Surviving Capitalism (Not) : Deadly heatwaves will be more frequent in coming decades, say scientists

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Deadly heatwaves will be more frequent in coming decades, say scientists

by Damian Carrington from the Guardian.

Based on a recently published study in Science journal, more dreadful predictions by scientists:

Climate scientists expect increasing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere to raise both average temperatures and summer variability in Europe, leading to more heatwaves. ..."Under global warming this kind of event will become more common. Mega-heatwaves are going to be more frequent and more intense in the future."

More extreme weather is on the way unless we change the existing wasteful and polluting system of capitalism to something that allows us to live in harmony with nature. Time is rapidly running out before we pass irreversible tipping points. So which is it--a new sustainable system or more resource wars, famine, floods, poverty, etc? We and our neighbors, and their neighbors, and so on, must decide to take action or to sit back and wait for the inevitable.