That's stretched a little from Bill Mc Kibben's current article in Mother Jones, this paragraph for instance:
"The final piece of the puzzle came early this year, and again from James Hansen. Twenty years after his crucial testimony, he published a paper with several coauthors called "Target Atmospheric CO2." It put, finally, a number on the table—indeed it did so in the boldest of terms. 'If humanity wishes to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted,' it said, 'paleoclimate evidence and ongoing climate change suggest that CO2 will need to be reduced from its current 385 ppm to at most 350 ppm.'
Stunned, I tried to get my duck response team lined up so I could consult with the leader. The first clear response turned out to be a resolve to let my two granddaughters know what is going to happen to the next generation.
Next, it became clear that duck number two wanted Vashon to sign on en masse to Fourth Corner Exchange, a trading scheme using "Life Dollars" to facilitate trades just like the death dollars we use now.
Duck numbers three through six quacked on without agreeing on rank so I'll just copy what they said:
Medical
While the nation plays volleyball with plans A to Z, half of your pension, Tom, goes for Medicare backup. We are trapped in a wait til it’s broke situation, all the while paying a thirty percent surcharge for paperwork. Surely there is something we can do about it, and do it now.
Energy
This island does not have an amicus curious for energy. We do have auditors skilled at finding air leaks and faulty insulation, but far as we know, none can help the homeowner make decisions. Take a house with an 80% hot air gas furnace. Should it be replaced by a condensing model at 95%, an outlaw act against carbon sense, or move to hot water solar at five times the cost? Or, would it be cheaper to zone the gas heat and get some electric radiators? And, there are no solar retailers on the island. And what can be done to prepare for an extended power outage? Get some natural gas electric generators? In other words, if not a PUD, what?
Water
Conservation is talked up and arguments go down. There is no culture of water on this island. We act like city folk on a summer holiday with no more brains than a duck. Let’s have some creative ideas. Here’s one, stop using the term “conservation”; it’s un-American. Sane water use? Aquifer management? Ugh. Water well? Getting better.
Social Well Being
Vashon-Maury is a community only as regards disaster preparedness and ferry use. Such a situation is inadequate for meeting the wide variety of other stresses we face. Name any issue and chances are the Council does not lead; instead the issue is addressed by dedicated individuals. For example, take our response to the invasion of Iraq: we have been – as a community – silent. This denial of our humanity is affecting us like a physical illness. Or consider our disadvantaged: They will increase, so more cooperation will become essential if we are to forestall the consequences of dire need. And so, yes or no, should Vashon-Maury become a true community, town hall meetings, downtown youth center, the works? If yes, how?
Smart ducks, if I say so myself. I do not hold out much hope for prompt action on these five "problems". The political parties are constrained by electioneering mind-set. Our many values-based groups occupy interesting zones on our social wallpaper. It's going to take leadership by the community council to get anywhere. In case this post has failed to make the timetable clear, bank failures and bad weather will bring us down within five years. That's based on the methane. I know more about methane than banking. A five year frame would beat the quickest weather change in paleo history. That frame was a twenty-year change to an ice age caused by sudden slipping of a whole lot of ice. Refer to:
The Two-Mile Time Machine:
Ice Cores, Abrupt Climate Change, and Our Future
Richard B. Alley
Winner of 2001 Phi Beta Kappa Book Award in Science
One of Choices Outstanding Academic Titles for 2001
Best of luck, Vashon. I'm building a shelter.