New Hope For Avoiding Catastrophic Climate Change

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In Solidarity
Binu Mathew
Editor
www.countercurrents.org


 "Laudato Si":A 21st Century Manifesto For Earth Democracy
By Dr Vandana Shiva

http://www.countercurrents.org/shiva210615.htm

"Laudato Si" is first of all a call for a change in consciousness and a world view from the dominant paradigm of the domination over nature and its destruction, to one where we see the Earth as our Mother, as our common home


New Hope For Avoiding Catastrophic Climate Change
By John Scales Avery

http://www.countercurrents.org/avery210615.htm

New hope that such a catastrophe for human civilization and the biosphere can be avoided comes from two recently-released documents: The Encyclical "Laudatum Si' " by Pope Francis, and the statistics on the rate of growth of renewable energy newly released by the Earth Policy Institute


Marxism, Ecological Civilization, And China
By John Bellamy Foster

http://www.countercurrents.org/foster210615.htm

Chinese environmental laws have hitherto been characterized by weak enforcement, suggesting the dominance of profits over environmental protection. Such an overall development path is, if it should indeed continue on this same basis, is clearly non-sustainable, threatening to replicate some of the worst aspects of Western capitalism. In the age of planetary climate change alternative models must be found. This cannot be accomplished simply by technology but requires new ways of living. If China is truly to succeed in creating a new ecological civilization it will have to go in an even more radical direction, further removed from the regime of capital that has characterized the West and that is responsible for today's planetary ecological emergency


IMF Violates IMF Rules, To Continue Ukraine Bailouts
By Eric Zuesse

http://www.countercurrents.org/zuesse210615.htm

The IMF, whose bailout operations are absorbed by the taxpayers in the member countries whenever a particular bailed-out nation defaults, announced on Friday, June 19th, that it will "continue to support Ukraine through its Lending-into-Arrears Policy even in the event that a negotiated agreement with creditors in line with the program cannot be reached in a timely manner." Though this new "Lending-into-Arrears" policy violates two IMF rules, it was justified by the IMF's Managing Director Christine Lagarde on the basis of the Ukrainian government's "continued efforts to reach a collaborative agreement with all creditors."


Public Didn't See Last Two World Wars Coming Either
By David Swanson

http://www.countercurrents.org/swanson210615.htm

While I'm not suffering under the delusion that violence is Russia's only or wisest or most strategic response, neither am I urging Russia to turn the other cheek. Having been saddled with a U.S. identity when I'd prefer a local or global one, it's not my place to tell Russia what to do (could I improve on Tolstoy?). But I can tell the U.S. public to wake up and put a stop to this madness before it kills us all. World War III is not inevitable, but it is clearly headed our way if we don't change course. And changing course would give us our best shot at avoiding environmental disaster as well


Why I Won't Do Yoga This Sunday!
By Dr. Shah Alam Khan

http://www.countercurrents.org/khan210615.htm

I refuse to participate in this blatant cultural revivalism not because Yoga is a Hindu tradition (if we can dare label it Hindu!) but because I cherish the freedom of cultural identity which the constitution of this land has given to me and to millions of other Indians. Not that Yoga curbs or temporarily halts this cultural identity, but revivalism of the sorts which this government is hell bent on unleashing definitely produces fear and apprehension in the minds of common people like me. The agenda of "one people, one empire, one leader" is what needs to be debated and rejected


Parliamentarians On 'World We Want Beyond 2015':
Sexual And Reproductive Health And Rights In Focus
By Shobha Shukla

http://www.countercurrents.org/shukla210615.htm

The Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs are a new, universal set of 17 proposed goals, with 169 targets that 193 countries (who are members of the UN) will be expected to use to frame their post-2015 development agendas and policies over the next 15 years, once the MDGs expire at the end of this year