Friday 16 December, 2016
Letter #631
(2nd letter today)
Benoit Tessier/Reuters/NYTimes 7 Dec 2015
Dear President Obama,
Here is another of my favorite images from the Paris Climate Conference in Dec 2015. The connection between renewable energy and peace is undeniable! As extracted resources cause more and more wars, it becomes obvious that we can avoid a lot of conflict by using RENEWABLE energy. If we could only get cities and states and nations to all make a big push for renewable energy, the payback would be fantastic in few years! So the house you are moving into in DC – is it suitable for solar panels? It would be very cool if you could get most of your electricity from solar there – look into it. Of course it depends on shade, and neighbors, and roof angles, but many houses an great for solar. So please continue to do everything you can to KIITG. Thank you.
Susan J. Ringer, Solar is Peace
Saturday 17 December, 2016
Letter #632
Dear President Obama,
Thank you SO much for issuing a final rule to bar states from cutting Planned Parenthood funding – the Title X family planning grants.
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/14/us/politics/obama-administration-planned-parenthood.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/11/us/abortion-foes-donald-trump-restrictions-politics.html
This can, perhaps, be overturned – but it will take more than the stroke of a pen to do so. It is so important for Americans everywhere to have access to family planning and a whole range of health services. I wrote a check the other day to Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-gulf-coast
that serves the Houston area + all of Louisiana – they so need the funding. The social injustice of states getting to decide how much to fund reproductive health is appalling. Health inequality, climate inequality – the poor always get hit the hardest. Please do everything you can to slow down the carbon pollution and climate chaos. The burden will fall so much more heavily on those who are least able to cope. We just have to keep a lot of that oil and gas in the ground! KIITG. Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Love Title X Funding
Saturday 17 December, 2016
Letter #633
Last Days at Standing Rock, N.D.
Dear President Obama,
I write again about the Dakota Access Pipeline and thank you for increasing your scrutiny of this disastrous pipeline.
In particular I thank you for your 17 Nov letter to me, where you at least mention climate change as an important consideration! Hooray. Much better thank your 7 Nov letter – in just 10 days. I also thank Democracy Now for repeated coverage of DAPL that helped get the attention of the larger media, and some nice maps by the NY Times showing the whole route.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/11/23/us/dakota-access-pipeline-protest-map.html
The Army Corps of Engineers denied the easement under Lake Oahe on 4 Dec and so now things are quiet for the winter months. Who knows what the spring will bring, but at least for now there is a little respite. Pipelines always leak eventually. We have lots of them. We really need to stop building NEW ones. I’m going to a NO DAPL rally today to pressure TD Bank to de-fund pipelines – we need to push back on all fronts! Thank you for what you do. Please do MORE. Let’s move to a clean energy future. Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Let’s De-fund Pipelines
See also letters #601, #614, #618
Sunday 18 December, 2016
Letter #634
Dear President Obama,
The whole discussion of cars and fuel-efficiency in the USA is rife with politics. I know you are proud of your emission standards and they are trumpeted as “one of the single biggest steps any nation has taken to fight global warming.”
But, really, let’s be honest, there’s a lot of window dressing here! 1) The standards only apply to passenger cards, so the auto industry has heavily marketed pick-up trucks and SUVs which are less fuel-efficient and more profitable. So overall fuel-efficiency remains the same. 2) You give overly generous “incentives” to carmakers for each electric, hybrid, or “green” car they sell. They use these credits to meet a less-strict emissions target for the whole fleet. A recent study showed that for every “green” car bought, carbon emissions went up 60 tons! Clearly the “green credit” is too high. So we’re not getting anywhere. We’re treading water. We are not reducing emissions from personal vehicles. And now, of course, 2 days after the election, the big auto lobby group sent off a letter to the new administration asking to ease the current emission standards. Business as usual. Profit today over long term climate damage. Could you please try to do more? Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Car Emissions Too High
(See also letter #558)
Sunday 18 December, 2016
Letter #635
(2nd Letter today)
Dear President Obama,
10 months ago I wrote you about huge temperature swings here in Cambridge: -5°F one day, 50°F 2 days later! (Letter #575). Well it’s happening again. Friday it was 18°F and today it is 50°F. Tomorrow it is going back down to thirty.
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/21/science/arctic-global-warming.html
The jet stream is all messed up. It’s fine for me. I can just wear a different jacket. But what about the plant and animal communities we depend on?? What are the global implications for crop failures? These weird weather swings are truly alarming! Please, please do what you can, RIGHT NOW to help curb carbon emissions and KIITG. Keep fossil fuels in the ground!
I don’t know how to convey how URGENT this is. The planet will continue to warm for 20 years after we cut carbon emissions. The only responsible path is a rapid switch to renewable energy sources. Please do every little thing you can TODAY. Last week I replaced my refrigerator with a smaller more energy efficient one. I think it will cut my electricity use 5%. It cost more, but I’m thrilled to be able to afford the more efficient model. Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Scary Weird Weather
Sunday 18 December, 2016
Letter #636
Dear President Obama,
Just want to thank you for sending my letter #525 (March 2015) asking for electric mail trucks, to the post office and asking them to reply to me. They did! I got no answer to the petition I sent, but your intervention got me an answer. It took them a year (March 2016) and the reply is just “… thank you for your interest, we are working on our evaluation of proposals…” But, hey. It’s great that someone took the time to write! So thanks. Still no word on what those new mail trucks will be like – But let me just reiterate, every trial by the post office of electric vehicles in the last 20 years, was stopped by the auto industry, NOT the Post Office. The auto industry stopped making the batteries, stopped that particular model, etc. etc. So clearly, what the post office should do is go with a small vendor who wants the business and will promise to make and maintain a large number of vehicles and batteries. Tell big Auto to jump in a lake! Meanwhile, please do everything you can to cut carbon pollution. Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Got Letter from Post Office
Monday 19 December, 2016
Letter #637
Dear President Obama,
Haze from illegal burning to clear land in Indonesia is a recurring problem. 2006 was a bad year for fine particles (known as PM2.5) but 2015 was much worse!
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/20/world/asia/indonesia-haze-smog-health.html
A new study puts premature deaths there from PM2.5 in 2015 at 100,000 (and that doesn’t count children + infants) – almost 3 times the deaths in 2006.
The Indonesian government has laws against burning to clear land, and draining peat bogs. But the laws remain completely unenforced. The Environmental Ministry started an investigation of 15 companies last year and whether they intentionally set fires. But the police ended the investigation in July 2016 for “lack of evidence”. In Sept 2016 a 7-member team from the Environmental Ministry sent to Riau to investigate new fires were all kidnapped while photographing a palm oil plantation that was clearing new land.
They were held for 2 days, forced to delete the photos, but managed to keep some drone video footage. The kidnappers were never arrested or questioned! So that cheap palm oil IS NOT cheap! It may be cheap to Unilever or an American snack company but that is only when you don’t count the deaths, environmental damage, and carbon pollution. When will we count human life over short-term profit? Palm oil has only been around about 20 years – and what a disaster. Please do what you can to stop these fires. Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Boycott Palm Oil
Monday 19 December, 2016
Letter #638
(2nd Letter Today)
Dear President Obama,
I got this toll violation notice in March 2015 for a mistake when a friend was driving my car across the country for me in Oct 2015. I thought it was a bit pricey, but paid it and wrote them the attached letter asking them to prepare for the increased storm damage due to carbon pollution and the climate disruptions it causes. It seems only appropriate that fines for cars be used to combat carbon emissions. Every state needs to be more aware of climate change and be acting much more quickly to prepare. I just wanted you to know that you are not the only person I ask to do things! Please do everything you can to lessen carbon emissions Today! We really need to KIITG. Keep it in the ground. Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Writes Delaware Dept. of Transportation
Monday 19 December, 2016
Letter #639
(3rd Letter Today)
Dear President Obama,
I write to you today to honor Cedric Herrou a French farmer who leads African immigrants on foot from Italy to France, helping them on their way – mostly to Britain and Germany.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/05/world/europe/cedric-herrou-migrant-smuggler-trial-france.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/19/insider/when-journalism-meets-civil-disobedience.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/05/world/europe/france-italy-migrants-smuggling.html
France is conflicted in its response to these immigrants, some want to help, others want to treat them harshly. The result is intermittent enforcement – some train conductors agreeing to look the other way, others not. What a mess. If these refugees have already gotten to northern Italy, what is the point of France sending them back to Italy? Which is why people try to help them.
We clearly need a larger solution, but still Monsieur Herrou and his friends offer a glimmer of light and human compassion – one by one step by step. I honor his civil disobedience and I honor the mayor who knows that he does, but looks the other way. What Monsieur Herrou really needs is to get you + other world leaders to drastically cut carbon emissions and SLOW global warming. So please do all you can today! Thank you. KIITG. Keep it in the ground.
Susan J. Ringler, Honoring Cedric Herrou
Tuesday 20 December, 2016
Letter #640
Dear President Obama,
I recently saw a presentation about planting a perennial meadow instead of a common grass lawn, and will probably do this in my backyard. The perennial grasses grow longer and have larger roots than our standard lawns. The longer roots are much better for the soil, allowing more carbon to be held in the soil and the perennial grasses need much less water – a good thing since New England is in its 3rd year of drought – and who knows what climate disruptions will bring us.
My favorite line from the presentation was how she told us to be patient. It takes a couple of years to really get established. The meadow first sleeps, then creeps, then leaps! Lovely phrase. I hope grassroots movements battling climate change are like a perennial meadow. We have been sleeping and creeping for a few years and now need to leap!! Please do all you can to KIITG. Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Love Perennial Meadows
