'Green Evangelist' shares environmental
message
By
JIM HAUG
Staff Writer
DELAND -- When we die and go to heaven, God is not going to ask
us: "How was the world made?" but rather, "What did you do with
what I created?"
Richard Cizik, the internationally known
"Green Evangelist," closed his speech at
Cindy Bennington, a
The common stereotype of environmentalism is "radical,
left-wing Democratic politics" while religion is often linked with
"radical right-wing Republican politics,"
Cizik is a
Cizik believes global warming is the great moral issue of the times.
"To harm this world by environmental degradation is an
offense against God," he said.
Some religious leaders like James Dobson of Focus on the Family
have criticized Cizik for overstepping his boundaries
as an evangelical spokesman. Dobson argues that global warming is not a
consensus issue.
As a 20-year veteran of politics and religion, Cizik confessed he wasn't converted to the cause until he attended a conference at
He tweaked those with closed minds on the subject of climate
change.
"If you have never changed your mind on anything, pinch
yourself," Cizik said. "You might be
dead."
Religion's emphasis of spirituality over matter is another explanation why religious leaders have been slow to react to the dangers of global warming, Cizik said.
"But what we really face is a challenge of the moral imagination," he said.
Cizik noted that the evangelist Billy Graham was
recently quoted as saying he was unaware of a Revelations verse in which God
declares "He will destroy those who destroy the environment."
Cizik then added, "Many of us lead our whole
lives and don't see what God wants us to see."
Cizik spoke with urgency, noting that scientists
believe humans only have 10 years to reverse global warming and that 50 percent
of animal species may be gone by 2100. He told the college students,
"You
have been a given a gift" to change the environment for the better.
During the question and answer period, Cizik encountered the common criticism that environmental reform would harm the
economy.
He responded that studies have shown the Kyoto Protocol on climate
change would only cost the
Cizik said cities that have voluntarily adopted the
Kyoto Protocol, such as
The
jim.haug@news-jrnl.com
When we die and go to heaven,
God is not going to ask
us:
"How was the world made?"
but rather,
"What did you do with
what I created?"
May 18, 2010
Scientists are worried oil's headed to Keys
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The pollution could endanger Florida's shoreline mangroves, seagrass beds and the third-longest barrier reef in the world,
the 221-mile-long Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary,
which helps draw millions of snorkelers, fishermen and other tourists whose
$$$dollars are vital to the state's economy.$$$
Pollutants can smother and kill coral or hinder their ability to reproduce and grow. That, in turn, could harm thousands of species of exotic fish and other marine life that live in and around reefs.
William Hogarth, dean of the University of South Florida's College of Marine Science,
said one computer model
showed oil had already entered the loop current.
That's bad news for our spectacular beaches and those who depend upon them.
The risks are certainly not worth the reward --
about a cent's worth of gas savings in 2025.
Big Oil says their rigs, pipelines, tankers and refineries are
safe, clean and environmentally friendly these days.
But that's a big lie!
Tens of thousands of barrels of oil
had spilled and mixed with receding floodwater from
Hurricane Katrina.
Det Norske Veritas (DNV), the contractor that the U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS) hired to review pipeline damage from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, used 1-1/2 pages of their 104-page report to address the environmental impacts. In that brief section they reiterated what MMS had already made public: spills from Hurricane Katrina (233,108 gallons) and Hurricane Rita (508,204 gallons) put 741,000 gallons of liquid hydrocarbon (oil, and natural-gas condensate) into Gulf of Mexico waters.
Florida Oil Drilling May Hinge on 2010 Elections
In the summer of 2008,
Attorney General Bill McCollum
actually hardened his position against drilling,
even as Gov. Charlie Crist and presidential wannabe John McCain
were embracing the
"Drill, baby, drill"
moment.
Alex Sink
called last session's House push to drill
"unconscionable" without "significant debate,
serious study or real time to hear from Florida's citizens."
"To me, any kind of wholesale opening of the coastline of Florida to drilling
is just unnecessary to ...
the energy needs of our country
and a risk to the beaches and tourism and beauty of our state,"
McCollum said in July 2008.
"I was in Congress for years debating this issue,"
he added,
"so I'm very familiar with it."
Study finds hurricanes may snap Gulf pipelines
"It doesn't go away, even after the hurricane passes,"
said Hemantha Wijesekara, lead author of the study,
according to a statement issued by American Geophysical Union,
which will publish the study's results on June 10.
Hurricane Ivan damaged or destroyed 22 platforms,
some of which had been set adrift by the September 2004 storm.
The storm also damaged and disrupted 13 undersea oil and natural gas pipelines
triggering an oil spill on the Louisiana coast
and cutting Gulf's production of gas for weeks.
Florida Bay's ecology on the brink of collapse
Wed Aug 5, 2009 6:52 am ET
ISLAMORADA, Fla. – Boat captain Tad Burke looks out over Florida Bay and sees an ecosystem that's dying as politicians, land owners and environmentalists bicker.
He's been plying these waters for nearly 25 years, and has seen the declines in shrimp and lobster that use the bay as a nursery, and less of the coveted species like bonefish that draw recreational sportsmen from around the world.
"Bonefish used to be very prevalent, and now we don't see a tenth of the amount that we used to find in the bay, and even around the Keys because the habitat no longer supports the population," says Burke, head of the Florida Keys Fishing Guides Association.
Experts fear a collapse of the entire ecosystem, threatening not only some of the nation's most popular tourism destinations — Everglades National Park and the Florida Keys — but a commercial and recreational fishery worth millions of dollars.
Florida Bay is a sprawling estuary at the state's southern tip, covering nearly three times the area of New York City.
The headwaters of the Everglades — starting some 300 miles north near Orlando — used to end up here after flowing south in a shallow sheet like a broad, slow-moving river, filtering through miles of muck, marsh and sawgrass.
Historically, the bay thrived on that perfect mix of freshwater from the Everglades and saltwater from the adjacent Gulf of Mexico. It was a virtual Garden of Eden, home to a bounty of wading birds, fish, sea grasses and sponges.
But to the north of the bay, man's unforgiving push to develop South Florida has left the land dissected with roads, dikes and miles of flood control canals to make way for homes and farms, choking off the freshwater flow and slowly killing the bay.
The ill effects extend even across the narrow spit of land that makes up the Florida Keys to the shallow coral reefs in the Atlantic Ocean. Many popular commercial fish like grouper and snapper begin their lives in the bay before migrating into the ocean to the reefs.
"If Florida Bay heads south and there's a lot less fish in there, well, when that's done, it's all over down here," Burke says. "When that goes, your reefs are going to go, too, and it'll just be a chain reaction.
"You could argue that the bay has already collapsed," he adds.
Algae blooms block life-giving sunlight from penetrating the water's surface. Sea grasses that filter the water and provide habitat for the food chain are dying. And some migratory birds aren't returning.
"The health of Florida Bay is very much tied to the state of the Everglades, and the Everglades isn't improving either," says Tom Van Lent, senior scientist with the not-for-profit Everglades Foundation. "Their fates are one and the same."
For decades, the state has struggled to find a way to restore natural flow through the Everglades and curb the pollution caused by runoff from sugar farms, cow pastures and urban sprawl. It is the largest such wetlands restoration effort ever.
"Having that water coming down from the Everglades is key," says Rob Clift of the National Parks Conservation Association. "It has to be restored."
Attempts to fix the Everglades by constructing water treatment marshes and reservoirs, among other things, have been dogged by politics, funding shortfalls, and contentious, litigation-filled disagreements over the best solutions. And while land has been purchased and some projects completed, key restoration components are undone.
"It's really aggravating," Burke says. "We've seen very little, if any, really ground breaking projects that would help change the flow into Florida Bay."
A litany of lawsuits filed by parties favoring one solution over another are partly to blame, says Carol Wehle, executive director of the South Florida Water Management District, the state agency overseeing Everglades restoration.
Name an environmental group, and the agency has been sued by them.
Wehle calls them "obstructionists." Her agency heads back to court Aug. 6 for closing arguments in yet another lawsuit.
"There are a handful of people that choose not to participate in this process and instead use litigation, and who is losing? The environment is losing," Wehle says.
The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians, who call the Everglades their ancestral home, have sued the water district repeatedly. It's the tribe and a few others who now have the district back in court as part of an effort to block the state's planned $536 million purchase of land in the Everglades from U.S. Sugar Corp.
Tribe spokeswoman Joette Lorion says the deal could end up costing taxpayers billions of dollars, leaving little money to pay for actual projects, and will create more delays as officials figure out exactly what to do with all the new land.
"Meeting upon meeting, and the Everglades continues to die," Lorion says.
The water district says the deal is a historic opportunity to take sugar out of production and provide land to build much-needed reservoirs and treatment areas to clean and store water.
Back on Florida Bay, Burke just wants something done before it's too late. To the casual onlooker, the area is stunning even today. But Burke knows better.
"In a lot of ways," he says,
"it's still pristine and beautiful down here,
but it's also on its last dying breath."
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused over
9 million gallons of oil
to be spilled into the
Gulf of Mexico in
2005.
Study finds hurricanes may snap Gulf pipelines
Thu May 27, 2010 2:48 pm ET
HOUSTON (Reuters) – Hurricanes could rupture underwater oil and natural gas pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico, which is already struggling with the worst oil spill in U.S. history, according to a new study by researchers at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Mississippi.
The study looked at the effects from 2004's Hurricane Ivan, which disrupted several underwater pipelines in the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
Disruption of the seafloor can reach depths of 300 feet from destructive currents, which can continue for up to a week after the hurricane passes, the researchers found.
"It doesn't go away, even after the hurricane passes," said Hemantha Wijesekara, lead author of the study, according to a statement issued by American Geophysical Union, which will publish the study's results on June 10.
Hurricane Ivan damaged or destroyed 22 platforms, some of which had been set adrift by the September 2004 storm.
The storm also damaged and disrupted 13 undersea oil and natural gas pipelines triggering an oil spill on the Louisiana coast an cutting Gulf's production of gas for weeks.
(Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by John Picinich)
Everglades, Florida Bay and shoreline ecologies particularly at risk from oil spill, scientists say
BY MATT CLARK Naples Daily News
Posted May 4, 2010 at 9:16 p.m.
“If a surface slick runs close to shore along the southern tip of the peninsula, it could be pulled in and remain in there for years,” said James Fourqurean, a seagrass ecologist with Florida International University, speaking of Florida Bay.
Deep sea oil plumes, dispersants endanger reefs
By JASON DEAREN and MATT SEDENSKY,Associated Press Writers –
May 17, 2010 1 hr 15 mins ago
On Sunday, researchers said computer models show oil has already entered the loop current that could carry the toxic goo toward the Keys, the third-longest barrier reef in the world.
U.S. climate bill costs low for households: EIA
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The climate change bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives would raise annual energy costs for U.S. households less than $150 in 10 years, significantly lower than some industry estimates, according to a draft report from the Energy Information Administration.
The EIA's analysis of the House climate legislation says the average U.S. family would pay $142 more in energy expenses in 2020, and $583 more in 2030, if it were enacted.
The projection from the EIA is in line with projections made by the Congressional Budget Office and the Environmental Protection Agency, and contradict claims by energy and business trade groups that consumers would pay thousands of dollars more a year under the plan to fight global warming.
The EIA's estimate also found that gasoline prices would be 23 cents a gallon higher in 2020 and 36 cents more in 2030, according to a draft analysis that was sent to U.S. lawmakers last week and obtained by Reuters. The agency said it will release the final version of the report soon.
Much of the debate on climate change legislation has centered on the possible economic impact of establishing a system limiting carbon emissions.
Democrats and other supporters of the legislation have promoted the plan as a way to bolster the lagging economy. Opponents have characterized the bill as a "job killer" that would unduly burden American high energy costs.
Jeremy Symons, who oversees the National Wildlife Federation's climate change program, said the EIA's analysis shows that industry claims that efforts to fight global warming would significantly boost energy costs "are completely unfounded and simply scare tactics."
The EIA reviewed the impact of the climate change bill at the request of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
The House in June passed legislation to cut U.S. carbon emissions from utilities, manufacturers and others by 17 percent by 2020 and 83 percent by 2050, from 2005 levels.
The lower emission levels would be accomplished through a cap-and-trade system, where a U.S. company would be required to have a pollution permit to emit one ton of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions each year.
Carbon permits are projected to cost $32 a metric ton in 2020 and $65 in 2030, the EIA said.
Those companies that use cleaner energy and reduce their emissions could sell their permits to companies that pollute more.
The U.S. Senate is expected to unveil its climate change bill in September when lawmakers return from their summer recess.
(Reporting by Tom Doggett; editing by Jim Marshall)
Oh, to be a slave to growth ballot
COMMUNITY VOICES
November 29, 2007
The recently published opinion piece about Florida Hometown Democracy by Nick Conte is as full of holes as an old, tired fishing net.
Why does it happen that about every two or four years, the majority of voters throw out so many incumbents?
Because they're doing such a good, conscientious job of managing growth?
Why did 72 percent of Volusia County's voters dutifully exercise their legal rights a few years ago to support urban growth boundaries, if they so cherished the "long-held practices" Conte holds dear? Those practices include:
· Changing comprehensive plans routinely at the whims of developers who sniff big profits from higher densities.
· Appointing the same back-slapping, good ol' boy and girl faces to key committees, boards and positions of power time and time again.
· Delegating unelected staff members to work on back-room deals.
· Approving illogical, wrong-headed and short-sighted development plans while saying, "We want this RIGHT NOW but don't worry, we'll follow the rules/fix the road/save the wetlands later."
I have never met attorney Lesley Blackner, who formulated Florida Hometown Democracy.
However I know that she has contributed a good bit of her own money to the cause. Conte fails to explain his "logic": Just how would Blackner's personal agenda be advanced by the citizens of, say, Homestead, Florida, voting on whether they want to increase the allowable density on land in their own city? To the contrary, maybe they, or the residents of Key West, Pensacola or St. Petersburg, would resent someone who doesn't live in their town telling them to just suck it up for a few years or they'll be, as Conte wrote, "virtual slaves to the ballot."
I, for one, would love to be a virtual slave to the ballot instead of being a virtual slave to deaf, uncaring and arrogant elected officials who would pave over their grandmother's grave if a developer's lawyer whispered the word "compromise."
The people of this state, not special interest big money, should be the source of all political power. Florida Hometown Democracy aims to do just that.
Walters lives in Enterprise and serves on the Volusia Growth Management Commission.