On December 10, 1997, Julia Butterfly Hill climbed up into a giant 1500 year old redwood tree named Luna. She didn’t come down for 738 days, only relenting when the Pacific Lumber Company, a logging business, agreed to spare the tree and establish a 200-foot buffer zone around it. Her protest broke all world records for tree-sitting and focused media attention on Pacific’s disregard for the environment. It also helped to educate the public about the role forests play in stabilizing hillsides.
When she woke up that day in December, Julia, 23, had no intention of sitting in a tree for a bit over two years. She was not an ardent activist, had little experience in environmental action and no grand goals. She was simply outraged that anyone would take a chainsaw to an ancient tree or try to remove any of the last remaining redwoods which had been standing for up to 2000 years. Julia never imagined it would be possible for her to achieve such a feat, but when protest organizers asked for volunteers to stay in the tree for a week, no one else answered the call. “They had to pick me,” she smiled. “Nobody else would do it.”
Hill learned many survival skills while living in Luna on two 6x4-foot platforms. She seldom washed the soles of her feet because the sap helped her feet stick to the branches. She used solar-powered cell phones for radio interviews and rigged up a pulley device to hoist up supplies delivered by support crews. To keep warm, she used a tight sleeping bag, leaving only a small hole for breathing, and cooked her meals on a single-burner propane stove. Throughout her stay, Julia weathered freezing rains, 40 mph winds, helicopter harassment, a ten-day siege from Pacific security personnel and attempted intimidation by angry loggers.
Twenty-six years later, Luna still stands on a ridge above the town of Stafford, California. You can see her from Highway 101 near the Stafford exit, looking east. All because a single person of great character and rare mettle took a stand against folly and made an incredible sacrifice. You don’t have to save a baby from a burning building to become a hero.
South Of The Border Blues
Oscar Eyraud Adams, an indigenous Mexican activist, made a 6 p.m. Facebook post on September 24, 2020 agreeing to participate in an upcoming environmental event called “Looking for Rain in the Desert” in Tecate, Baja California. Shortly afterward, a group of armed men invaded his residence and shot him dead, taking only his notebook and cellphone. At least 13 bullet casings of different calibers were found by authorities at the scene. Adams’ case and many others are chronicled in “Last Line of Defence: The Industries Causing the Climate Crisis and Attacks Against Land and Environmental Defenders,” from Global Witness, an environmental rights organization which is kicking ass and taking names over the increase in attacks against activists.
“You would never think that defending our right to water and life will lead to death,” says Diana Gabriela Aranguren, a teacher and environmental activist. “But in Mexico the people who defend their territory and natural resources are being killed. They make us disappear and they criminalize us.”
At least 30% of the attacks are related to the exploitation of resources in activities such as logging, the construction of hydroelectric dams, mining projects and large scale agribusiness. The logging and deforestation industry is linked to the highest number of murders in 2020 with 23 cases recorded in countries such as Brazil, Nicaragua and Peru. Global Witness claims its data doesn’t reflect the true dimension of the problem because restrictions on press freedom and coercive tactics such as death threats, illegal surveillance and criminalization can contribute to an underreporting of assaults. However, according to the organization, at least four environmental defenders have been killed each week since the signing of the Paris Accords in 2015.
The most chilling data comes from Latin America, where 165 deaths took place in 2020. Colombia led the sad parade with 165 murders, Mexico had 30, Brazil 20 and Honduras 17. Almost all the deaths were of people engaged in small scale agriculture; a third of the activists were Indigenous or Afro-Colombians.
In 2017, Eyraud Adams had opposed the installation of the Constellation Brands brewery, which planned to use 1.8 billion gallons of water a year. “He helped us make what is happening in Baja California visible, but he paid for it with his life,” said friend Aranguren, who is part of Mexicali Resiste, an environmental organization. “It is sad because these murders take away our children’s future security. We feel great fear but we continue fighting. There are still more megaprojects in this area that take away our water. If we don’t protest no one will come to help us.”
The Empire Strikes Back
Marine Protected Areas are increasing. Scientists contend that these reserves are extremely important for limiting the rapid rate of extinction of species resulting from climate change and human activities like drilling, mining and shipping. The world’s largest reserve, Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in---you guessed it---Hawaii, has shown it not only protects marine life within the park’s boundaries but also helps creatures living outside its borders flourish. A study on the Reserve published last October found that boats fishing for lucrative tuna species outside the park’s boundaries have been catching more tuna since the park was created.
In the U.S., the Inflation Reduction Act was a political win for the planet. The IRA invested $369 billion in clean energy projects and incentives for energy-efficient technology such as electric vehicles. “This is the most consequential piece of U.S. legislation for the climate ever,” claims Richard Newell, chief executive of Resources for the Future, a nonprofit energy organization. The bill will help the United States to more quickly transition to renewable energy. By the end of the decade, 81% of the country’s energy could come from sources such as wind and solar power. The bill also introduced the nation’s first-ever fee on a greenhouse gas (methane), a potent source of planet-warming pollution than even carbon dioxide.
Disa & Data
English conservationist, engineer and fun boy Martin Bacon has taken the notion of a caffeine boost to rare heights after setting a new world record for a coffee-powered vehicle. Bacon’s Bean Machine, a Ford P100 pickup he converted by installing a gassifier in back, managed to roll at an average speed of 65.5 mph during a run at Woodford Airfield in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The modification allows the vehicle to make use of coffee chaff pellets, the waste product from coffee production. The pellets are heated in a charcoal fire, where they break down into carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The generated gas is then used to power the truck’s regular gas engine. Starting the truck is more of an art than a process of simply turning a key. Martin has to fire up his boiler using kindling and a firestick, then has to wait for the gas pressure to build up. “I’m saving a bushel on petrol ,” say Bacon, “but they give me the stinkeye when I leave the market with three carts of coffee.”
We’ve all heard them. The yahoos who jump up and down on a particularly cold day and hoot at the threat of climate change. Early snow in Colorado? Titter. Icy roads in Valdosta? Haw Haw! Snowflakes in the Florida panhandle? Fall-down hilarity. But in a 2020 survey of U.S. citizens by YouGov, only 6% of respondents claimed climate change isn’t happening. In 2022, there were 7% fewer climate deniers in the U.S. Congress than during the previous session, though many Republicans would never admit it openly, and 23% fewer than when the Congress convened six years earlier. When we find ourselves in trouble, Mother Nature comes to share---“Remember folks, that patient tortoise eventually beat the hare.”
Smiles:
1. A recent international agreement will preserve nearly one-third of the Earth.
Just about every country in the world agreed to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework at the COP15 meeting in Montreal, which set 23 targets which countries must achieve by 2030. Among them, countries agree to stop subsidizing activities that continue to destroy wilderness, like mining and industrial fishing. The pact protects more than 30% of all land and water on Earth by 2030, which makes it the largest land and ocean conservation commitment in history. There’s money behind it, too. Wealthy countries promised $30 billion for these efforts, roughly triple the amount spent currently.
2. The oceans have a new legal shield.
Two hundred nautical miles off any country’s coastline, no nation has jurisdiction. That’s half the total area of the planet and home to the largest animals in the world and the smallest creatures, like phytoplankton, which provides about half the oxygen we breath. This territory is now covered by the above GBF agreement, which establishes protected areas where fishing, mining and dumping is prohibited.
3. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has accelerated Europe’s shift away from fossil fuels.
It’s an ill wind that bloweth no man good. Russia is the largest exporter of natural gas in the world, and after their armies invaded Ukraine, many of their customers in Europe were desperate to find al alternative. “After the invasion, energy security emerged as additional strong motivation to accelerate renewable energy development,” reported the International Energy Agency. In 2022, European households installed three times as many gigawatts of solar than they did in 2021 and that’s on track to triple again in the next four years.
4. The United States finally passed a significant law to deal with climate change.
Joe Biden and congressional Democrats pushed through an enormous funding influx to move the U.S. economy away from fossil fuels. The Inflation Reduction Act includes $369 billion for an array of climate priorities, which include tax breaks and rebates aimed at electrifying homes and cars. Utilities will receive investments to make the transition from coal and oil, and gas polluters will be charged new fees for methane pollution. Communities which have been harmed by redlining policies and environmental racism will receive grants to clean up local pollution.
5. The end is nearer for fossil-fueled cars. California has set a deadline of 2035.
And they’re not the only advocates for electric. Massachusetts and New York will soon have their own deadlines and others will follow, a fact not lost on automobile manufacturers. The Environmental Protection Agency has also approved a new set of pollution regulations for cars, pickups, SUVs and delivery trucks. By 2032, two-thirds of cars sold in the United States will be required to run on electrons. The European Union has proposed a ban on gasoline and diesel vehicles by 2035.
If you want to ease into the future, next time try a hybrid. If you want to be a hero, get an electric bike.
Testimonials:
You’re seventy Grandpa, and you’re killing yourself on your old Schwinn. Errands you used to do on your bike, you now perform in your car. Still, you feel guilty smogging up the atmosphere just to go to Publix for a lottery ticket. Consider, if you will, the E-Bike, a friend to the environment, your lungs and your legs. The guys below tried one and they’re glad they did.
Anthony: “Knee replacement has made it difficult to ride my old bike for long distances. Thanks to my E-Bike, I’m able to ride all day.”
Jerry: “I’m 70 and I ride my E-Bike on days I would not normally ride, like windy days or times when I’m feeling a little puny. Most E-bike owners want to get exercise but in a more enjoyable way.”
Paul: “Six years ago, I had a severe motorcycle accident resulting in my right tibia being replaced by a Tibia Nail. All my life I’ve had some form of bike or scooter but I thought my riding days were done. I tried riding a normal MTB but the pain and strain was unbearable. I sold it and bought a Cube E-Bike and it’s improved my mobility tremendously.”
Josh: “For the past six years I’ve commuted to work by E-Bike. That’s 50,000 miles. I only fill my car’s gas tank every five to six weeks and it’s saved me thousands of dollars, not to mention keeping many tons of CO2 out of the atmosphere.”
Miles: “I enjoy riding more. I used to ride for about an hour a day, now I’ve added another 30 minutes, sometimes an extra hour. I’ve definitely noticed that my legs are significantly stronger than before.”
Electric bikes are zero-emission vehicles which use lithium-ion batteries. Riders are not contributing to global warming. You emit no pollutants. When you charge any device, you are drawing power from the grid but since you’ll likely be riding in the daytime, you’ll be charging at night during off-peak hours. Some bikes can reach speeds up to 20 miles an hour, higher if you pedal faster, giving you a range of 50 miles. E-Bike batteries are highly durable, usually lasting 2 to 4 years. They do not contain toxic elements such as lead and most of them are recyclable.
An elderly friend of ours was peddling his E-Bike at a modest speed in St. Pete one fine morning when a crew of brazen youngsters blasted by him in a trice, dispensing less than polite advice. His bike was virtually indistinguishable from those of the marauders, so he decided to have a little fun and cranked up the juice, soon passing them. Shocked, they picked up the pace, but so did he. “Remember that scene in the movie Zachariah when the outlaws couldn’t catch the stagecoach?” he asked, smiling. “It was like that. Never had so much fun in my life.”
Save the environment and kick some young Turk’s ass at the same time. That’s a twofer you don’t get every day.
That’s all, folks….
bill.killeen094@gmail.com
