Sunday, January 14, 2024

Something to Know - 14 January

Climate Change is a phrase that is mentioned, discussed, and studied everywhere.   Ivan Light is a retired scholar from UCLA (Sociology) and is writing about the political aspects of Climate Change.  We now are able to see it as raises nationalistic and political consequences in the Middle East.


Climate Defenders ivanlight@substack.com

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Climate Defenders

Climate Defense is national defense; and national defense is national security


14 Jan. 2024

    Acting on instructions from Iran, Houthi Rebels in Yemen are attacking merchant shipping in the Red Sea.  They even boarded and seized an oil tanker on Jan. 10. The US and Great Britain try to protect merchant shipping against barrages of Houthi  missiles, but the shipping companies have decided the risks are too great. They have rerouted two-thirds of cargo vessels from the Red Sea and this detour has created delays and higher prices for oil. If they cannot be suppressed, higher prices for oil threaten to cause a major economic slump, especially in the oil-dependent countries of the Western alliance. [1] All this political vulnerability to economic extortion arises because Iran does not like US foreign policy in the Middle East and believes that it can force the US to change it. Iran has the US by the petroleum-supply cajones and Iran knows it.

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    We know it too. The West considers it very bad news, which indeed it is, but there is an educational message  hidden in the Houthi's  threat to international commerce. Thank you, Houthi rebels, for focusing our attention! Existing supplies of renewable energy in America are invulnerable to Houthi, Iranian or, for that matter, to Russian threats to cut off US access to petroleum fuels.  No matter how hard Iran and Russia  squeeze the world's petroleum supply, the sun shines just the same in the Southwest  desert and the wind blows as fiercely as ever on the Great Plains. Right now, only 13.1 percent of US annual energy production derives from renewables. Result: the US  is vulnerable to Houthi, Iranian,  and Russian threats to our oil supply. If renewables supplied 100 percent of our energy needs now, the US would be invulnerable to foreign oil extortion forever. In that case, if they don't like our foreign policy, Iran, Russia, OPEC, and even Venezuela could go whistle. True, even if America were 100 percent reliant on renewables, our NATO allies and Japan would still be vulnerable to foreign oil extortion unless they too substitute renewables for petroleum. We need to be sure that our friends get the right message.

     What's the right message?  Renewables are essential to the West's national defense and national security.  The West's shortage of renewables has created a military and political vulnerability that our enemies are exploiting to our detriment. It's not theoretical. They are doing it now.  We and our allies need to build more renewables fast!  When Congress voted to stimulate production of renewable energy as it did in 2022, Congress not only defended the climate, Congress protected our  national security. When Congress declines to encourage renewables, as it is now doing,  Congress is not only sabotaging our climate defense, it is also sabotaging our national security. How does your Congress rep vote on national security?   

     Go back to square one. "Climate defense is national defense and national defense is national security." That is our slogan here at Climate Defenders. Unfortunately, every American does not understand this simple truth. We need to get the message to them pronto.  You can help. Tell someone about this connection between national security and renewable energy!

[1]  "U.S. and U.K. Shoot Down 'Complex' Houthi Attack in Red Sea." New York Times 10 January 2024

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Climate Defenders is free. But the point is to spread this message: Climate defense is an ignored national security issue. Hey, Washington, stop ignoring it! If you agree, please subscribe and tell others to do so as well.

 
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--
****
Juan Matute

Winston S. Churchill
"Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others."
― Winston S. Churchill


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