable energy-powered transport. America is a leader in this technology and will embrace it while locking in dirty electrical energy. The climate criminal and pro-fossil fuels Australian Government has been dismissive of EVs in a puerile way.
(6). Energy efficiency, transport efficiency, rail not road, locally grown food, vegetarian diet, building thermal efficiency, clean steel, and hydrogen economy.
(a). Energy efficiency must be maximized in both electricity usage and in electricity transmission in electricity grids. However in stark contrast to the annual blackout of the global Earth Hour, in America, Australia and elsewhere neoliberal corporations are happy to waste energy on public illumination, the cost being written off against tax liabilities and paid for by ordinary citizens.
(b). Transport efficiency. There must be preference for rail not road and public transport not private transport (renewable energy-powered, of course). Thus a modern tram carrying 100 passengers can have the same energy usage per kilometre as a 4-wheel drive vehicle carrying only 5 passengers. Energy efficiency considerations aside, global vehicle deaths total a horrendous 1.35 million annually. Maximum freedom in neoliberal societies like America and Australia for the advantaged individual at the expense of everyone else means huge amounts still being spent on roads rather than rail. Indeed the next envisaged stage of this Gadarene greed and selfishness will be the personal helicopter or drone for commuting in cities. Elephant-in-the-Room realities re transport for America and Australia are (a) the huge and mounting cost of repairing ageing road infrastructure, and (b) long-term mass morbidity and mass mortality from air pollution.
(c). Eat locally grown food and revel in the seasonal changes as well as the transport efficiency entailed. A reductio ad absurdum would be Arctic musk ox milk transported by jumbo jet to replace dairy cow milk in fertile Tasmania that is contiguous to Antarctica. However neoliberal profit imperatives in wealthy countries like America and Australia trump efficient local production in this instance as well.
(d). Vegetarian diet for all Humanity. There must be a global vegetarian diet and replacement of cow-derived milk with plant substitutes (soybean and almond milk). The deadly food-for-fuel Biofuel Genocide obscenity must be stopped. Food adequacy involves cessation of all of the following: global inequity, population growth, economic growth, GHG pollution, sea level rise, soil salinization, deforestation, damaging land use, unsustainable aquifer depletion and meat consumption. However in terms of annual kilograms of meat consumed per capita, America (124.8) and Australia (108.2) are among the biggest per capita meat eaters in the world [65]. Australia is a major exporter of methanogenically-produced meat. Livestock farming has involved continent-wide, ecocidal and speciescidal devastation in Australia and America, a disaster that is now being repeated even more devastatingly in the Amazon rain forest by Brazil under fascoid Trumpist Jair Bolsonaro.
(e). Building thermal efficiency must be increased through insulation, efficient heat pumps, efficient design and efficient usage. Right wing and neoliberal America and Australia are ideologically opposed to any government regulatory intervention in the market place except for “national security”, for the benefit of powerful corporate interests or for political advantage reasons.
(f). Clean steel and cleaner metallurgy in general can be achieved by using renewable energy-based production of hydrogen as an energy source and reductant to generate iron from iron oxide. America and Australia will permit and support such moves to the extent that it is not constrained by the powerful fossil fuel lobby.
(g). A renewable energy-based hydrogen economy would massively sideline dirty energy sources. Hydrogen (H2) generated by renewable energy-based electrolysis of water (H2O) would be converted to ammonia (NH3) for safe bulk transport and thence re-conversion to H2. A possible downside yet to be thoroughly researched, is that H2 is a very small molecule, and consequent H2 leakage into the atmosphere would result in H2 scavenging of hydroxyl radicals (OH.) otherwise involved in the removal of methane (CH4), with a consequent increase in atmospheric levels of the potent greenhouse gas (GHG) methane. Interestingly there is surprising interest in this nascent technology from the Australian Coalition Government and Labor Opposition. However in both America and Australia the roll-out of this clean and renewable technology will be opposed by powerful fossil fuel interests if it endangers their profitability.
(h) Economic efficiency for sustainable provision of basic needs for all would be predicated by population control. However this is blindly rejected as “socialism” in neoliberal-dominated America and Australia. Population control is anathema to the powerful but irrational Religious Right in both America and Australia. The neoliberal mantra is “jobs and growth”, and this is no more entrenched than in Australia that has had economic growth for about 30 years based on creating demand by massive immigration of up to about 200,000 people per year However this economic Ponzi scheme came to an abrupt end with the Covid-19 pandemic and closure of Australia’s borders to all except returning Australians .
(7). Re-afforestation, increased catastrophic forest fires, and mitigation of forest fire risk.
(a). Re-afforestation on presently tree-less, non-arable land is a major mechanism for reducing atmospheric CO2 but is inevitably associated with an increased risk of catastrophic forest fires due to increased fuel load, relentless global warming from greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution, increased drought, and critically low humidity. The recent catastrophic bush fires in South Eastern Australia more than doubled Australia’s already huge annual Domestic GHG pollution [63]. Effective Business As Usual (BAU) in both America and Australia means that the governments of the respective countries are complicit in the ever-worsening global warming that is now associated with massive and catastrophic annual forest fires in California and Southern Australia.
(b). Mitigation of forest fire risk. There is a worsening incidence of unprecedented, catastrophic forest fires in North America, Southern Europe, Siberia, the Amazon, Indonesia and Australia. While much of the criminal damage in Brazil and Indonesia can be attributed to ecocidal greed, high incidence and high energy lightning strike is very important in initiation of forest fires. This huge and worsening risk to species, ecosystems, people and property can be addressed in part by (i) rapid and comprehensive detection systems, (ii) rapid deployment of sophisticated fire suppression operations, and (iii) ecology-cognizant reduction of fuel load, including mechanical harvesting of undergrowth and profitable generation of biochar [63]. However both America and Australia make a disproportionately high contribution to global warming, and are committed to massive fossil fuel use over the next 3 decades at least.
(8). Population control necessity and possible mechanisms (some controversial) for population de-growth.
(a). Population control necessity. Massive GHG pollution, biological diversity loss and ecosystem loss (speciescide and ecocide) demonstrate that the World is already grossly overpopulated. Using coral reefs as a “canary in the mine” one can readily estimate that the world is presently overpopulated by a factor of 2. If everyone had an American lifestyle we would need 7 planets and a European lifestyle would require 3 planets [35]. However there is no Planet B. Numerous scientists (climate scientists and demographers) estimate a human carrying capacity for the Planet of a mere 1 billion by 2100 i.e. a worsening Climate Genocide in which 10 billion people will perish from climate change this century [26, 27].
(b). Possible mechanisms (some controversial) for population de-growth. Possible mechanisms for population de-growth include (i) Zero Population Growth (ZPG) through contraception (already being achieved in rich nations), (ii) a huge increase in female rights and empowerment throughout the World, (iii) greatly increased female literacy and a modest increase in per capita income leading to lowered infant mortality in the Developing World (minus China); (iv) the “one child policy” as formerly used to great effect in China; (v) humane, pre-conception male sex selection (only females can have children but this controversial measure would have to be accompanied by massive female empowerment and massive social engineering to address fundamental human behaviours), (vi) equal human rights for homosexuals and indeed all LGBTIQ people, (vii) promotion of celibacy, (viii) financial inducements for not having children, (ix) fully-costed debt imposition and long-term debt recovery for having children, and (x) increased adoption of the “Jane Austen option” of more women and men adopting the very satisfying alternative of careers without their own children and with re-directed altruism [66]. Neoliberal greed and primitive religious fervour has put population control off the agenda in both America and Australia.
(9). Economic de-growth, equity, a sustainable decent existence for everyone, and a non-violent Climate Revolution now.
(a). Economic de-growth by about 50% follows from the perceived requirement to decrease the human population by about 50%. However much greater de-growth is possible depending on the per capita income – the higher the desired per capita income, the lower the carrying capacity [26]. However neoliberal America and Australia are blindly committed to population growth and economic growth for political and religious reasons.
(b). A sustainable decent existence for everyone. Cuba, China, the World and the US have per capita GDPs of $8,800, $10,300, $11, 400 and $65,300, respectively. However while 7.5 million people die avoidably from deprivation in the Developing World (minus China) each year (latest 2020 estimate) [36, 37], annual avoidable deaths in Cuba, China and the US are negligible relative to population. If all countries had the same per capita GDP as happy Cuba then the world GDP would be $67 trillion as compared to the present $87 trillion. America and Australia are major beneficiaries of gross global inequity, and no more want global sharing than they want intra-national sharing (socialism).
(c). Equity and a non-violent Climate Revolution now. The solutions presented here enable further economic de-growth and sustainable preservation of what is left of the Biosphere. However the fly in the ointment is the neoliberal greed of the One Percent that presently owns about half of the world’s wealth and is politically dominant. In the face of intransigent resistance from the presently dominant and neoliberal One Percenters the only course left is a non-violent Climate Revolution now. One Percenter-dominated America and Australia are opposed to any changes (evolutionary and especially not revolutionary) that would alter the gross and deadly inequity in which the One Percenters own half the wealth of the world and whose wealth increased during the Covid-19 pandemic while that of the poor went backwards into poverty and indeed net negative wealth (net debt). The American One Percenters control $30 trillion of assets, while the bottom 50% of Americans have more debt than assets (i.e. have negative assets) [67, 68]. The millions of Australian poor in rich Australia are facing a post-Covid-19 pandemic era of entrenched poverty and austerity.
(10). Biological sustainability, cessation of speciescide and ecocide, and punishment of the destroyers of the Biosphere.
(a). Biological sustainability and cessation of speciescide and ecocide. In our present Anthropocene Era the animal extinction rate is about 1,000 times greater than normal [48]. This must stop – there must be absolute cessation of speciescide and ecocide. However, rhetoric aside, neoliberal America and Australia are committed to profit-driven speciescide and ecocide – the destruction of priceless species and ecosystems in the interests of “wealth creation”. Thus, for example, Australia’s iconic koala is critically endangered by land clearing in the Eastern states of Queensland and New South Wales (NSW) but the National Party (the farmer’s party) threatened to bring down the Coalition state government unless land clearing restrictions were repealed.
(b). Promised punishment of the destroyers of the Biosphere is crucial. My own country Australia ranks worst in the world for climate action policies, and is among world leaders in 16 areas of climate criminality including GHG pollution, speciescide, ecocide, coral reef destruction, whale threatening and land clearing. In Brazil under a neoliberal and fascoid government the vital Amazon rain forest is burning, this prompting governments around the world to call for international action. There must be concerted international action to punish destroyers of the Biosphere through exposure, punitive tariffs, international legal actions and Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS). Existing laws protect society from crimes such as deception, embezzlement, theft, corruption and grand larceny. Thus in climate criminal Australia, governments and corporations collude in grossly under-reporting methane fugitive emissions and in not applying a required damage-related Carbon Price of $200 per tonne CO2-equivalent, this methane leakage-ignoring larceny amounting to an annual defrauding of Australia by an estimated $50 billion. Ditto in America, the land of the free (to pollute).
Final comments.
“Climate Crisis, Climate Genocide & Solutions” concludes: “At the present plus 1.0-1.2 C of warming the World is being savaged by deadly high temperatures and global warming-exacerbated droughts, floods, forest fires, high energy intensity tropical storms, sea level rise, storm surges, massive ecosystem loss and irreversible Biodiversity loss. A plus 1.5C is inevitable in the coming decade, and in the face of remorselessly increasing CO2 and CH4 in the atmosphere one concludes that a catastrophic plus 2C is effectively unavoidable. Nevertheless we are inescapably obliged to do everything we can to make the future “less bad” for our children, our grandchildren and future generations” [1]. However of 38 key Solutions to the Climate Crisis, neoliberal America and Australia have de facto rejected 35 and only give support (albeit qualified) to renewable energy, energy storage and re-afforestation. This appalling deficiency is consonant with a previous analysis showing that America and Australia are the world’s worst countries in terms of climate policy [2].
Humanity and the Biosphere are existentially threatened by nuclear weapons and climate change. A nuclear winter resulting from a global nuclear exchange would wipe out most of Humanity and the Biosphere [52]. Poverty and deprivation already kills 7.5 million people each year [36, 37], but in the absence of requisite action a worsening Climate Genocide will kill 10 billion people this century (at an average of 100 million people per year) en route to a sustainable human population in 2100 of merely 1 billion people [26, 52]. One of the world’s greatest minds, Professor Stephen Hawking, has succinctly stated the problem and the solution: “We see great peril if governments and societies do not take action now to render nuclear weapons obsolete and to prevent further climate change” [69]. America is a world-leading nuclear terrorist state and US lackey Australia is intimately involved in US nuclear terrorism. In addition to being world leaders in climate criminality, both America and Australia are in gross violation of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons that came into force on 22 January 2021 [70] - they should accordingly be regarded as international pariahs for engaging in this egregious, double-barrelled existential threat to Humanity and the Biosphere.
The world is running out of time to act in the worsening Climate Emergency. Decent people must respond by (a) informing everyone they can (mendacious, neoliberal, US-subverted Mainstream presstitutes certainly won’t), and (b) urging and applying Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against the worst climate criminal countries, with America and Australia being among the very worst. Decent Americans must speak out about US nuclear terrorism and climate criminality. Decent Australians horrified by the prospective mass incineration or mass starvation of billions of children, women and men will utterly reject the nuclear terrorist, climate criminal and utterly evil Australian Coalition Government, vote 1 Green and put the Coalition last.
References.
[1]. Gideon Polya, “Climate Crisis, Climate Genocide & Solutions”, Korsgaard Publishing, Germany, February 2021 (see: https://www.amazon.com.au/CLIMATE-CRISIS-GENOCIDE-SOLUTIONS/dp/8793987285 ).
[2]. German Watch, “Climate Change Performance Index Results 2020”: https://www.germanwatch.org/sites/germanwatch.org/files/CCPI-2020-Results_1.pdf .
[3]. “Boycott Murdoch media”: https://sites.google.com/site/boycottmurdochmedia/ .
[4]. “Mainstream media censorship”: https://sites.google.com/site/mainstreammediacensorship/home .
[5]. “Mainstream media lying”: https://sites.google.com/site/mainstreammedialying/ .
[6]. Gideon Polya, “Media Lying, Media Censorship & Australian Federal Police Raids On Media In Pre-Police State Australia”, Countercurrents, 15 June 2019: https://countercurrents.org/2019/06/media-lying-media-censorship-australian-federal-police-raids-on-media-in-pre-police-state-australia .
[7]. Gideon Polya, “Mainstream media fake news through lying by omission”, MWC News, 1 April 2017 and “Mainstream media lying”: https://sites.google.com/site/mainstreammedialying/2017-04-01 .
[8]. Gideon Polya,” Australian ABC & UK BBC fake news through lying by omission”, Countercurrents, 2 May 2017: https://countercurrents.org/2017/05/australian-abc-and-uk-bbc-fake-news-through-lying-by-omission .
[9]. “Lying by omission is worse than lying by commission because at least the latter permits refutation and public debate”, Mainstream media lying: https://sites.google.com/site/mainstreammedialying/lying-by-omission .
[10]. Gideon Polya, “Do Bing Searches to circumvent mendacious pro-Zionist Google Searches – Bing it!”, Countercurrents, 30 April 2018: https://countercurrents.org/2018/04/do-bing-searches-to-circumvent-mendacious-pro-zionist-google-censorship-bing-it .
[11]. Gideon Polya, “Zionist subversion, Mainstream media censorship”, Countercurrents, 9 March 2018: https://countercurrents.org/2018/03/09/zionist-subversion-mainstream-media-censorship-disproportionate-jewish-board-membership-of-us-media-companies/ .
[12]. WSWS, “Google’s new search protocol is restricting access to 13 leading socialist, progressive and anti-war sites”, WSWS, 2 August 2017: http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/08/02/pers-a02.html .
[13]. Gideon Polya, “Google censorship & Zionist constraint on effective free speech threaten planet”, Countercurrents, 9 August 2017: https://countercurrents.org/2017/08/09/google-censorship-zionist-constraint-on-effective-free-speech-threaten-planet/ .
[14]. Drew T. Shindell , Greg Faluvegi, Dorothy M. Koch , Gavin A. Schmidt, Nadine Unger and Susanne E. Bauer , “Improved Attribution of Climate Forcing to Emissions”, Science, 30 October 2009: Vol. 326 no. 5953 pp. 716-718: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/326/5953/716 .
[15]. Gideon Polya, “Obama's Clean Power Plan Will Only Cut 2030 US Greenhouse Gas Pollution By 5%”, Countercurrents, 7 August, 2015: https://www.countercurrents.org/polya070815.htm .
[16]. Gideon Polya, “Methane leakage makes Australia a world leading per capita greenhouse gas polluter”, Countercurrents, 18 February 2020: https://countercurrents.org/2020/02/methane-leakage-makes-australia-a-world-leading-per-capita-greenhouse-gas-polluter .
[17]. “Gas is not clean energy”: https://sites.google.com/site/gasisnotcleanenergy/home .
[18]. Gideon Polya, “The lie that gas is “cleaner””, Green Left, 7 October 2020: https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/lie-gas-cleaner .
[19]. “Methane Bomb Threat”: https://sites.google.com/site/methanebombthreat/.
[20]. “2011 climate change course”: https://sites.google.com/site/300orgsite/2011-climate-change-course.
[21]. “Stop air pollution deaths”: https://sites.google.com/site/300orgsite/stop-air-pollution-deaths .
[22]. Gideon Polya, “War criminal & climate criminal Australian deception at UN General Assembly”, Countercurrents, 29 September 2019: https://countercurrents.org/2019/09/war-criminal-climate-criminal-australian-deception-at-un-general-assembly .
[23]. Gideon Polya, “Rampant Orwellian falsehood in neoliberal Australia – and in your country too?”, Countercurrents, 1 March 2020: https://countercurrents.org/2020/03/rampant-orwellian-falsehood-in-neoliberal-australia-and-in-your-country-too
[24]. Union of Concerned Scientist, “Each country’s share of CO2 emissions”, 12 August 2020: https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/each-countrys-share-co2-emissions .
[25]. Worldometer , Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ .
[26]. “Climate Genocide”: https://sites.google.com/site/climategenocide/ .
[27].Gideon Polya “Climate Genocide & War on Terra”, Chapter 21 in Gideon Polya, “US-imposed Post-9/11 Muslim Holocaust & Muslim Genocide”, Korsgaard Publishing, Germany, 2020.
[28]. Brian Ellis, “The New Enlightenment. On Steven Pinker & beyond”, Australian Scholarly Publishing , Melbourne, 2019.
[29]. Gideon Polya, “Review: “The New Enlightenment” by Brian Ellis – World Government & Humanism to save Humanity”, Countercurrents, 7 October 2019: https://countercurrents.org/2019/10/review-the-new-enlightenment-by-brian-ellis-world-government-social-humanism-to-save-humanity .
[30]. Brian Ellis, ”Social Humanism. A New Metaphysics”, Routledge , UK , 2012.
[31]. Gideon Polya, “Book Review: “Social Humanism. A New Metaphysics” By Brian Ellis – Last Chance To Save Planet?”, Countercurrents, 19 August, 2012: https://countercurrents.org/polya190812.htm .
[32]. Brian Ellis, “Rationalism. A critique of pure theory”, Australian Scholarly, Melbourne, 2017.
[33]. Gideon Polya, “Review: “Rationalism” by Brian Ellis, Countercurrents, 14 August 2017: https://countercurrents.org/2017/08/review-rationalism-by-brian-ellis .
[34]. Gideon Polya, “Enlightenment Now” by Steven Pinker – Climate Genocide & Avoidable Mortality Holocaust ignored”, Countercurrents, 7 Septmeber 2019: https://countercurrents.org/2019/09/review-enlightenment-now-by-steven-pinker-climate-genocide-avoidable-mortality-holocaust-ignored .
[35]. Gideon Polya, “How much negative carbon emissions, negative population growth & negative economic growth is needed to save Planet?34”, Countercurrents, 28 November , 2019: https://countercurrents.org/2018/11/how-much-negative-carbon-emissions-negative-population-growth-negative-economic-growth-is-needed-to-save-planet/ .
[36]. Gideon Polya, “Body Count. Global avoidable mortality since 1950”, G.M. Polya, 2007, that includes an avoidable mortality-related history of every country from Neolithic times and is now available for free perusal on the web : http://globalbodycount.blogspot.com.au/ .
[37]. Gideon Polya, “Body Count. Global avoidable mortality since 1950”, revised and updated 2021 edition, in preparation.
[38]. Gideon Polya, “Australia rejects IMF Carbon Tax & preventing 4 million pollution deaths by 2030”, Countercurrents, 15 October 2019: https://countercurrents.org/2019/10/australia-rejects-imf-carbon-tax-preventing-4-million-pollution-deaths-by-2030/ .
[39]. Chris Hope, “How high should climate change taxes be?”, Working Paper Series, Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, 2011: https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/wp1109.pdf .
[40]. “Carbon Debt Carbon Credit”: https://sites.google.com/site/carbondebtcarboncredit/ .
[41]. Gideon Polya, “Huge Carbon Debt and intergenerational injustice: CO2 drawdown necessity”, Global Research, 7 June 2018: https://www.globalresearch.ca/huge-carbon-debt-and-intergenerational-injustice-co2-drawdown-necessity/5643365 .
[42]. Gideon Polya, “Green Left Pope Francis Demands Climate Action “Without Delay” To Prevent Climate “Catastrophe””, Countercurrents, 10 August, 2015: https://www.countercurrents.org/polya100815.htm .
[43]. Gideon Polya, “Polya’s 3 Laws of Economics expose deadly, dishonest and terminal neoliberal capitalism”, Countercurrents, 17 October, 2015: https://www.countercurrents.org/polya171015.htm .
[44]. Alison Benjamin, “Stern: climate change a “market failure””, Guardian, 29 November 2007: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2007/nov/29/climatechange.carbonemissions .
[45]. International Monetary Fund (IMF), “Fiscal Monitor: how to mitigate climate change”. Executive Summary”, September 2019: file:///C:/Users/Gideon/AppData/Local/Temp/execsum-6.pdf .
[46]. James Hansen, “Climate change in a nutshell: the gathering storm”, Columbia University, 18 December 2018: http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/2018/20181206_Nutshell.pdf .
[47]. Gideon Polya, “Inescapable $200-250 trillion global Carbon Debt increasing by $16 trillion annually”, Countercurrents, 27 April 2019: https://countercurrents.org/2020/02/methane-leakage-makes-australia-a-world-leading-per-capita-greenhouse-gas-polluter/ .
[48]. Anup Shah, “Loss of biodiversity and extinctions”, Global Issues”, 19 January 2014: https://www.globalissues.org/article/171/loss-of-biodiversity-and-extinctions .
[49]. “Climate Justice & Intergenerational Equity”: https://sites.google.com/site/300orgsite/climate-justice .
[51]. “Stop climate crime”: https://sites.google.com/site/300orgsite/stop-climate-crime .
[52]. Nuclear weapons ban, end poverty & reverse climate change”: https://sites.google.com/site/300orgsite/nuclear-weapons-ban .
[53]. “Stop state terrorism” : https://sites.google.com/site/stopstateterrorism/ .
[54]. "State crime and non-state terrorism": https://sites.google.com/site/statecrimeandnonstateterrorism/ [state and corporate complicity in worsening climate genocide and 7 million annual air pollution deaths from carbon fuel burning].
[57]. “Stop air pollution deaths”: https://sites.google.com/site/300orgsite/stop-air-pollution-deaths.
[58]. "Climate Revolution Now": https://sites.google.com/site/300orgsite/climate-revolution .
[59]. “Aboriginal Genocide”: https://sites.google.com/site/aboriginalgenocide/ .
[60]. Gideon Polya, “Intergenerational Theft – For Every $1 For Coal Today Future Generations Will Pay $1-$14 To Sequester CO2”, Countercurrents, 8 April 2015: https://countercurrents.org/polya080415.htm .
[61]. 300.org: . https://sites.google.com/site/300orgsite/300-org .
[62]. “300.org – return atmosphere CO2 to 300 ppm CO2”: https://sites.google.com/site/300orgsite/300-org---return-atmosphere-co2-to-300-ppm .
[63]. Gideon Polya, “Trumpist climate change denial, Australian bushfires, fuel reduction, biochar & carbon debt”, Countercurrents, 10 January 2020: https://countercurrents.org/2020/01/trumpist-climate-change-denial-australian-bushfires-fuel-reduction-biochar-carbon-debt/ .
[64]. “2011 climate change course”: https://sites.google.com/site/300orgsite/2011-climate-change-course .
[65]. “List of countries by meat consumption”, Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_meat_consumption .
[66]. Gideon Polya, “Jane Austen and the Black Hole of British History. Colonial rapacity, holocaust denial and the crisis in biological sustainability", G.M. Polya, Melbourne, 1998, and revised 2008 edition now available for free perusal on the web: http://janeaustenand.blogspot.com/ .
[67]. Wade Davis, “The unraveling of America. Anthropologist Wade Davis on how COVID-19 signals the end of the American era”, Rolling Stone, 6 August 2020: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/covid-19-end-of-american-era-wade-davis-1038206/ .
[68]. Gideon Polya, “Review: “The unraveling of America” by Wade Davis – Covid, omissions, truth spectrum & UDHR Article 25”, Countercurrents, 24 January 2021: https://countercurrents.org/2021/01/review-the-unraveling-of-america-by-wade-davis-covid-omissions-truth-spectrum-udhr-article-25/ .
[69]. Stephen Hawking, “Brief Answers to the Big Questions”, John Murray, 2018, Chapter 7.
[70]. Gideon Polya, “Nuclear terrorism: US & Israeli lackey Australia to violate Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons”, Countercurrents, 30 October 2020: https://countercurrents.org/2020/10/nuclear-terrorism-us-israeli-lackey-australia-to-violate-treaty-on-prohibition-of-nuclear-weapons/ .
Dr Gideon Polya taught science students at La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia over 4 decades. He published some 130 works in a 5 decade scientific career, most recently a huge pharmacological reference text "Biochemical Targets of Plant Bioactive Compounds" (CRC Press/Taylor & Francis, New York & London , 2003). He has published “Body Count. Global avoidable mortality since 1950” (G.M. Polya, Melbourne, 2007: http://globalbodycount.blogspot.com/ ); see also his contributions “Australian complicity in Iraq mass mortality” in “Lies, Deep Fries & Statistics” (edited by Robyn Williams, ABC Books, Sydney, 2007: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/ockhamsrazor/australian-complicity-in-iraq-mass-mortality/3369002#transcript ) and “Ongoing Palestinian Genocide” in “The Plight of the Palestinians (edited by William Cook, Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2010: https://countercurrents.org/polya170612.htm ). He has published a revised and updated 2008 version of his 1998 book “Jane Austen and the Black Hole of British History” (see: http://janeaustenand.blogspot.com/ ) as biofuel-, globalization- and climate-driven global food price increases threaten a greater famine catastrophe than the man-made famine in British-ruled India that killed 6-7 million Indians in the “forgotten” World War 2 Bengal Famine (see recent BBC broadcast involving Dr Polya, Economics Nobel Laureate Professor Amartya Sen and others: http://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/history/social-economic-history/listen-the-bengal-famine ; Gideon Polya: https://sites.google.com/site/drgideonpolya/home ; Gideon Polya Writing: https://sites.google.com/site/gideonpolyawriting/ ; Gideon Polya, Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gideon_Polya ). He has recently published 3 huge books namely Gideon Polya, “US-imposed Post-9-11 Muslim Holocaust & Muslim Genocide”, 2020, Søren Roest Korsgaard, Jerry Day, Paul Craig Roberts, James Corbett, Gideon Polya, John Remington Graham, and Reiner Fuellmich, “The Most Dangerous Book Ever Published: Deadly Deception Exposed!”, 2020, and Gideon Polya “Climate Crisis, Climate Genocide & Solutions”, 2021, all published by Korsgaard Publishing, Germany. When words fail one can say it in pictures - for images of Gideon Polya's huge paintings for the Planet, Peace, Mother and Child see: http://sites.google.com/site/artforpeaceplanetmotherchild/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/gideonpolya/ .