Letters 221-230

Thurs 7 Nov 2013

Letter #221

Dear President Obama,

I was saddened to read today that Cyprus has made a deal with TOTAL of France to develop liquefied natural gas.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/07/business/international/cyprus-in-plan-to-develop-a-natural-gas-industry.html

The long term strategy to drill for gas off their coast and build a liquefication plant comes from a need to rebuild their economy on something other than banking. Cyprus would be better served by developing wind and other renewable energies – but unfortunately the people willing to help out and invest are BIG OIL. Cyprus will lose because 20 years from now we will be cutting back on natural gas – not expanding its use. It is sad to see small countries pushed to develop unsustainable industries by large multi-national companies with only a short- term interest. It’s like encouraging them to open a lemonade stand when winter is coming! Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline. Stop it now. We urgently need to wean ourselves from fossil fuels.

Thank you.

Susan J. Ringler, Shame on TOTAL

Friday 8 Nov 2013

Letter #222

Dear President Obama,

Yesterday I wrote about Cyprus and a natural gas deal with France. Today it’s Ukraine and a 50 year shale gas deal with Chevron!

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/06/business/international/chevron-and-ukraine-sign-deal-on-shale-gas.html

Ukraine wants to be less dependent on Russia, so it’s allowing Chevron to frack for 5 years and see what they find. With hyperbolic optimism, Ukraine expects to be exporting energy in 2020. That’s 6 years from now. By then we’ll see much more clearly how fossil fuels must stay in the ground. Ukraine is letting itself be hood-winked by Chevron. Oiii! Even Romania and Lithuania have started opposing fracking. Chevron should stop bullying small weak countries- and you should show leadership! So please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline. Stop it now. Fossil fuels cost too much. We need to quickly switch to renewables to lessen climate damage. Show your leadership. Do the right thing.

Thank you.

Susan J. Ringler, No Fracking in Ukraine

Saturday 9 Nov 2013

Letter #223

Dear President Obama,

There was an article recently about coal plants adding some wood to lessen their carbon emissions. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/04/business/power-plants-try-burning-wood-with-coal-to-cut-emissions.html

In places like Minnesota and Alaska that have wood product industries, this seems a viable option, but in Ohio where AEP tried it, the whole wood supply was too unpredictable. Coal has got to go! So burning waste-wood where you have a lot of it, is OK – but that is no long term solution. It’s confusing whether burning wood is “zero carbon emissions” – But what’s not confusing and is very clear is that our energy needs need to be met with renewables. Ditzing around with scrubbers on coal plants is ludicrous. We need to invest dramatically in Renewable Energy. And we need to do it quickly.

Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline immediately. You need to send a strong signal that our future well-being depends on reducing carbon emissions very quickly.

Thank you.

Susan J. Ringler, Coal has Got To Go!

Sunday 10 Nov 2013

Letter #224

Dear President Obama,

Here is a Vermont haiku I wrote – somehow captures Fall in New England:

Apples thudding softly into damp leaves

Earth fruit fall
Farnham cider

Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline so that we enjoy our climate without too many disruptions.

Thank you.

Susan J. Ringler, Love Farnham Cider

Monday 11 Nov 2013

Letter #225

Dear President Obama,

Typhoon Haiyan ripped through the Philippines on Saturday with Tacloban the largest city in its direct path. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/12/world/asia/top-un-relief-official-flies-to-philippines-to-help-coordinate-aid-efforts.html?pagewanted=all

But instead of bringing mudslides and river floodings, this rapid powerful storm brought 13 foot storm surges, a completely new and unexpected danger for which everyone was completely unprepared. This climate disruption is just the beginning. How many huge unpredictable weather events will it take before we seriously try to reduce our carbon emissions? We urgently need to cut back NOW. Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline – it is part of the problem, not the solution. Please, please do it today.

Thank you.

Susan J. Ringler, Sorrowful for Tacloban

Tuesday 12 Nov 2013

Letter #226

Dear President Obama,

World leaders are meeting in Warsaw today to try and forge a new global climate treaty.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/12/world/asia/typhoon-in-philippines-casts-long-shadow-over-un-talks-on-climate-treaty.html?_r=0

But even with the grim news from Tacloban Philippines and the unprecedented storm surge there, it may not be enough to really open people’s eyes. We are one of the countries emitting huge amounts of CO₂ and we have the ability to greatly reduce that. So please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline and show that you care about climate disruption across the whole planet. Please show your leadership with this small stroke of your pen. I don’t know how many more unusual and devastating climate events it will take to get world leaders to work together. I just hope it happens soon. You could speed that process.

Thank you.

Susan J. Ringler, Worried that Warsaw Meeting Will Fail

Wed 13 Nov 2013

Letter #227

Dear President Obama,

The paper the last few days has been full of stories and pictures from typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, and correctly so. The Philippines government is estimating only a few thousand dead, but I am sure that number will rise much higher since many small coastal communities remain completely cut off and storm surges have a way of washing people out to sea. But today I draw your attention to another tropical storm that hit Somalia last weekend, killing at least 100 people, probably more, but obtaining only 2-3 column inches in the NY Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/12/world/africa/somalia-cyclone-kills-at-least-100.html?_r=0

We are beginning to see multiple simultaneous weather catastrophes. Our climate is disrupted and will become less predictable. It is so urgent that we quickly reduce carbon emissions. Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline! Stop it now, and start us on a path to keeping climate chaos to a minimum.

Thank you.

Susan J. Ringler, Sorrowful for Somalian Cyclone

Thurs 14 Nov 2013

Letter #228

Dear President Obama,

Today I added my name to a petition in support of Naderev Sano, a Philippine Delegate to the UN Climate Change conference in Poland.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/14/world/asia/aid-groups-in-philippines-fear-more-devastation-has-yet-to-be-revealed.html?pagewanted=all

He is going on a hunger strike until his fellow delegates act to avert climate disaster. He calls for “concrete pledges” from each country. Mr. Sano received a standing ovation after his speech, but will anything change? Please show that you want change – that you want to quickly reduce GHG emissions. Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline! Stop it NOW. Please let this horrific storm in the Philippines be a wake-up call for world leaders.

Thank you.

Susan J. Ringler, Respect for Naderev Sano

Fri 15 Nov 2013

Letter #229

Dear President Obama,

This week I went looking on the web for data on current energy consumption in the US and found http://www.eia.gov/, The Energy Information Administration. They put out lots of reports on how much of the different fuel types we use – in different regions – over the past 2 decades or more and forecasts into the next several decades. They keep track of prices of natural gas and diesel fuel and lots of things month by month. They track energy use in different types of buildings from churches to shopping malls, from small houses to large apartment buildings.

It seems to me the primary beneficiaries of all this data collection are the energy industries – allowing them good data on demand – so they can coordinate supply for maximum profit. Perhaps not – but so it seems – just one more subsidy for big oil and gas. Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline Right Now. We must stop this madness of GHG emissions as soon as possible. You can start today with the denial of the Keystone Pipeline permit.

Thank you.

Susan J. Ringler, User of eia.gov Data

Sat 16 Nov 2013

Letter #230

Dear President Obama,