Ukraine Shoots Down F-16 With Patriot, A... Sat Aug 31, 2024 11:53 | Anti-Empire
Surprise Offensive Puts 300 km² of Russ... Fri Aug 09, 2024 08:44 | Marko Marjanović
The Wholesome Photo of the Month Thu May 09, 2024 11:01 | Anti-Empire
In 3 War Years Russia Will Have Spent $3... Thu May 09, 2024 02:17 | Anti-Empire
UK Sending Missiles to Be Fired Into Rus... Tue May 07, 2024 14:17 | Marko Marjanović Anti-Empire >>
A bird's eye view of the vineyard
Alternative Copy of thesaker.is site is available Thu May 25, 2023 14:38 | Ice-Saker-V6bKu3nz Alternative site: https://thesaker.si/saker-a... Site was created using the downloads provided Regards Herb
The Saker blog is now frozen Tue Feb 28, 2023 23:55 | The Saker Dear friends As I have previously announced, we are now “freezing” the blog. We are also making archives of the blog available for free download in various formats (see below).
What do you make of the Russia and China Partnership? Tue Feb 28, 2023 16:26 | The Saker by Mr. Allen for the Saker blog Over the last few years, we hear leaders from both Russia and China pronouncing that they have formed a relationship where there are
Moveable Feast Cafe 2023/02/27 ? Open Thread Mon Feb 27, 2023 19:00 | cafe-uploader 2023/02/27 19:00:02Welcome to the ‘Moveable Feast Cafe’. The ‘Moveable Feast’ is an open thread where readers can post wide ranging observations, articles, rants, off topic and have animate discussions of
The stage is set for Hybrid World War III Mon Feb 27, 2023 15:50 | The Saker Pepe Escobar for the Saker blog A powerful feeling rhythms your skin and drums up your soul as you?re immersed in a long walk under persistent snow flurries, pinpointed by The Saker >>
Free Speech Union and Fair Cop Threaten Yvette Cooper With Court Action Over Her Calls to Ramp Up Re... Sun Sep 01, 2024 11:00 | Richard Eldred The Free Speech Union and Fair Cop have threatened the Home Secretary with legal action over her calls to ramp up the recording of 'non-crime hate incidents'.
The post Free Speech Union and Fair Cop Threaten Yvette Cooper With Court Action Over Her Calls to Ramp Up Recording of ?Non-Crime Hate Incidents? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Bank of England Staff Told to Share Pronouns and Use ?Gender Neutral? Language Sun Sep 01, 2024 09:00 | Will Jones Bank of England staff have been told to share their pronouns at the start of meetings and use "gender neutral" language when speaking to customers.
The post Bank of England Staff Told to Share Pronouns and Use “Gender Neutral” Language appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Government?s Private Schools VAT Raid ?Risks Costing Taxpayer £1.8bn? Sun Sep 01, 2024 07:00 | Will Jones The Government?s VAT raid on private schools risks costing the taxpayer up to £1.8 billion as parents cut their work hours once their children move into the state sector, a report has found.
The post Government’s Private Schools VAT Raid “Risks Costing Taxpayer £1.8bn” appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
News Round-Up Sun Sep 01, 2024 01:04 | Richard Eldred A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the ?climate emergency?, public health ?crises? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Domestic Abuse Charity Allows ?Men Who Identify as Women? to Apply for £47,000-a-Year ?Women-Only? R... Sat Aug 31, 2024 15:00 | Will Jones A domestic abuse charity has been criticised for encouraging "men who identify as women" to apply for a senior £47,000-a-year "women-only" post.
The post Domestic Abuse Charity Allows “Men Who Identify as Women” to Apply for £47,000-a-Year “Women-Only” Role appeared first on The Daily Sceptic. Lockdown Skeptics >>
Voltaire, international edition
Voltaire, International Newsletter N°97 Fri Aug 30, 2024 12:14 | en
The New Iranian Foreign Policy Fri Aug 30, 2024 12:12 | en
Press lies about the Venezuelan presidential election, by Thierry Meyssan Tue Aug 27, 2024 06:59 | en
Voltaire, International Newsletter N°96 Fri Aug 23, 2024 15:28 | en
China chooses international law, distances itself from Israel and reunifies the ... Fri Aug 23, 2024 15:18 | en Voltaire Network >>
|
Pentagon Report and global environmental crisis.
international |
anti-capitalism |
opinion/analysis
Tuesday February 24, 2004 00:44 by john throne - labors militant voice loughfinn at aol dot com
![Report this post to the editors Report this post to the editors](../graphics/report.gif)
This is serious
The Pentagon is saying in the report printed below that world capitalism is going to be thrown into severe crisis by the developing environmental catastrophe. For all activists, and for the working class in general, this is the most important report to be made available to us in decades. We all have a duty to read and study it and to draw the political and organizational conclusions from it. Labors Militant Voice, the small group of which I am part has been trying to discuss and understand the likely developments for society in the coming decades. We think that this report confirms some of the fundamental aspects of the perspectives that we have been developing. One in particular. We have been arguing that the environmental crisis which is made up of global warming, the pollution of the air, land and water, the crisis of water supply, these now stand as major obstacles to the development of capitalism.
We have been discussing that with the collapse of stalinism, capitalism regained the territories and resources, including the labor, of the former Soviet Union, China, etc. With this victory and the collaboration of the workers leaders internationally, capitalism was able to step up its offensive against the
working class worldwide and US imperialism was able to launch its offensive for "full spectrum domination." That is total domination of the world by US capitalism.
At the same time the defeats of the working class in the west and the development of new technology gave increased impetus to capitalist economic growth in general. We have been discussing the prospects for the rise of Chinese capitalism. We have raised that the theory of the permanent revolution does not apply to the former stalinist countries and therefore what is it, if anything, that
now stands in the way of these countries developing into modern capitalist economies and opening up a new period of upswing for world capitalism.
But we have raised in contradiction to this that capitalism is destroying the environment to such an extent and with such speed that this would cut across the prospects suggested above. We pointed out that it was impossible for the Chinese economy to develop into a USA type economy as such a development, long before it reached fruition would have added such impetus to the destruction of the
environment that the world would be thrown into chaos, breakdown and wars. The issue of "Peak Oil", that is when the supply of oil would begin to decline dramatically, is another factor in this, but we think that the issue of the
environment is more immediate.
We also have discussed that with the pressure of stalinism gone then capitalism would once again move much more towards unrestrained vicious competition and conflict. That increasingly savage competition and wars between the capitalist powers would come much more onto the agenda. Yes the fear that nuclear war would destroy all would be somewhat of a restraining factor but the more powerful factor would be that with the threat of stalinism gone so also is the restraint that this placed on the inevitable inter-capitalist conflict.
We have also begone to discuss the issue of how capitalism sees itself keeping control in this situation of crisis that is developing. A few weeks ago General Frank a top US General spoke of the possibility that a dictatorship might be needed in the US at some time in the future. Faced with the information in the report of the Pentagon below it is clear why he and the capitalist class in the US and internationally would be considering such an option. Not in the months or immediate years ahead but on the basis of the breakdown that is posed in this report then bourgeois democracy would be a "luxury' that capitalism could no longer afford.
The "Patriot Act" in the US shows the way the wind is blowing in terms of US capitalism controlling the US working class. And the development of their missile defense system shows the way they are thinking in terms of nuclear war and their thinking that the US would be able to emerge from this partially intact.
Of course the working class will not be passive in this process of developing catastrophe under capitalism. As a class we will rise to attempt to defend ourselves and to offer the prospect for a new world in which the necessities of life are in abundance for all and within an economic system that is sustainable. Capitalism will do its best to divide us along nationalist and racist lines and we are likely to see the rise of support amongst the top capitalist forces for fascist and military dictatorship "solutions" not only in the former colonial countries but also in the imperialist countries. Of course the move in this direction will evoke powerful opposition from the working class and in the process radicalisation and a determination to create an alternative to capitalism.
We in Labors Militant Voice believe that all anti capitalist and working class activists should be committed to building united front struggles and structures to oppose the offensive and crisis of capitalism and out of this process build a new anti capitalist
international which would base itself on direct action fight to win tactics. Within this anti capitalist, working class based, direct action fight to win international all the various currents of anti capitalism, the various currents basing themselves on marxism, the various currents basing themselves on anarchism, all anti capitalist currents in fact, would be able to organize and express their views while working together as a fighting anti capitalist international. We believe these are the organizational conclusions that should be drawn from this report of the pentagon. We are keen to discuss with all who are interested in considering such an alternative.
The struggle for an anti capitalist international is more urgent than ever and the simultaneous struggle for a revolutionary socialist current in that international equally so. All activists and anti capitalist organizxations have a responsibility to review
their own views and methods of work to see if they are not obstacles to the steps that are now necessary.
Sean O'T. Labors Militant Voice.
Below is the article in the Observer on the Report from the Pentagon.
Now the Pentagon tells Bush: climate change will destroy us
Secret report warns of rioting and nuclear war.
Britain will be 'Siberian' in less than 20 years.
Threat to the world is greater than terrorism
Mark Townsend and Paul Harris in New York
Sunday February 22, 2004
The Observer
http://www.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,12374,1153530,00.html
Climate change over the next 20 years could result in a global catastrophe costing millions of lives in wars and natural disasters.
A secret report, suppressed by US defence chiefs and obtained by The Observer, warns that major European cities will be sunk beneath rising seas as Britain is plunged into a 'Siberian' climate by 2020. Nuclear conflict,
mega-droughts, famine and widespread rioting will erupt across the world.
The document predicts that abrupt climate change could bring the planet to the edge of anarchy as countries develop a nuclear threat
to defend and secure dwindling food, water and energy supplies. The threat to global stability vastly eclipses that of terrorism, say the few experts privy to its contents.
'Disruption and conflict will be endemic features of life,' concludes the Pentagon analysis. 'Once again, warfare would define human life.'
The findings will prove humiliating to the Bush administration, which has
repeatedly denied that climate change even exists. Experts said that they will also make unsettling reading for a President who has insisted national defence is a priority.
The report was commissioned by influential Pentagon defence adviser Andrew
Marshall, who has held considerable sway on US military thinking over the past three decades. He was the man behind a sweeping recent review aimed at transforming the American military under Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Climate change 'should be elevated beyond a scientific debate to a US national security concern', say the authors, Peter Schwartz, CIA
consultant and former head of planning at Royal Dutch/Shell Group, and Doug Randall of the California-based Global Business Network.
An imminent scenario of catastrophic climate change is 'plausible and would challenge United States national security in ways that should be considered immediately', they conclude. As early as next year widespread flooding by a rise in sea levels will create major upheaval for millions.
Last week the Bush administration came under heavy fire from a large body of
respected scientists who claimed that it cherry- picked science to suit its policy agenda and suppressed studies that it did not like. Jeremy Symons, a former whistleblower at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said that suppression of the report for four months was a further example of the White House
trying to bury the threat of climate change.
Senior climatologists, however, believe that their verdicts could prove the catalyst in forcing Bush to accept climate change as a real and happening phenomenon. They also hope it will convince the United States to sign up to global treaties to reduce the rate of climatic
change.
A group of eminent UK scientists recently visited the White House to voice their fears over global warming, part of an intensifying drive to get the US to treat the issue seriously. Sources have told The Observer that American
officials appeared extremely sensitive about
the issue when faced with complaints that America's public stance appeared
increasingly out of touch.
One even alleged that the White House had written to complain about some of the comments attributed to Professor Sir David King, Tony Blair's chief scientific adviser, after he branded the President's position on the issue as indefensible.
Among those scientists present at the White House talks were Professor John
Schellnhuber, former chief environmental adviser to the German government and head of the UK's leading group of climate scientists at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research. He said that the Pentagon's internal fears should prove the 'tipping point' in persuading Bush to accept climatic change.
Sir John Houghton, former chief executive of the Meteorological Office - and the first senior figure to liken the threat of climate change to that of terrorism - said: 'If the Pentagon is sending out that sort of message, then this
is an important document indeed.'
Bob Watson, chief scientist for the World Bank and former chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, added that the
Pentagon's dire warnings could no longer be ignored.
'Can Bush ignore the Pentagon? It's going be hard to blow off this sort of document. Its hugely embarrassing. After all, Bush's single
highest priority is national defence. The Pentagon is no wacko, liberal group, generally speaking it is conservative. If climate change is a threat to national security and the economy, then he has to act. There are two groups the Bush Administration tend to listen
to, the oil lobby and the Pentagon,' added Watson.
'You've got a President who says global warming is a hoax, and across the Potomac river you've got a Pentagon preparing for climate wars. It's pretty scary when Bush starts to ignore his own government on
this issue,' said Rob Gueterbock of Greenpeace.
Already, according to Randall and Schwartz, the planet is carrying a higher population than it can sustain. By 2020 'catastrophic'shortages of water and energy supply will become increasingly harder to overcome, plunging the planet into war. They warn that 8,200 years ago climatic conditions brought widespread crop failure, famine, disease and mass migration of populations that could soon be repeated.
Randall told The Observer that the potential ramifications of rapid climate change would create global chaos. 'This is depressing stuff,'
he said. 'It is a national security threat that is unique because there is no enemy to point your guns at and we have no control over
the threat.'
Randall added that it was already possibly too late to prevent a disaster happening. 'We don't know exactly where we are in the process. It could start tomorrow and we would not know for another five years,' he said.
'The consequences for some nations of the climate change are unbelievable. It seems obvious that cutting the use of fossil fuels
would be worthwhile.'
So dramatic are the report's scenarios, Watson said, that they may prove vital in the US elections. Democratic frontrunner John Kerry is known to accept climate change as a real problem. Scientists disillusioned with Bush's stance are threatening to make sure Kerry uses the Pentagon report in his campaign.
The fact that Marshall is behind its scathing findings will aid Kerry's cause. Marshall, 82, is a Pentagon legend who heads a secretive think-tank dedicated to weighing risks to national security called the Office of Net Assessment. Dubbed 'Yoda' by Pentagon
insiders who respect his vast experience, he is credited with being behind the Department of Defence's push on ballistic-missile defence.
Symons, who left the EPA in protest at political interference, said that the suppression of the report was a further instance of the White House trying to bury evidence of climate change. 'It is yet another example of why this
government should stop burying its head
in the sand on this issue.'
Symons said the Bush administration's close links to high- powered energy and oil companies was vital in understanding why climate change was received sceptically in the Oval Office. 'This administration is ignoring the evidence in order to placate a handful
of large energy and oil companies,' he added.
http://laborsmilitantvoice.com
|
View Comments Titles Only
save preference
Comments (25 of 25)
Jump To Comment: 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1When he senses trouble coming he sticks his head in the sand. if he cant see his predator than that means the predator cant see him either.
Trouble is the poor ostrich gets eaten.
Chicken Licken got hit on the head by an acorn and headed off to tell the King the sky was falling.
He roped in Henny Penny, Ducky Lucky, Drakey Lakey and Turkey Lurkey.
Then they met Foxy Woxy who told them he knew a shortcut.
"Just follow me through the entrance of this hole"
The hole led right into his den were his vixen and cubs were waiting for dinner.
So that was the end of Chicken Licken, Henny Penny, Ducky Lucky, Drakey Lackey and Turkey Lurkey.
More links to articles on climate change on this thread:
The majority of the responses on this thread support my position that anybody who posts to indymedia should have to identify themselves. Just like they would if they attended a meeting to discuss developments and try to change things. I believe that my original post stands as relevant to some of the present threats under capitalism and the need for a united anti capitalist front internationally. John Throne.
I for one would hold the Western Space agencies responsible were we to be hit by a meteorite/asteroid or minor planet.
They know where they are, they keep track of them and successive US administrations have diverted funds from tracking them to other more propoganda worthy projects such as hassling the martians.
Instead they could be developing a proper defence strategy instead. But you too can play your part.
check location of minor planets regularly, and if any has moved let the world know through the indymedia network.
http://scully.harvard.edu/~cgi/CheckMP
minor planet "ireland" is number 5029.
minor planet "barcelona" is no. 1615.
minor planet "tara" is 5863.
you ought be very busy, and this is really a truly pleasant way to meet new people and astronomers rarely have you know "the cranial tattoo" so no unpleasant surprises.
:-)
Global warming is not going to happen; it is happening.
The three hottest years in history since they started keeping these records occurred in the last five years. The polar ice caps are not going to melt - this is already happening. These facts are not disputed. In fact, within the reputable scientific community the issue of global warming is no more debated than is evolution.
is that all they've got?
Thats about the same as one modern Nuclear warhead going off (some missiles can have multiple warheads..
maybe we should take out insurance against a meteor hitting us, but we should take out Assurance against climate change cause it's not just likely to happen, its gonna happen
Of being wiped out by a meteorite strike than any global warming
BBC news feb 25th 2004 Earth almost put on impact alert.
25% chance of getting hit by a 500meter asteroid last month.Equivlency of a 10 megaton bomb.
Would be worried more about that than anything here in a wargame report.
Lets hear it.iIwonder how we are going to blame the Bush admin,the USA,the western capitalists,etc for a possible asteroid strike!
In my experience 7% is a big number, and if you're with the chaoticians it can have a highly non-linear influence on the outcome of a system model of the climate and oceans. Notwithstanding scientific debate is a good thing and in this case it comes down to personal interpretation of the available evidence.
Finally, none of this should distract from the reality that there are those who wish to use public concern about such matters to the detriment and disenfranchisement of us all, such as Wolfowitz & Co.!
Prima facie evidence of Global warming/cooling?If we are going by the Swedish models,we could be dealing with a faulty premise inthe first place.there has already been suggestions that the models are totally flawed.Research into Irish bog oak growth has found that in medival times in ireland the summers were shorter and wetter and winters longer and colder.
Other thing is the planet produces somthing like a hundred billion tons annually of gas and crud naturally.Us humans produce somthing like seven billion tons,and the planet cant handle an extra seven billion?
Until i see glaciers off Scotland going to or if i can walk around in clare in an aloha shirt on Dec21st.Then I might worry abit.not too much on the last tho.
here as Ray pointed out is not that there is prima facia evidence of global warming, there already is! What is really at issue here is the subversion of democratic processes by small elite groups unanswerable to anyone but themselves which shape the policies of the US government. This is very dangerous no matter what the motivation. We need go no further than the long term implications of the undue influence the Wolofowitz cabal had/has over US government policy vis-a-vis Iraq and "global" (read US) security to see where this model for government leads.
I believe that what stands behind this report is the fact that the capitalist class is starting to have grave concerns over these developments. This is also reflected in a recent statement by some of the US's most prominent scientists, including extremely prominent extremely establishment ones such as David Baltimore. This statement took Bush to task for manipulating scientific evidence for political means; in other words, rather than relying on science to develop policies related to the natural world, Bush and his handlers are using a political ideology to manipulate what science gets out to the public.
I think that some wings of the capitalist class see that this now poses a threat to their profits.
It is interesting to also consider the issue of peak oil. I think it is pretty much established that world oil production will be surpassed by world demand sometime between 2005 and 2030 (at the very latest). This development will actually make the results of global warming far worse. For instance, capitalist agriculture relies on oil and natural gas, which will be in increasingly shorter supply. This will pose a real threat to agriculture, as will global warming and the mega droughts, mega storms and flooding that are predicted to result from this climate change.
Ever since the rise of capitalism, workers have increasingly felt that their struggle for survival centered around social issues - the class struggle, in other words. We did not really see any natural limits to a better life. For this reason, I think it is difficult for many of us to readjust our thinking and realize that the way that capitalism has developed technology is now reaching limits imposed by nature.
It won't be pretty.
PS. Check out our web site for a history of the oil industry.
it may have its many faults but instead of hollow doomsday warbling anything that starts pulling industry into a regulatory framework should be worked on
http://www.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/0,12374,782494,00.html
our net contribution to stopping global warming is that we'll have to pay slightly higher ESB bills..
Its rubbish. Carbon trading can not work.. basically we're probably already screwed.
there is also the fact of the precautionary principle in relation to policy making.
aside :: yesterday the EPA published its first Draft National Allocation report on the national allocation of emissions under the emissions trading directive. we can argue till dawn about the strength of that document but I take it in high regard that we are actually seeing climate policy being implemented.
"Untill somone comes up with some total factual evidence of global warming [...]"
Don't know what you mean by "total factual evidence", but if you mean proven beyond a shadow of a doubt then the problem is that by the time you get that it might be too late to be useful information.
All there is right now is a set of models with some support for them which indicate that global warming is occurring. The majority of scientists working in this area believe based upon these simplifications of complex systems that it is more likely that global warming is happening than not.
The winters have been milder because the planet is warming up. The danger of an ice age in northern europe is because the gulf stream might suddenly be turned off over the space of one or two years and this would severely affect the climate of Ireland and Britain.
There is a lot of evidence. Glaciers are retreating at an incredible rate, the outer atmosphere is cooling down (meaning less heat energy is escaping) desertification is increasing faster than before and freak weather incidents are much less freakish than before.
I would dispute the inaccuracy of the pentagon as an intelligence agency. They are probably the very best in the world. they just looked very bad when george gave them orders do go out and find evidence of something everybody knew didnt exist in order to justify his war. The pentagon would be far less credible if they were echoing what bush is saying, that "pollution isnt damaging the environment, its the impurities in the air and water" but they are saying things that could be very embarrassing to Bush's government and so the chances are much higher that there is solid science to back this up
not a fact:
in basic terms nobody can say 100% whats going to happen but the reason they say Ireland and UK will get colder (not siberian) is because of the inflence of coastal streams (Gulf Stream etc) on our climate and the cooling of those streams because of melting ice caps will cause our climate to cool down.
thing is, there is much evidence of climate change/disruption but the level of human influence if more open to debate.
"Britan will have Siberian style winters by 2007" Thats quite a statement from that report.Is there any factual evidence to back this up considering that the winters in europe have been milder in the last ten years ?
Holland will be 10ft underwater,by 2020 .how?
I think what we have here is a Pentagon "war game"style report. A what if scenario.They produce these reports like confetti on everything from alien invasions toworld war 3.
Untill somone comes up with some total factual evidence of global warming,climate change.I would treat this with a major pinch of salt
OK. Now I've actually read the thing....
You're absolutely right Ray. The report also seems to deal with the potiential for global cooling, not warming. It uses a rapid climatic cooling event from 8000 years ago as an example of what could happen.
I'm a big fan of koyoto and think that the US is irresponsible on global warming, but this report is just not part of that debate...
"This is probably as accurate as wmd in Iraq . "
All the more cause for concern . Don't forget ,the Iraq war was only the first installment ,the opening salvo of the Project for a new Amereican Century . Two weeks ago George Bush boasted about being a war president ; if he wins the November election he will see that as an endorsement of his warmongering. I'm not sure what you mean when you say the Pentagon isn't interested in the truth only in threats.Surely the two are not mutually exclusive ?The Pentagon would be aware that neo-conservative plans for a "benevolent global hegenomy" will meet with resistance .To American military planners that would be the truth and a threat at the same time. The American military/industrial complex is not eco friendly ,it's counter insurgency friendly. That's what this report is about.
remember, the thinkers in the pentagon look for 'threats' not the truth. while it is nice to see an eco-thinking pentagon, it doesn't mean they understand what they are studying - best to leave that to the scientists working on the topic.
this is probably as accurate as WMDs in Iraq.
This is not a report by climatologists saying that there _will_ be drastic environmental change in the next twenty years.
Its a report by 'disaster recovery experts' talking about what _could_ happen _if_ there is drastic climate change in the next twenty years.
I know, I know, its not as exciting a story that way...
Fooled ya! Ha ha ha! There is no bright side...
Here's a link the report itself - straight from the horses mouth...
http://home.earthlink.net/~icedneuron/ReportforPentagon.pdf