Post by Wayne Hall on Apr 23, 2009 0:42:36 GMT -5
Here is an e-mail sent out on the mailing list of ETC.
Their facetious approach to the subject is a way of staying at the trough,
receiving monies from whoever pays them, because uncontrolled rage does not
attract sponsors, except from states and corporations interested in
supporting "terrorists" for the purpose of betraying them subsequently.
Perhaps it could be worthwhile keeping open a line of communication with
this people. "Off the record" real-life contacts could be particularly
useful.
Wayne
----- Original Message -----
From: "ETC Group"
To: <etcgroup
Cc: "Charlie Charlie"
Sent: Wednesday, April 22, 2009 11:58 PM
Subject: ETC Group: We Have a Winner! Geo-engineering Contest
WinnerAnnounced
> ETC Group
> News Release
> Earth Day 22 April 2009
> www.etcgroup.org
>
> So Long, Venus! Hello Mars!
> Orbit Engineering Proposal Takes Top Prize in ETC Group's
> Pie-in-the-Sky Contest for Do-it-Yourself Geo-engineers
>
> Vicky Schutte of Oakville, Ontario (Canada) took top honors today in
> ETC Group's international geo-engineering contest for her proposal to
> combat climate change by re-engineering the earth's orbit. Her idea is
> to nudge the planet further from the sun (and closer to Mars). In her
> entry, Schutte helpfully pointed out that expanding the earth's orbit
> would not only increase the distance between the earth and sun,
> thereby cooling the planet, but it would also take our birthdays
> longer to come around – climate salvation and fountain of youth all in
> one! The contest calling for geo-engineering proposals closed on April
> Fools' Day, netting 46 entries from 13 countries.
>
> Geo-engineering refers to large-scale, intentional manipulations of
> the earth's land, sea and atmosphere to combat the effects of climate
> change. Schemes that would have been dismissed as science-fiction a
> few years ago are now gaining legitimacy in the view of some
> governments and scientific institutions. ETC's Pie-in-the-Sky contest
> aimed to highlight the absurdity – and danger – of carrying out
> planetary-scale experiments with unknown consequences.
>
> ETC Group's Diana Bronson, in Anchorage, Alaska, attending the
> Indigenous Peoples Summit on Climate Change, noted that picking the
> Pie-in-the-Sky winner was no cakewalk. "There were lots of great
> entries, and we all had our favorites. I quite liked the idea of
> granting carbon offsets to anyone having their teeth whitened and
> willing to smile up at the sun, reflecting UV light away from the
> earth's surface. But since the beginning of February when we launched
> the contest, geo-engineering has gained real mainstream steam – in a
> report by the UK's House of Commons,[1] at an international science
> congress[2] and in an interview with the Obama administration's
> Science Adviser.[3] We decided to choose a proposal envisioning a
> massive re-engineering of the planet. In terms of scale and
> consequence, the winning proposal to modify the earth's orbit is not
> so different from real proposals to simulate volcanic eruptions or
> cover the earth's deserts in white plastic."[4]
>
> Verónica Villa, in ETC's Mexico office, was especially taken with the
> proposal to toss leftover brussels sprouts and other iron-rich, but
> taste-poor green veggies off the Golden Gate Bridge to 'fertilize' the
> ocean and promote carbon sequestration. But since real-world geo-
> engineers have already tried fertilizing the ocean with iron,[5]
> Villa, too, leaned toward Schutte's orbit-altering proposal. Villa
> points out, "Today is not only Earth Day; it's also the last day of
> meetings of a technical expert group of the UN Convention on
> Biological Diversity [CBD] discussing issues related to climate change
> and biodiversity.[6] Geo-engineering is a great threat to biodiversity
> and it's critically important for governments at the CBD, as well as
> the scientific community, to start debunking the idea that a massive
> techno-fix can solve our climate problems. That's what the Pie-in-the-
> Sky contest was all about."
>
> All contest entries are available in English and Spanish at the Pie-in-
> the-Sky web site: www.pieintheskycontest.org/
>
> Schutte's winning entry has been illustrated and turned into a mock
> promotional poster, available for download here:
> www.etcgroup.org/en/materials/publications.html?pub_id=743
>
> N.B. As with many of the outrageous proposals submitted, it turns out
> that even the winning entry has been taken seriously, although when
> orbit-engineering was proposed back in 2001, it wasn't expected to be
> implemented for few million years. (See, Dennis Newman, "Astronomers
> hatch plan to move Earth's orbit from warming sun," 5 February 2001,
> CNN.com)
>
> For an introduction to geo-engineering, see ETC Group Communiqué,
> "Gambling with Gaia," January 2007, on the Internet:
> www.etcgroup.org/en/materials/publications.html?pub_id=608
>
>
> For more information about geoengineering and ETC's Pie-in-the-Sky
> contest:
>
> Verónica Villa and Silvia Ribeiro (Mexico City)
>
> Kathy Jo Wetter (Durham, NC, USA)
>
> Diana Bronson (in Anchorage, Alaska until 24 April)
>
> Jim Thomas (Montreal, Canada) >
> End Notes:
>
> [1] UK House of Commons Select Committee on Innovation, Universities,
> Science and Skills, "Engineering: Turning ideas into reality,"
> published March 2009; see chapter on geo-engineering at
> www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmselect/cmdius/50/5007.htm
>
> [2] International Scientific Congress on Climate Change: Global Risks,
> Challenges & Decisions, Copenhagen, Denmark 10-12 March 2009.
>
> [3] Seth Borenstein, "Obama looks at climate engineering," Associated
> Press, 8 April 2009, on the Internet at
> www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hm1kMpA2nQALOfQL8Y8PxxTHNVtgD97EG5200
>
> [4] ETC Group Communiqué, "Gambling with Gaia," January 2007, on the
> Internet:
> www.etcgroup.org/en/materials/publications.html?pub_id=608
>
> [5] See, for example, ETC Group News Release, "LOHAFEX Update: Geo-
> engineering ship plows on as Environment Ministry calls for a halt,"
> 13 January 2009, on the Internet:
> www.etcgroup.org/en/materials/publications.html?pub_id=712
>
> [6] Convention on Biological Diversity, Second meeting of the Ad Hoc
> Technical Expert Group on Biodiversity and Climate Change, Helsinki,
> Finland, 18-22 April 2009.
>
Their facetious approach to the subject is a way of staying at the trough,
receiving monies from whoever pays them, because uncontrolled rage does not
attract sponsors, except from states and corporations interested in
supporting "terrorists" for the purpose of betraying them subsequently.
Perhaps it could be worthwhile keeping open a line of communication with
this people. "Off the record" real-life contacts could be particularly
useful.
Wayne
----- Original Message -----
From: "ETC Group"
To: <etcgroup
Cc: "Charlie Charlie"
Sent: Wednesday, April 22, 2009 11:58 PM
Subject: ETC Group: We Have a Winner! Geo-engineering Contest
WinnerAnnounced
> ETC Group
> News Release
> Earth Day 22 April 2009
> www.etcgroup.org
>
> So Long, Venus! Hello Mars!
> Orbit Engineering Proposal Takes Top Prize in ETC Group's
> Pie-in-the-Sky Contest for Do-it-Yourself Geo-engineers
>
> Vicky Schutte of Oakville, Ontario (Canada) took top honors today in
> ETC Group's international geo-engineering contest for her proposal to
> combat climate change by re-engineering the earth's orbit. Her idea is
> to nudge the planet further from the sun (and closer to Mars). In her
> entry, Schutte helpfully pointed out that expanding the earth's orbit
> would not only increase the distance between the earth and sun,
> thereby cooling the planet, but it would also take our birthdays
> longer to come around – climate salvation and fountain of youth all in
> one! The contest calling for geo-engineering proposals closed on April
> Fools' Day, netting 46 entries from 13 countries.
>
> Geo-engineering refers to large-scale, intentional manipulations of
> the earth's land, sea and atmosphere to combat the effects of climate
> change. Schemes that would have been dismissed as science-fiction a
> few years ago are now gaining legitimacy in the view of some
> governments and scientific institutions. ETC's Pie-in-the-Sky contest
> aimed to highlight the absurdity – and danger – of carrying out
> planetary-scale experiments with unknown consequences.
>
> ETC Group's Diana Bronson, in Anchorage, Alaska, attending the
> Indigenous Peoples Summit on Climate Change, noted that picking the
> Pie-in-the-Sky winner was no cakewalk. "There were lots of great
> entries, and we all had our favorites. I quite liked the idea of
> granting carbon offsets to anyone having their teeth whitened and
> willing to smile up at the sun, reflecting UV light away from the
> earth's surface. But since the beginning of February when we launched
> the contest, geo-engineering has gained real mainstream steam – in a
> report by the UK's House of Commons,[1] at an international science
> congress[2] and in an interview with the Obama administration's
> Science Adviser.[3] We decided to choose a proposal envisioning a
> massive re-engineering of the planet. In terms of scale and
> consequence, the winning proposal to modify the earth's orbit is not
> so different from real proposals to simulate volcanic eruptions or
> cover the earth's deserts in white plastic."[4]
>
> Verónica Villa, in ETC's Mexico office, was especially taken with the
> proposal to toss leftover brussels sprouts and other iron-rich, but
> taste-poor green veggies off the Golden Gate Bridge to 'fertilize' the
> ocean and promote carbon sequestration. But since real-world geo-
> engineers have already tried fertilizing the ocean with iron,[5]
> Villa, too, leaned toward Schutte's orbit-altering proposal. Villa
> points out, "Today is not only Earth Day; it's also the last day of
> meetings of a technical expert group of the UN Convention on
> Biological Diversity [CBD] discussing issues related to climate change
> and biodiversity.[6] Geo-engineering is a great threat to biodiversity
> and it's critically important for governments at the CBD, as well as
> the scientific community, to start debunking the idea that a massive
> techno-fix can solve our climate problems. That's what the Pie-in-the-
> Sky contest was all about."
>
> All contest entries are available in English and Spanish at the Pie-in-
> the-Sky web site: www.pieintheskycontest.org/
>
> Schutte's winning entry has been illustrated and turned into a mock
> promotional poster, available for download here:
> www.etcgroup.org/en/materials/publications.html?pub_id=743
>
> N.B. As with many of the outrageous proposals submitted, it turns out
> that even the winning entry has been taken seriously, although when
> orbit-engineering was proposed back in 2001, it wasn't expected to be
> implemented for few million years. (See, Dennis Newman, "Astronomers
> hatch plan to move Earth's orbit from warming sun," 5 February 2001,
> CNN.com)
>
> For an introduction to geo-engineering, see ETC Group Communiqué,
> "Gambling with Gaia," January 2007, on the Internet:
> www.etcgroup.org/en/materials/publications.html?pub_id=608
>
>
> For more information about geoengineering and ETC's Pie-in-the-Sky
> contest:
>
> Verónica Villa and Silvia Ribeiro (Mexico City)
>
> Kathy Jo Wetter (Durham, NC, USA)
>
> Diana Bronson (in Anchorage, Alaska until 24 April)
>
> Jim Thomas (Montreal, Canada) >
> End Notes:
>
> [1] UK House of Commons Select Committee on Innovation, Universities,
> Science and Skills, "Engineering: Turning ideas into reality,"
> published March 2009; see chapter on geo-engineering at
> www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmselect/cmdius/50/5007.htm
>
> [2] International Scientific Congress on Climate Change: Global Risks,
> Challenges & Decisions, Copenhagen, Denmark 10-12 March 2009.
>
> [3] Seth Borenstein, "Obama looks at climate engineering," Associated
> Press, 8 April 2009, on the Internet at
> www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hm1kMpA2nQALOfQL8Y8PxxTHNVtgD97EG5200
>
> [4] ETC Group Communiqué, "Gambling with Gaia," January 2007, on the
> Internet:
> www.etcgroup.org/en/materials/publications.html?pub_id=608
>
> [5] See, for example, ETC Group News Release, "LOHAFEX Update: Geo-
> engineering ship plows on as Environment Ministry calls for a halt,"
> 13 January 2009, on the Internet:
> www.etcgroup.org/en/materials/publications.html?pub_id=712
>
> [6] Convention on Biological Diversity, Second meeting of the Ad Hoc
> Technical Expert Group on Biodiversity and Climate Change, Helsinki,
> Finland, 18-22 April 2009.
>