Consequently the South African citizens who are truly ‘Walking their Talk’ to support the South African Police to reduce crime are those who (a) consume below carrying capacity (a consumption footprint of less than 10 global hectares); and (b) breed below carrying capacity (one or less than one child).
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South Africa & Capetown’s Water Crisis:
Fears are confirmed at Cape Town rethinks water: “As the population growth in and around Cape Town increases rapidly it is not surprising that the City of Cape Town is needing to rethink its water supply management. Cape Town has dammed up all its rivers in an attempt to secure a fresh water supply to the city however doing so was never going to be a long term solution to Cape Town fresh water concerns.”
South African water crisis deepens: “The sheer cost of the water crisis will totally eclipse the arms deal, the Eskom crisis and that in many other departments. While we have alternatives for energy, we don’t for water, so the impacts of the water crisis will knock on through all socioeconomic levels.” - Bill Harding, co-founder of DH Environmental Consulting and the previous chairman of the SA Institute of Ecologists and Environmental Scientists. The water crisis had been in effect in Gauteng for the past 10 to 20 years, with no sign of abating, Harding said. “There are sub-regional crises in other areas in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, and then urban crises in many situations, such as Welkom. The bulk of the problem originates from inadequately treated waste water,” he said.His comments follow a study conducted by economic research and advisory firm Plus Economics on behalf of trade union United Association of SA. The study shows that a 1% decline in the quality, and therefore usability, of water in the country could lead to the loss of 200000 jobs and a decline of 5.7% in disposable income per capita, as well as a rise of 5%, or R18.1-billion, in government spending.
Water Solutions stagnate behind red tape: “The country’s water crisis is past the eleventh hour as red-tape and interdepartmental bureaucracy remain major stumbling blocks to addressing the problem, trade union United Association of SA (UASA) said on Wednesday.”
Department of Water Affairs lacks enforcement officials: “It is frightening to hear that the Department of water affairs is lacking so many staff. With less than a third of the positions within the department filled it is not surprising that South Africa is facing great water insecurity.”
Growing Concerns over Water Crisis: “There never seems to be an easy answer to the South African fresh water crisis. However this is still no excuse for things to take longer than they should. This is especially true with when it comes to the acid mine water rising everyday. How will mining areas survive once the ground water level is completely contaminated by pollution? Will household and industry start harvesting rainwater to secure a clean fresh water supply?”
South African Water Policy: “South Africa’s water supply infrastructure is too ill-equipped and poorly maintained to meet growing demand, leading to a massive shortfall in service delivery. Climate change in a country that has the 30th lowest water availability per person is only exacerbating the crisis. As a result, water insecurity poses a major risk to businesses, communities and the environment. Due to the increased competition for water in many sectors, environmental needs are often given the lowest priority.”
Facing South Africa’s Water Crisis: “The study was commissioned by the trade union Uasa to establish the real impact of the South African water crisis on the country. The study forms part of Uasa’s ongoing Water Security Campaign and was conducted by independent economic research and advisory firm Plus Economics, headed by its CEO professor Charlotte du Toit, also professor in economic modelling at the bureau of market research, Unisa. “Any decrease in the quality, and therefore usability, of water in South Africa by 1% may result in the loss of 200,000 jobs, a drop of 5,7% in disposable income per capita, and an increase of 5% or R18,1 billion in government spending,” Du Toit said.
Capetown looks to recycled water: “Durban and Cape Town residents will have to start looking seriously at drinking recycled water from the local sewage works within the next few years as water supplies are running out and there is not enough time to build big new dams.”
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Reduce Procreation to below Carrying Capacity: Every Child Increases a Parent’s Carbon Footprint by a factor of 20: A parent can reduce his/her carbon footprint 19 times more by having one fewer child than by all other energy efficiency actions the E.P.A. suggests combined:
[1] Paul A. Murtaugh, Michael G. Schlax (2009): Reproduction and the carbon legacies of individuals [PDF]; Global Environmental Change, 19 (2009) pp. 14-20
Summary: There are many ways that each of us can reduce our emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses. One important choice is how many children we choose to have. While it is obvious that each child, grandchild, and their descendants will be a producer of carbon dioxide in their lifetimes, it is not obvious what those emissions might be, and how those amounts compare with the reduced emissions that might come from driving a more fuel efficient car, using energy-efficient light bulbs and the like.
The assumption is that a person is responsible for the carbon emissions of his or her descendants, weighted by their relatedness. That is, a parent is responsible for 1/2 the emissions of their children, 1/4 the emissions of their grandchildren and so on. Of course you can't know for certain how many children your grandchildren will have, and you can't know how much carbon dioxide they will emit, but the authors make some estimations based on expected trends in different countries.
For 11 countries, they estimate the number of descendants using the high, median and low U.N. estimates of how birthrates will change in each country. They then use three levels of how carbon emissions may change in the future: a low (optimistic) estimate that they will drop to 1/2 of Africa's current level, a medium estimate that they will remain constant at today's levels, and a a high estimate that they will continue to increase as they are now until 2100.
The comparison of carbon dioxide savings are striking. If you live in the U.S. you can reduce your carbon dioxide emissions 19 times more by having one fewer child than by all other actions the E.P.A. suggests combined.
[1.1] Articles:
A. Oregon State University: Murtaugh Paul (07/31/2009): Family Planning: A major Environmental Emphasis; Oregon State
B. Institute for Population Studies (17 July 2009): Reproduction and the Carbon Legacies of Individuals.
C. Oregonian (31 July 2009): Oregon State study says having fewer children is best way to reduce your carbon footprint, by Eric Mortenson.
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Military Appeal to American/World Citizens to ‘Walk their Talk’ of ‘Supporting the Troops’, by massively reducing their energy consumption, by “planting victory gardens, cutting down on fuel use, saving scrap metal and old rubber, sacrifices, or maybe just examples of common sense and prudent lifestyle changes.”
“In my piece, the last third of it is a joint planning session for an Energy policy for the United States between the ghost of John Muir and the ghost of George Patton. Muir is only worried about carbon and thinks terrorism is something the FBI can deal with if anybody needs to. Patton is only worried about terrorism and thinks global warming is something these birkenstock wearers cooked up somewhere between smoking tokes around the campfire or something. They don't agree at all on the problems they are trying to solve, but they keep finding that there is a very substantial degree of overlap in the things that they want to do. Because in so far as you move toward distributed generation of electricity, because you are worried about the security of the web, terrorist attacks on the web and the like, in so far as you are putting solar energy on your roof, you are also going green, because you can't put a coal fired power plant on your roof, thank goodness.” - James Woolsey, Former CIA Director & Former Undersecretary US Navy
[1] Center for Naval Analysis: Military Advisory Board: Powering America’s Defense: Energy and the Risks to National Security:
“A yellow ribbon on a car or truck is a wonderful message of symbolic support for our troops. I’d like to see the American people take it several steps further. If you say a yellow ribbon is the ‘talk,’ then being energy efficient is the ‘walk’. A yellow ribbon on a big, gas-guzzling SUV is a mixed message. We need to make better energy choices in our homes, businesses and transportation, as well as to support our leaders in making policies that change the way we develop and use energy. If we Americans truly embrace this idea, it is a triple win: it reduces our dependence on foreign oil, it reduces our impact on the climate and it makes our nation much more secure.” - Vice Admiral Dennis V. McGinn, USN (Ret); Former Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfare Requirements and Programs
A. General Charles F. “Chuck” Wald, USAF (Ret.): Former Deputy Commander, Headquarters U.S. European Command (USEUCOM); Chairman, CNA Military Advisory Board
B. General Charles G. Boyd, USAF (Ret.): Former Deputy Commander in Chief of U.S. Forces in Europe
C. Lieutenant General Lawrence P. Farrell Jr., USAF (Ret.): Former Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force
D. General Paul J. Kern, USA (Ret.): Former Commanding General, U.S. Army Materiel Command
E. General Ronald E. Keys USAF (Ret.): Former Commander, Air Combat Command
F. Admiral T. Joseph Lopez, USN (Ret.): Former Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and of Allied Forces, Southern Europe
G. Admiral T. Joseph Lopez, USN (Ret.): Former Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and of Allied Forces, Southern Europe
H. Vice Admiral Dennis V. McGinn, USN (Ret.): Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, Warfare Requirements and Programs
I. Admiral John B. Nathman, USN (Ret.): Former Vice Chief of Naval Operations
J. Rear Admiral David R. Oliver, Jr., USN (Ret.): Former Principal Deputy to the Navy Acquisition Executive
K. General Gordon R. Sullivan, USA (Ret.): Former Chief of Staff, U.S. Army; Former Chairman, CNA Military Advisory Board
L. Vice Admiral Richard H. Truly, USN (Ret.): Former NASA Administrator, Shuttle Astronaut and the first Commander of the Naval Space Command
[2] Vice Admiral Dennis McGinn; Energy, Climate Change, and the Military: Implications for National Security ; Woodrow Wilson Center for Environmental Security:
“Global climate change will pose serious threats to water supplies and agricultural production, leading to mass migration in some cases. At the same time we will see an increasing demand for a dwindling supply of fossil fuels. These factors mean and intense competition for key and vital resources, around the globe and that leads to conflict.
“This report is different to many other reports, involving military leaders. That is because in it, we make a direct appeal to the American people. We talk in this report about the amazing sacrifices the American people made during World War II, planting victory gardens, cutting down on fuel use, saving scrap metal and old rubber, sacrifices, or maybe just examples of common sense and prudent lifestyle changes. Whatever you call them, the steps taken by the American people then, shortened the war and saved lives.
And I believe the same can be said today about these challenges of energy security and climate security. There are individual steps that every American can take. Using less energy. Being more efficient with the energy that we do use. Supporting new policies to help our country take a new energy path. These are the steps that can help us avoid, or shorten wars in the future. Those wars over competition for vital resources. These are steps that can save lives. They may cost money yes, but if we don't spend the money now, we will still pay, and we will pay much more later. In fact, we'll pay in American lives lost.
American civilians played an important role in World War II because they understood the stakes and because they were asked to do so. General Wald made the stakes clear, and our report makes the stakes clear. Our current energy posture poses a significant and urgent threat to our national security, militarily, economically and diplomatically.
Hopefully more Americans will understand these stakes, and that these consequences will affect them. Hopefully more Americans will hear the very direct request from our Commander in Chief and from this small group of a dozen retired Admirals and Generals.
The American people, all of us, through our energy choices can contribute directly to the security of our nation. It is a triple win. It makes us energy independent. It reduces our effect on the environment, and it makes our nation very much more secure.”
Dated at George, South Africa: 10 June 2013
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