What Does 400 PPM Mean for American Labor?

[xchrom]

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/05/24-1



In 1940, as Nazi armies marched across Europe, United Automobile Workers Union (UAW) president Walter Reuther made a stunning proposal: Retool the Depression-ravaged auto industry to build 500 planes a year for national defense. Many scoffed. But a huge wartime mobilization put tens of millions of unemployed and underemployed workers to work producing what the war effort required, while shutting down wasteful and unnecessary production that would detract from it.

This May, the level of carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere reached 400 parts per million (ppm) for the first time in human history.

Burning of fossil fuels has led to an increase in carbon and other heat-trapping greenhouse gasses of more than 40% since the industrial revolution. The atmosphere had this level of carbon three million years ago. Not surprisingly, the earth was much hotter, the ice caps much smaller, and sea level more than 60 feet higher.

What does this mean for American workers and the leaders of America’s trade unions? If we continue pouring the greenhouse gasses that cause global warming into the atmosphere at our present rate, we will pass the 450 ppm level in a couple of decades. America’s workers and workplaces will be devastated along with the rest of our people and the rest of the world.

[Socialistlemur]

1. This sure is an empty thread

I've read quite a few empty threads but this one sure looks unpopular. I think it's because the subject doesn't really fit together. It's like writing a story about the poor rabbits killed by Noah's flood. What about the other animals? I always like to say we ought to take 10 % of the national defense budget and use it to build solar power plants, geothermal plants and things like that. I realize they are very expensive and not economic at all, but they are a lot more useful and economic than building bombs. If every country did that we could build something like $100 billion worth of solar and geothermal plants per year. If we keep dong it the CO2 may even drop and we would have to burn coal on purpose to stay warm.

[Mnemosyne]

2. K&R nt

[KT2000]

3. as I see it

there is no will to even try to fix this. It is a done deal. Life will be coping with the effects - expected and those never even imagined.