Discuss: Beyond Radical

No reasonable libertarian or conservative will deny climate change. The main issue is the CAUSE of climate change—is it man or is it part of the natural process a planet endures over millions of years?

Read everything that Ayn Rand ever wrote before age 25. Was 45 before ever reading “The Grapes of Wrath” for first time. Soooo many lonely, frustrating thwarted years in between, including acquiring advanced degree in economics.

Just finished “Deep Economy” - so right, so insightful. I do worry though, that the federal stimulus will fall flat because it’s being funneled through the beast built by a “hyper-individualist” efficiency model.

Thank you for all you do, Bill McKibben. You’re truly an inspiration.

Climate change deniers are numerous and it seems clear they either choose not to recognize what many scientifically untrained persons can observe in their own lives and places of abode.  Former Vice President Gore’s pictoral and daya evidence, “An inconvenient truth” well fulfills Carl Sagan’s famous aphorism, “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.”  Far too many even well informed persons today are unaware of the significant contribution to our slowly moving understanding of the impact of humanity on Planet Earth made in 1868-1874 by the paradigmatic work, “The earth as modified by human action,” published in greatdetail by George P. Marsh, with numerous specific examples.  There may be natural cycles, and the geologic and to a lesser degree, archeologic, evidence says there are, but that is no reason to object to stopping or modifying thbose things mankind does which may, and likely will, push the natural cycle beyond the limits of tolerance by living things, especially human culture.  Fortunately those wishing to learn what George P. Marsh had to say about it 135 years ago (the revised edition) his seminal book has now been redone by Kessinger Publishing’s Rare Reprint series; see: http://www.kessinger.net

Right ON, Bill. The lobbyists have been sending huge amounts to Congress who care nothing for Gaea. It is past time to rise up and raise a big unholy howl that they will hear as the bills pass around the Country Club they call the Congress.  Time these jerks were made to pay for having such conveniently _short memories_. (from Midnight Oil)

  Your work is excellent as always.

So I see- the issues of climate destruction and economic ruination need a professorial, “Methodist” approach of toleration of all views, no matter how deluded, antagonistic, or destructively powerful.
Right, there just has been not enough attention given to these antediluvian “ideas.” They’ve only run the world for the past century - but with Pastor McKibben, we should feel such pity for these masters of the universe.
Where’s the fire in the belly?

Regardless of the political label, the American legislative branch continues to be ineffective because all legislation is watered down, bought and paid for by whatever capitalist has the deepest pockets. This is not a cynical view, it is reality. The only thing that will change human behavior is when it becomes absolutely apparent humans must adhere to the laws of nature - there is no human future if we don’t.

D. Foster,

“Humans must adhere to the laws of nature”...which laws? Does survival of the fittest rank among them and if so, isn’t that the law that has depleted the resources of the planet to its breaking point for the gain of the few at the top? Ironic, isn’t it, if survival of the fittest will ultimately leave no man standing?

Bobbie,

“Survival of the fittest” was and is a distortion of Darwin’s findings, exploited by the ubber individualists and power brokers to justify conquest and control (and eugenics).

As evolutionary biologists are now realizing, the “law of nature” is one of radical cooperation of individuals and social groups within ecologies. It is that law which has maintained the delicately-balanced web-of-life for billions of years, and it is that law which the libertarian social darwinists are trying to thwart - to the peril of all who cherish life.