5. Sanctions, Boycotts and Green Tariffs.

Sanctions and Boycotts were successfully applied to racist Apartheid South Africa for denying one-man-one-vote to Africans, Indians and other non-Europeans – yet how much deadlier and evil is the worsening Climate Genocide  that already impacts16 million non-European avoidable deaths annually and is set to kill 10 billion non-Europeans this century (see [2]). 

Former UK Government Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Sir David King of Oxford University has stated (2008) : “If you (don't want) run-away climate change, you need to be at about 350 parts per million (ppm) of CO2 ... We're currently at 387 ppm CO2, going up at 2 per annum … If you include all greenhouse gases, we're at around 420 ppm CO2e …the challenge, to move from where we are now [Europe’s  11 tonnes of CO2e per person per year] to where the Indians are today [2.2], while growing the global economy at the same time”. 

“Annual per capita greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution” in units of “tonnes CO2-equivalent per person per year” (2005-2008 data) is 2.2 (India), 6.7 (the World), 11 (Europe), 27 (the US) and 30 (Australia; or 54 if Australia’s huge, world-leading  Exported CO2 pollution is included). [5].

Grossly and disproportionately polluting countries such as climate criminal Australia that continue to flout expert scientific prescriptions and proscriptions must be subject to international Sanctions, Boycotts and Green Tariffs (tariffs properly costed and applied to disproportionately GHG polluting countries).

Decent, pro-Planet Australians would have little trouble supporting such Sanctions, Boycotts and Green Tariffs against climate criminal Australia in order to constrain Australian climate criminals and to help save Australia’s unique and iconic ecosystems such as the Great Barrier Reef, Kakadu and the Murray-Darling River System that are already acutely threatened by man-made global warming.

6. Intra-national and international criminal prosecutions.

In addition to civil actions adumbrated above in sections 3 and 4 (International Reparations demands over AGW and Intra-national Reparations demands), there must be international and intra-national criminal prosecutions to bring climate criminal individuals, corporations, governments, officials  and countries to justice. Indeed I have made a formal complaint to the International Criminal Court (ICC) over Australian complicity in ongoing Indigenous Genocides and worsening Climate Genocide.

Notably,  in my Complaint to the ICC I made a special plea  to Governments of Nations at Risk: “I understand that the International Criminal Court may be prepared to make initial investigations of formal complaints by individuals (such as this complaint) but will only act to the fullest extent of its remit in response to formal complaints by National Governments. Countries at major risk from sea level rises due to climate change include island nations in the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific (some of which face total extinction) and countries with mega-deltas in Europe, Africa, the Americas and Asia (of which some face catastrophic loss of agriculture and massive population displacements). Such Nations will be receiving copies of this formal complaint and are urged to transmit formal complaints to the International Criminal Court”. [6].

B. Badge.

All the successful religions and –isms have had a Badge that their adherents wear by way of solidarity and of “bearing witness” to their beliefs. Thus the highly successful universalist religions have well-known Badges (Symbols, Signs) e.g. the Christians have the Cross, Islam has the Crescent Moon, and Buddhism has the Yin-Yang duality symbol. Major altruistic movements have identifying Signs e.g. Communism has the Hammer and Sickle, Peace has the Dove and Medicine has the Aesculapius symbol of a  snake coiled around a staff.

I and my associates in the Australian Climate Emergency Network (CEN) wear a “Climate Emergency Network” badge. [7].

However other variants are conceivable e.g.  “Climate Emergency” ; “300” (the atmospheric CO2 concentration in parts per million for a safe future); and “< 350” ( indicating the concentration below which we must reduce the atmospheric CO2 concentration and the “target” of the Bill McKibben-inspired organization 350.org  in its international campaigning that is currently focussed on international actions on 24 October 2009). [8].

As Bill McKibben has pointed out, numerical signs such as “350” have the advantage that the Arabic-Hindu numerals are international and transcend language barriers. However Australian Climate Action Groups have overwhelmingly signed up to a goal informed by the latest science of 300 ppm CO2 as being the atmospheric CO2 concentration required to restore the Arctic Summer sea ice and hence ensure a safe climate future. [9].

C. Credo.

Universalist religions such as Christianity and Islam are based on the Holy Bible and the Holy Quran, respectively, but both religions have simpler minimum statements of core beliefs and believer obligations. Thus Catholics have the Nicaean Creed, that Catholic school children recite each day, and Muslims have the 5 Pillars of Wisdom that succinctly set out the fundamental beliefs and obligations of Muslims that are readily understood by ordinary Muslims around the World.

I would offer the following succinct credo for those wanting to save the Planet: “We believe in a safe and sustainable existence for all peoples and all species on our warming-threatened Planet and that this requires a rapid reduction of atmospheric carbon dioxide  concentration to about 300 parts per million”.

The Climate Emergency Network is a little more expansive:  “We have no right to bargain away the lives of others. Our goal is a safe climate future for all people, all species, and all generations. The Global Community must concurrently halt man made greenhouse gas emissions, remove excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and actively cool the Earth”. [7]

Of course, implicit in this Credo is the “How” of achieving a rapid reduction of atmospheric CO2 concentration to a safe level of 300 parts per million. The Melbourne-based Yarra Valley Climate Action Group has produced a pamphlet “Climate Emergency Facts and Required Actions” that summarizes required actions as detailed below. [10].

1. Change of societal philosophy to one of scientific risk management and biological sustainability with complete cessation of species extinctions and zero tolerance for lying.

2. Urgent reduction of atmospheric CO2 to a safe level of about 300 ppm as recommended by leading climate and biological scientists.

3. Rapid switch to the best non-carbon and renewable energy (solar, wind, geothermal, wave, tide and hydro options that are currently roughly the same market price as coal burning-based power) and to energy efficiency, public transport, needs-based production, re-afforestation and return of carbon as biochar to soils coupled with correspondingly rapid cessation of fossil fuel burning, deforestation, methanogenic livestock production and population growth.

Please send this Accountability, Badge and Credo (ABC) protocol to everyone you can.

=======

[1]. Gaia Vince (2009), “One last chance to save mankind“, New Scientist, 23 January 2009.
[2]. Dr Gideon Polya, “Global warming, climate emergency”, U3A course notes, Yarra Valley Climate Action Group, 2009).
[3]. Kevin Anderson and Alice Bows, “Reframing the climate change challenge in light of post-2000 emission trends”, Proc. Trans. Roy. Soc, A, 2008).
[4]. Gideon Polya, “How many people die from Carbon Burning and Climate Change each year?”, Yarra Valley Climate Action Group, 2009.
[5].  Dr Gideon Polya, “Pro-coal Australian Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) devalues Australian lives, threatens Biosphere and ignores Science”, Yarra Valley Climate Action Group, 2009: .
[6]. Dr Gideon Polya, “Formal complaint to the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court re Australian Government involvement in Aboriginal Genocide, Iraqi Genocide, Afghan Genocide and Climate Genocide”, 2008: http://climateemergency.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.html .
[7]. Climate Emergency Network.
[8]. 350.org.
[9]. Target300.org.
[10]. Yarra Valley Climate Action Group, “Climate Emergency Facts and Required Actions”: Yarra Valley Climate Action Group, 2009.

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