Dear Friend,
For tens of thousands of years the Arctic’s carbon sink has been a powerful dynamic in functionality of the Earth System. However, that all-important functionality has been crippled and could be permanently severed. According to new research based upon field observations conducted from 2003 to 2017, a large-scale carbon emission shift in the Earth System has occurred.The 14-year study showed annualized 1.66 gigatonnes CO2 emitted from the “entire Arctic” versus 1.03 gigatonnes absorbed. It’s a major turning point in paleoclimate history
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Binu Mathew
Editor
Countercurrents.org
Permafrost Hits a Grim Threshold
by Robert Hunziker
For tens of thousands of years the Arctic’s carbon sink has been a powerful dynamic in functionality of the Earth System. However, that all-important functionality has been crippled and could be permanently severed. According to new research based upon field observations conducted from 2003 to 2017, a large-scale carbon emission shift in the Earth System has occurred.The 14-year study showed annualized 1.66 gigatonnes CO2 emitted from the “entire Arctic” versus 1.03 gigatonnes absorbed. It’s a major turning point in paleoclimate history
For tens of thousands of years the Arctic’s carbon sink has been a powerful dynamic in functionality of the Earth System. However, that all-important functionality has been crippled and could be permanently severed. According to new research based upon field observations conducted from 2003 to 2017, a large-scale carbon emission shift in the Earth System has occurred.
The “entire Arctic” now emits more carbon than it absorbs, a fact that can only be described as worse than bad news. “Given that the Arctic has been taking up carbon for tens of thousands of years, this shift to a carbon source is important because it highlights a new dynamic in the functioning of the Earth System,” says Susan Natali at Woods Hole Research Center in Massachusetts (Source: Thawing Permafrost Has Turned the Arctic Into a Carbon Emitter, New Scientist, Oct. 21, 2019)
The 14-year study showed annualized 1.66 gigatonnes CO2 emitted from the “entire Arctic” versus 1.03 gigatonnes absorbed. It’s a major turning point in paleoclimate history, a chilling turn for the worse that threatens 10,000 years of the wonderful Holocene era of“not too hot, not too cold.” Alas, that spectacular Goldilocks climate, a perfect environment for life on the planet, is now a remembrance of the past.
In time, it’ll bring in its wake difficult/challenging lifestyles across the board, across the planet,as life turns onerous and quite possibly worse.
When scientists researched permafrost over the years, they found a few isolated regions that flipped from carbon sinks to sources of emissions, but this new “research now shows the phenomenon has happened across the region as a whole,” Ibid.
Meanwhile, 25,000 people gather, as of December 2-13, in Madrid for the 2019 UN Climate Change Conference known as COP25. Only recently, the conference was forced to scramble in a move from Chile because of uncontrollable, unprecedented “protests in the streets.” The Chilean protests are mega-numbers of extremely angry citizens sparked into action by a simple increase in transport rates, proving that the world is once again a tinderbox similar to July of 1914.
The 25,000 attendees of COP25 should take heed of an entire city Santiago shut down by angry citizens one million strong. That nagging scenario may be as important as the climate data they analyze because Chilean mass demonstrations are merely a reflection of a worldwide phenomenon that has everything to do with the failure of neoliberalism, as it casts its dark shadow over climate mitigation.
According to Amnesty International: The past few months have seen a seemingly massive surge in protests globally. From the streets of Hong Kong to La Paz, Port-au-Prince, Quito, Barcelona, Beirut and Santiago, we have witnessed a huge wave of people taking to the streets to exercise their right to protest and demand change from those in power.Amnesty International has documented signs of abuse and violations at protests in Bolivia, Lebanon, Chile, Spain, Iraq, Guinea, Hong Kong, the UK, Ecuador, Cameroon, and Egypt in October alone.
Increasingly, people are frustrated by the abject failure of neoliberalism’s austerity measures that destroy social programs, including near total collapse and/or avoidance of proactive climate policies. Contrariwise: “Global governments plan to produce 120 percent more fossil fuels by 203o,” according to a new report by leading research organizations and the UN. (Source: Stephen Leahy, Dangerous Levels of Warming Locked in by Planned Jump in fossil Fuels Output, National Geographic, Nov. 20, 2019)
Interestingly, one of the most celebrated crowning achievements of neoliberalism, Chile, the paragon of neoliberalism,has only served to emblazon in the mindset of the world a vast chasm of inequality as Chile is featured having one of the world’s worst levels of income inequality (OECD Economic Survey of Chile). A stark reminder that neoliberalism splits societies into “haves” and “have-nots” almost as effectively as monarchial precepts dating back 5,000 years to Egypt and Sumer.
The continuing failure of neoliberalism works against the best intentions of COP25 and the Paris climate accord of 2015. This failure is explained in a paper entitled “Globalization, Neoliberalism and Climate Change” by professor Liu Cheng, a world renown labor expert, professor of law and politics at Shanghai Normal University, to wit:
“For thirty years, global and national economies have been guided by policies of neoliberal deregulation, often known as the “Washington Consensus.” Neoliberalism has been disastrous for workers in most countries, pitting workers against each other in a race to the bottom and making it all but impossible to protect working class interests. There is now a growing consensus that the Washington Consensus has been a failure.” (Cheng)
“There is also a growing global recognition that we are in the midst of an unprecedented climate crisis. Ready or not, that crisis is affecting every nation, every locality, and every worker. Its effects are already serious, and unless decisive global action is taken to counter it, they will soon be catastrophic. Neoliberal deregulation, by dismantling the means for public steering of society to meet social needs, has also made it nearly impossible to correct global climate crisis.” (Cheng)
“These twin realizations, the failure of neoliberalism and the climate crisis, will define the struggle for the interests of poor and working people for the next century. At the same time, the necessity to counter climate change may provide an opportunity to address the broader problems of neoliberal deregulation.” (Cheng)
“This article argues that it is only by rolling back neoliberalism that we can protect the rights of workers globally and solve the crisis of climate change.” (Cheng)
As massive protests continue around the world, COP25 opens with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres declaring the negotiations the “launchpad for significantly more action,” emphasizing the fact that the world’s largest emitters “are not pulling their weight.”
However, maybe COP25 needs to study the impact of neoliberalism as an overriding disincentive for climate change mitigation. After all, according to professor Cheng: Neoliberal deregulation, by dismantling the means for public steering of society to meet social needs, has also made it nearly impossible to correct the global climate crisis.
Therefore, COP25’s hundreds and thousands of scientific data and climate models are held hostage to neoliberalism’s scorched earth tactics. The only way for COP25 to dig out of this deep neoliberal hole is by open condemnation, thus alerting the world’s attention to the originator of climate change with a message “fix it.”
Robert Hunziker, MA, economic history DePaul University, awarded membership in Pi Gamma Mu International Academic Honor Society in Social Sciences is a freelance writer and environmental journalist who has over 200 articles published, including several translated into foreign languages, appearing in over 50 journals, magazines, and sites worldwide. He has been interviewed on numerous FM radio programs, as well as television.
Thousands of workers march in France
by Countercurrents Collective
A countrywide union strike against pension reform has brought transportation across France to a standstill. Thousands of
workers marched in what has been described as the largest protest of its kind since 1995. The protest dwarfed the weekly Yellow Vests demonstrations that have been happening every Saturday for over a year now.
A countrywide union strike against pension reform has brought transportation across France to a standstill. Thousands of workers marched in what has been described as the largest protest of its kind since 1995. The protest dwarfed the weekly Yellow Vests demonstrations that have been happening every Saturday for over a year now.
The massive worker walkouts and marches were called in the hope of forcing President Emmanuel Macron to abandon his plans to overhaul France’s pension system.
Police, lawyers, hospital and airport staff, and other professions for the general walkout joined teachers and transport workers.
In Paris, 11 of the city’s 16 metro lines were shuttered and schools in the capital and across the country closed down.
The strike, which is expected to continue until Monday, also paralyzed 90 percent of the country’s trains, and forced Air France to cancel 30 percent of its domestic flights.
1.5 million people join protests
The interior ministry said: More than 800,000 people had joined demonstrations in more than 100 cities across France.
The CGT union said: 1.5m people had turned out, including 250,000 in Paris.
Photographs of Thursday’s demonstrations show public workers carrying banners and flares as they march through France’s largest cities.
Riot police mobilized
In Paris, 6,000 riot police were mobilized as the capital braced for street protests.
Oil refineries blocked
The CGT also said workers had blocked seven of the country’s eight oil refineries, potentially causing fuel shortages if the strike continues.
Eiffel Tower did not open
The strike also forced France’s most iconic tourist spots to shut their doors. The Eiffel Tower and the Orsay museum did not open on Thursday due to staff shortages, while the Louvre, the Pompidou Centre and other museums said some of its exhibits would not be available for viewing. The Palace of Versailles was also shut for the day.
Yellow Vest
According to local media, Yellow Vest protesters were blocking fuel depots in the Var department in the south and near the city of Orleans.
Petrol stations out of fuel
As a result, on Thursday over 200 petrol stations had totally run out of fuel while over 400 were almost out of stock. The group has been demonstrating against Macron’s austerity measures for over a year.
Experts say that the strike, described as the largest of its kind in decades, could spell trouble for Macron. Building on ongoing demonstrations by the Yellow Vests, the strike could paralyze France and force Macron to rethink his planned reforms.
Demonstrators and police clash
Riot police and demonstrators have clashed in some cities amid the ongoing general strike by labor unions against proposed pension reforms.
Dozens arrested
Dozens have been arrested in Paris alone as over a million people marched across the country.
One report said: Police in Paris had arrested 71 people, officials said.
Footage from Paris shows protesters hurling objects at police, and riot-geared officers charging in response.
Stun grenades
As flares light up the night, stun grenades can be heard exploding. There is also what appears to be tear gas.
Sporadic violence
Reports from across France during the day spoke of sporadic violence on the sidelines of the protests, including the smashing of shop windows and security cameras and setting fire to bicycles and effigies. Demonstrators blocked buses in Marseille.
Police fired tear gas in Nantes
Violence was reported in Nantes, Bordeaux and Rennes.
Police have fired tear gas at protesters in Nantes participating in a nationwide strike, according to local media.
Videos taken at the scene show demonstrators fleeing as large tear gas clouds obstruct the marchers’ path.
In one clip, shots can be heard coming from the police as demonstrators chant and jeer.
French BFM TV also reports that tear gas has been used to quell the rally.
Largest strike in years
A BBC report headlined “Macron pension reform: France paralyzed by biggest strike in years” said:
France’s largest nationwide strike in years has severely disrupted schools and transport.
“What we’ve got to do is shut the economy down,” said union official Christian Grolier of the Force Ouvrière (Workers’ Force). “People are spoiling for a fight.”
Transport
The BBC report told about the extent of affect of the strike on transport. It said:
- Some 90% of high-speed TGV and inter-city trains were cancelled
- In Paris, just five of the city’s 16 metro lines were running
- Train operators Eurostar and Thalys cancelled at least half their services linking Paris with London and Brussels. Eurostar will operate a reduced timetable until December 10
- Hundreds of flights were cancelled
- Air France cancelled 30% of internal flights and 10% of short-haul international flights amid walkouts by air traffic controllers
- Low-cost carrier EasyJet cancelled 223 domestic and short-haul international flights, and warned passengers to expect delays.
Sabotage by Extinction Rebellion
The Extinction Rebellion group said it had sabotaged thousands of e-scooters by painting over the QR codes that smartphone users scan to unlock the vehicles.
The group said this was because e-scooters – despite being widely viewed as an ecologically-friendly form of transport – actually required large quantities of energy and resources during their manufacture and had short life cycles.
How do French workers view the reforms?
The BBC report said:
Train driver Cyril Romero from Toulouse told France Info he would reconsider his job if the reforms went through.
“I started in 2001 with a contract that allowed me to leave at 50. But like everyone else, I got the reforms which pushed back my early retirement age to 52-and-a-half and then, in reality, 57-and-a-half for full pension. Now they want to make us work even longer.”
An unnamed history teacher, writing in HuffPost, was planning to strike on Friday as well as Thursday.
“For me, the pension reforms are one punch too many. We’re fighting not to lose hundreds of Euros of pension a month – after more than 40 years in a job.
“How can you even think of ending your career in front of pupils beyond the age of 70, in worsening conditions and on what for many of us is just a minimum wage?”
How much support is there for the strike?
The report said:
Some trade union leaders have vowed to strike until Macron abandons his campaign promise to overhaul the retirement system.
One opinion poll put public support for the strikes at 69%, with backing strongest among 18- to 34 year olds.
Single, points-based pension system
Macron has proposed making a single, points-based pension system, which he said would be fairer to workers while also saving the state money. The planned scheme would replace current system, which has 42 different pension schemes across its private and public sectors, with variations in retirement age and benefits.
The official retirement age in France has been raised in the last decade from 60 to 62, but remains one of the lowest among the OECD group of rich nations – in the UK, for example, the retirement age for state pensions is 66 and is due to rise to at least 67.
The move would remove the most advantageous pensions for a number of jobs ranging from sailors to lawyers and even opera workers.
Meanwhile, those retiring before 64 would receive a lower pension. For example, someone retiring at 63 would receive 5% less, so unions fear it will mean having to work longer for a lower pension.
Labor unions oppose the move, arguing that the changes would require millions of people to work beyond the legal retirement age of 62 in order to receive their full pension.
The unrest could signal dark days ahead for Emmanuel Macron’s pro-austerity government.
However, farmers, whose pensions are among the lowest in the country, are not taking part.
Since coming to power, Macron has pushed through other reforms including relaxing labor laws and cutting taxes for businesses.
The Origins of Democratic Socialism: Robert Owen and Worker Cooperatives
by Edward J Martin
The idea of reconciling capital and labor and Owen’s worker co-operatives, represents what is, arguably, the initial stages of democratic socialism in the tradition of Michael Harrington’s Democratic Socialists of America and the radical legacy of Bernie Sanders, Cornel West and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
JNU Protests: The Truth And The Outrage
by Dr Ishani Chakrabartty
The protests in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) have been going on for quite some time now. Though the media is coming up
with a number of stories and facts regarding JNU, there is one facet of JNU protests that only very few news pages are talking about. While students are protesting against the sudden hike in fees, news channels are diverting our attention to the age of the students of JNU.
Why a demand for free education is at the heart of feminism?!
by Pooja Kalita
The India in which we live today is moving rapidly towards making education an accessory of the privileged; privileged by caste, class, gender, religion. It is appalling but not surprising to see how the JNU movement that supports subsidized education is being frowned upon
I often remember the female protagonist of the novel – Milkman by Anna Burns (Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2018). She was sexually harassed by a man when she would be walking while reading. A woman, with a book is an image that is one of the most infuriating sights to patriarchy. In that case, we can only imagine the irritation that is caused by the sight of so many women reading, writing, and expressing their views, opinions and anger; inside the classrooms and beyond.This is what patriarchy fears – educated women, because they will challenge it with their voice, with their words.
The India in which we live today is moving rapidly towards making education an accessory of the privileged; privileged by caste, class, gender, religion. It is appalling but not surprising to see how the JNU movement that supports subsidized education is being frowned upon. The core of such criticism arises from the realization or rather the fear that free or subsidised education would empower the marginalized and the vulnerable sections of our society to raise their own voices and fight back the system that has been suppressing them for centuries. The ones who have historically gained much benefits of an unequal patriarchal, casteist, elitist and racist Indian society fear that they would be stripped off their benefits and the entitlement they have acquired to oppress the one who are forced to stay at the lower rungs of this society and ‘serve’ them. In such a scenario, the neo-liberal market that believes in ‘merit’ and which has perpetually sold us the idea of education as competition is a friend that the upper caste, upper class patriarchal mind-set needs. Affordable education is not a system that is favourable for any of these privileged entities;because they will be questioned, challenged and resisted.
Women in thehierarchical societal order are burdened further more due to their gender and belonging to marginalized communities based on caste, class, religion, location etc. Even today, even when, there has existed public funded institutes and universities, the ones perceived to be out of the gender binary of heteronormativity do not find a place to receive education. They are the most invisibilsed, unacknowledged group when it comes to education. However, education that is given without any fees or minimal fees serves as a ray of hope.
‘Women in Power’ is a myth, both in the public and private sphere. Just because a woman is making decisions on what should be cooked for lunch and dinner do not put her in any empowered position although phrases such as ‘women are queens of the kitchen/home’ have been used too often to blind them towards the oppression that they suffer at the hands of patriarchy. Education has the potential to remove that blindfold. I need not mention the ‘chaos’ that removal of the blind fold would create. The kitchen no longer remains the place of solace for such women. And this makes a society steeped with patriarchal norms tremble. For instance, a Dalit woman asserting her rights to get educated and justicebroadly, is something that is unwelcomed and mostly feared.
It is sadly not unusual to come across words blaming a women’s education as the cause of her inability to get married, getting divorced, not looking after kids/in-laws, wearing ‘exposing’ clothes etc. Education begets independence and independence in women is certainly not a virtue that is preferred. Women are getting brutally raped and killed because of being independent enough to venture into an otherwise male dominated public sphere. In such a scenario can we even fool ourselves to think that the state, market, our society and families would prefer to provide education to its girls paying a huge sum of money? Of course, there are the ones who ‘buy’ education for their daughters to make them a desirable product for the marriage market that adds to their status. But for most, paying huge money for quality education is a discomforting proposition, also because paying a dowry to get their daughters married is quite an usual phenomenon in India. If not an explicit dowry, there is always a burden to get a girl married in a grand manner showering the in-laws with gifts. In a society where marriage is still perceived as the final solace for a girl, parents would rather spend on a wedding than a degree. Thus, demanding free education is a need and not a choice.Feminism calls for it.
Moreover, the stark realities of poverty, malnutrition, caste discrimination, child-labour, female foeticide and infanticide (to name a few)indicates why education for so many women is a distant dream. Free education is not the only solution to these issues but is significant if we have to protest against them. For most women who can still afford the ‘luxury’ of education, sitting with a pen and a paper to write on might seem too mundane to reflect any further. But at this very juncture when education is becoming a commodity in the hands of those who believe in ‘buying’ degrees with hefty fees, we need to remind ourselves that it is at the heart of the feminist movement that brought the pen and paper to those (especially women) whose lives would not have ever known what it means to write. Voices of women still struggle to get heard because they are considered trivial/ banal/ hyper-emotional/ irrational and thus ‘unsalable’. To overturn these very notions, we need free education – to read, learn, understand, reflect, introspect and write; and write till it is a revolution to get our freedoms.
Pooja Kalita is a PhD candidate with the Department of Sociology, South Asian University, New Delhi (India).
What Criminals Could Not Achieve On December 6, 1992 Is Legitimized By Court
by Shamsul Islam
The author visited Ayodhya one month after the demolition
of Babri mosque by the RSS/Shiv Sena/BJP cadres. It presented a picture of carnage, devastation, criminal participation of the Indian State in it but also underlining of the fact that secularism was not dead in Ayodhya. But today, on the 27th anniversary of the demolition of the Babri mosque I am not so sure, specially after the Supreme Court judgment on November 9, 2019, handing over mosque site to those who had razed the mosque. The moral of the story is that whatever criminals could not achieve on December 6, 1992, is legitimized by the highest court of justice of India.
Statement and Appeal on Ladakh’s Union Territory Status
by Vikalp Sangam Core Group
UT status without legislature, or adequate constitutional safeguards to protect the unique cultural identity and fragile ecosystem of Ladakh, may jeopardize the prospects of ecologically sustainable economic processes for genuine
well-being of the people of the region.
Right and Left
by T H Sreerama
Right doesn’t talk of rights because it believes in taking away your rights
It does not recognize education as a right as it awakens people to demand more rights
Right creates myths and false pride around nation and religion so that you condition yourself to live without rights
Right attacks your very basic needs before you realise what is right
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