The alarming, extremely well documented global changes, along with information about the impacts on the local communities and regions where I speak, move people to demand action. Specifics on the latest on climate change legislation, innovative examples of successes around the world along with local campaigns and programs helps to perk the interest of journalists, who have spread the message of the polar bear survival tour throughout the continent. Front page newspaper articles, hour-long radio talk shows and television coverage has become quite common at tour stops, keeping this critical issue alive.
Scientists were already alarmed before this last summer’s record ice melt. Now they are saying the melting is occurring exponentially faster than their recent predictions indicated. Current estimates by NASA scientists are for a near ice-free
The feared tipping point toward disastrous abrupt climate change appears to have been reached. But rather than give up on all future generations and all life on our planet, we must mobilize like we did for World War II until we tackle this crisis. This will be by far the hardest problem we have ever faced.
But it is the most important, with 60 percent of all species on our planet expected to be extinct this century if we continue with business as usual. Those who think this alarmist should realize that the prediction of mass extinction was made before the newest findings of the accelerating pace of warming with the 2007 Arctic melt data.
Scientists one year ago predicted an ice free
Those predictions needing modified for the worse include: hundreds of millions of people expected to die this century because of the climate crisis, with some predictions as high as 6.5 billion people.
We know the solutions: I have lived entirely by solar and wind generated energy in
The first step that we can all do immediately is to use energy more efficiently and to conserve. We must rapidly rebuild our rail network, which can get 10-40 times better fuel efficiency per passenger mile while going 200+ miles per hour. It is also a much better way to travel, being able to walk about, work, read, eat or sleep while being 100+ times safer than driving.
These solutions will also clean up our air and water of the toxins now generated by mining and burning coal, and drilling, refining and burning oil. Wind farms are visual signs of progress and rooftop space is all that is needed for solar panels.
We all must become citizen activists and demand change from our electric utilities, elected officials and industry. Very few understand the gravity of the situation we face. The very survival of a huge portion of humanity and the welfare of all generations to come rests in our hands in these pivotal years.
Please consider adding a stop for the polar bear survival tour in your home town or campus, in the effort of educating the masses through mass media of the critical need for urgent action, while we still have time.
Currently scheduled stops include:
April 19: Allegheny
April 20:
May 17:
November 18:
Recent speaking events include:
October 19:
October 25:
November 2:
November 3:
November 5:
November 6:
November 7:
November 8:
November 13: Sault
November 14:
November 15:
November 16: 7 p.m.
January 9: Presentation to 750 High School Students in
January 31: University of Findlay, Ohio
February 4:
February 6:
February 6: evening,
February 10:
February 11-13
February 14:
February 15:
February 25: 8 a.m.-11a.m. Vinton Middle School: three presentations
March 5:
March 6-8: Public Interest Environmental Law Conference;
March 10:
March 13:
March 14:
March 15: Midpines,
March 22-23:
