Letters 191-200

Tues 1 Oct 2013

Letter #191

Dear President Obama,

The Cambridge Planning Board met this evening to consider the NetZero petition (netzerocambridge.org). 24 people spoke in favor of the petition. None spoke against it. Dozens of citizens attended. But the Board is being very timid. They don’t know if it’s the right thing to do. I wrote a haiku as I listened to them:

Woefully wobbling Bureaucrats
Waiting waiting

So timidly

Please say NO to the Keystone XL Pipeline.

Thank you.

Susan J. Ringler, NOT TIMID

Wed 2 Oct 2013

Letter #192

Dear President Obama,

Last week the world’s climate scientists set an upper limit of 1 trillion metric tons of carbon for humans to burn.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/28/science/global-climate-change-report.html?pagewanted=all

This is not like calories: so many per day / decade / century. This is a hard limit – NO MORE EVER. We must switch completely to renewable energy and we need to do so VERY QUICKLY. Everyone needs to help. Everyone needs to do what they can. What I can do is write letters and talk to my friends, what you can do is STOP the Keystone XL Pipeline! If you understand how important it is to move quickly away from fossil fuels, you understand what folly it is to keep pumping tar sands through pipelines for export. This is lunacy. It must stop. Please show that you can really take climate change seriously and realize that urgent change is needed.

Thank you.

Susan J. Ringler, Heed the IPCC Warning

Thursday 3 Oct 2013

Letter #193

Dear President Obama,

I went to a panel discussion on net-zero buildings last evening convened by the Cambridge Mayor. 6 experts said it was important to reduce carbon emissions, but acknowledged it was difficult to do so when utility prices are so low. They also focused on how important it is to educate consumers to use less energy. Basically they pointed the fingers at others, and encouraged the individuals in the audience to feel guilty. This is baloney. My turning my computer off overnight is irrelevant compared to coal-fired electricity generation! So I propose that each group/individual do what they CAN. The city of Cambridge cannot pass a carbon tax, but they can tighten their zoning. They should pass the Net-Zero Emissions petition. And you can stop the Keystone XL Pipeline. Please do it today. Yes we CAN. If we have the courage of our convictions.

Thank you.

Susan J. Ringler, Courage + Conviction

Friday 4 Oct 2013

Letter #194

Dear President Obama,

Yesterday the NY Times carried a front-page article about Ladar Levinson and his decision to close his email business LAVABIT rather than cave-in to overly sweeping FBI requests for encryption keys http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/03/us/snowdens-e-mail-provider-discusses-pressure-from-fbi-to-disclose-data.html?pagewanted=all. Here is a man of principle who I admire for acting on his convictions. His action, closing his business, demonstrates how little right to privacy anyone in this country has. It is shameful.

You too need to act on your convictions. After the IPCC report, no one can say that climate change isn’t real. So now we need people to act to solve climate change. Please say NO to the Keystone XL Pipeline. It is completely unnecessary and damages the present and future environment. Please act NOW.

Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Admire Ladar Levinson

Sunday 6 Oct 2013

Letter #195

Dear President Obama,

I was happy to read Friday about Elijah Zarlin and 150 other former Obama campaign workers who are urging you to deny the Keystone XL Pipeline.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/04/us/campaigning-again-for-obama-to-say-no.html?pagewanted=all

I hope their voice is a little louder than mine and that when all these voices combine you will recognize how important it is for you to act and to STOP Keystone XL. Tar sands oil is bad for the planet, and therefore bad for the US as a large nation on that planet. We must not help Canada export their dirty products. We need to quickly replace fossil fuels with renewables.

Thank you.

Susan J. Ringler, Support the 150 Former Obama Campaigners Against Keystone XL

Monday 7 Oct 2013

Letter #196

Dear President Obama,

On 19 Sept a small article describes California’s new transportation fuel standard that includes in the carbon emissions for a fuel not just what is emitted when it is used, but also the carbon emitted during the production and transportation of that fuel! http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/19/us/california-court-upholds-emissions-curbs.html Of course Texas oil-folks sued saying it discriminated against them – and they lost! Making and using something locally is better! Clearly the Keystone XL Pipeline breaks all these rules! Petcoke takes more energy to extract from the ground, takes energy to transport in an enormous pipeline and takes more energy to export to foreign buyers. This is absolutely the wrong direction to be heading. Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline. Do not support Canadian officials in their truly awful plans for making money. Support local renewable energy instead!

Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Praise for California Fuel Standards

Tuesday 8 Oct 2013

Letter #197

Dear President Obama,

I am happy that the Science Times tries to keep carbon emissions in the forefront of the news by articles on different aspects of the recent IPCC report that stated how much total carbon we can burn.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/08/science/how-to-slice-a-global-carbon-pie.html?_r=0

But what is truly depressing is reading a statement like “No American President is going to agree to a deal that would shut down the fossil fuel industry 15 years from now.” But this is what we need to do! Our energy companies need to diversify into renewables and make money from delivering energy across a much more robust grid. We don’t have a choice. The longer it takes us to get going with far greater efforts to reduce carbon emissions, the harder it will be to avoid climate disaster. Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline NOW. Please be the President I want: the President who takes significant steps to avert climate disaster.

Thank you.

Susan J. Ringler, Let’s Jump Ship From Fossil Fuels

Wed 9 Oct 2013

Letter #198

Dear President Obama,

An entire “Energy” section in the NY Times today presents the message that oil prices will remain stable in the US for decades and we will benefit from cheap shale gas.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/09/business/energy-environment/oil-shocks-ahead-probably-not.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
One article claims we will still be getting 84% of our energy from thermo-electric plants in 2040.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/09/business/energy-environment/in-a-hot-thirsty-energy-business-water-is-prized.html

We can’t afford to be doing that. We will ruin the planet! A Chevron ad in the section claims they (Chevron) produce “reliable, affordable energy.” Affordable today, but ruinous (?) for tomorrow. It’s all happy talk about business as usual. Several articles assume Canadian Tar Sands production will relentlessly rise. Please show leadership NOW and stop the Keystone XL Pipeline. Articles like these, that ignore the dangers of climate change do enormous damage, lulling complacency. But you know better. You know we must wean ourselves from fossil fuels. The only reliable affordable energy is RENEWABLE. Tell the truth. Be an agent of change. NO to Keystone. Yes to Renewables.

Thank you.

Susan J. Ringler, Dismayed at Oil Industry Happy Talk

Thurs 10 Oct 2013

Letter #199

Dear President Obama,

It’s John Lennon’s birthday today. Yoko put a nice birthday memorial in the Times. He encouraged us to IMAGINE – to imagine what we could do coming together for the better of all people. What more important cause than maintaining a habitable climate on EARTH – the only home we have? Leadership takes vision and the courage to act on your convictions – that’s because what’s easiest for us humans is reacting to the immediate. Leadership requires that you imagine future events and act to avert disaster. You understand the climate problem – now you need to act decisively to avert disaster. Please say NO to the Keystone XL Pipeline. It’s a first small necessary step. It takes some imagination to realize how important this is – but you can do it. John Lennon would be pleased.

Thank you.

Susan J. Ringler, John Lennon Fan

Friday 11 Oct 2013

Letter #200

Dear President Obama,

The article today on carbon capture projects paints a pretty bleak picture. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/11/science/earth/study-finds-setbacks-in-carbon-capture-projects.html

The only ones that are actually operating are 3 in the US that capture CO₂ from natural gas used to refine oil and use it to stimulate the flow of oil out of old oil wells! This is really not going to help – because the new oil the sequestered CO₂ helps obtain will just emit more CO2 when it is burned. We are kidding ourselves that we are going to reduce emissions while we continue to pump more oil! Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline. We must use less fossil fuel. We will ruin the habitability of planet earth if we don’t. Please cancel KXL NOW.