Why you should be angry and why anger isn’t enough

Published On: December 23, 2013
180 words
Views: 1142

One of the world’s top climate diplomats, John Ashton is now an independent commentator and adviser on the politics of climate change.

From 2006-12 he served as Special Representative for Climate Change to three successive UK Foreign Secretaries, spanning the current Coalition and the previous Labour Government. He was a cofounder and, from 2004-6, the first Chief Executive of the think tank E3G. From 1978-2002, after a brief period as a research astronomer, he was a career diplomat, with a particular focus on China. He is a visiting professor at the London University School of Oriental and African Studies, and a Distinguished Policy Fellow at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change at Imperial College.

About the Talk: If you are under 30 today, you are on track to find out in your lifetime what unmanageable climate change will be like. Business,politics and economics seem to have no response. What is going wrong and how can you use your voice if you want this fixed in time to fix your future?

POPULAR

FinalCut Pro License Fundraiser

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

About the Author: Chris Machens

Chris Machens
Chris covers the climate since 2011, and when not posting articles to the site he usually works on our next video production.
    Subscribe
    Notify of
    guest

    60 Comments
    Oldest
    Newest Most Voted
    Inline Feedbacks
    View all comments
    trackback

    […] Related The only way to stop climate change now may be revolution Climate Change, Clashes and Riots A Majority Of Americans Want The Government To Tell Businesses What To Do On Climate Change Climate Change: Why you should be angry and why anger isn’t enough […]

    gwales
    gwales
    11 years ago

    Yes, we should be very angry with climate ‘skeptics’ who are only skeptical because climate change threatens their economic, political and cultural views. Fuck the planet, let’s make more money!

    Mirreyna Sayeeda
    Mirreyna Sayeeda
    11 years ago

    I commend this gentleman for his calm and reasoned anger and his respect for and trust in the ability of the younger generation to use their intellectual and fiscal influence to get done a job that ought to have been done a long time ago.
    Change can indeed take place, and the technology to implement it exists already. Let cooler heads prevail: the ranting and raving and stunning self-centeredness shown by both political extremes in all Western countries these days must give way to the truly non-partisan efforts of those who have the scope and perspective to change the way in which we use and produce our energy from now onward.

    Micky Garcia
    Micky Garcia
    11 years ago

    No, I mean like we use irrigation now. We use underground aquifers to irrigate crops. You can’t count on rainfall, it’s too erratic and there’s a substantial amount of capital investment in crops, so part of your costs include transporting water by pump, which is seriously depleting our stores. We’re drawing down glacial meltwater to grow food faster, but once the aquifers are depleted, we’ll have to rely on rainfall and then we’ll be in serious trouble.

    laurelbush
    laurelbush
    11 years ago

    No farmer is counting on the rain to water his crops… he’s counting on irrigation. you man like the Egyptians, Romans, Chinese etc used Irrigation in the past.

    Micky Garcia
    Micky Garcia
    11 years ago

    No farmer is counting on the rain to water his crops… he’s counting on
    irrigation. The Arab Spring was the result of a sudden sharp increase in
    food prices, mainly due to the fact that the area suddenly became a net
    energy importer. An increase in food prices means that more farming becomes
    economically viable. When food prices rise economic profit is possible,
    which means that he can afford to pay higher water rates.

    laurelbush
    laurelbush
    11 years ago

    and the actual skill of the farmer himself. The cost of farming is
    expensive enough in a western country, to start opening up land in remote
    eastern regions and in Africa comes with a new set of problems, transport
    to markets has its own problems. The fact that farmers are willing to open
    up new land shows a confidence in the weather, the no 1 enemy of many
    problems involved in farming.

    Nate Drake
    Nate Drake
    11 years ago

    Excellent link: “In the 2012/2013 season, the global corn harvest plunged
    to 855 million tonnes from 883 million tonnes a year earlier.” you proved
    my point very nicely that at least ONE of the major grains was devastated
    by the drought in 2012/2013. “This upcoming season, however, the US
    Department of Agriculture (USDA) is FORECASTING [emphasis mine] a
    harvest… ” “Everybody EXPECTS [emphasis mine] it to be a record high
    harvest on a global level” You claim expectations are evidence?

    ZeitgeistNightRadio
    ZeitgeistNightRadio
    11 years ago

    The European’s thought the earth was flat because the church said the earth
    was flat. Religious doctrine holdover to provide a simple answers for the
    little children in grade school. Grade school was the last time the global
    climate change denier’s paid attention in school.

    Micky Garcia
    Micky Garcia
    11 years ago

    What you’re really talking about is cost structure. Farmers are using more
    equipment, more petrochemicals, and more inputs in general in order to grow
    crops. Since the number of farms has increased so much it can produce a
    glut, prices fall. Anyone who fails to keep up can find themselves priced
    out of the market.

    laurelbush
    laurelbush
    11 years ago

    took a look a the first and third link but as it was January 2013 and
    February 2013 a lot changed and as it turned out the US had a bumper
    harvest for 2013 as did Canada and pretty much the whole world so not very
    helpful.

    laurelbush
    laurelbush
    11 years ago

    news.howzit.msn.com/analysts-see-bumper-harvest-for-corn-after-devastating-2012-2

    Nate Drake
    Nate Drake
    11 years ago

    I gave you direct links; why not cite the articles you claim directly? The
    USDA site I linked clearly shows the impacts of the drought on global
    prices. I am very sure not even you will deny direct claims by the USDA.
    But if you feel like it go ahead. But start linking relevant sites/articles
    if you want to be taken seriously. Dates and claims are not citations, you
    at least need the author as well as the publication and date.

    Nate Drake
    Nate Drake
    11 years ago

    Wow, it’s almost like there is a global market for products…. That is
    definitely a great reason to ignore the effects of pronounced drought on
    crop yields and it’s affects on the impoverished of the world.

    laurelbush
    laurelbush
    11 years ago

    strange how the cooky crumbles!! Corn futures tumbled, capping the biggest
    weekly loss in more than a month, after the government said U.S.
    inventories will double as farms recover from the drought in 2012 to
    produce the biggest crop ever……..

    Nate Drake
    Nate Drake
    11 years ago

    since you asked so nicely here are some further references, all from this
    year: cnb. cx/ZDe4fX cnb. cx/VevRby on-msn. com/1czCLWz bit. ly/H9pQMP

    laurelbush
    laurelbush
    11 years ago

    CONT… World food prices fell for a fifth month in September to the lowest
    level in three years, with grain prices sliding as production of corn and
    rice is expected to exceed demand. An index of 55 food items tracked by the
    FAO fell to 199.1 points from a revised 201.4 in August, the Rome-based
    United Nations agency wrote in an online report today. The gauge is down
    from a record 237.9 points in February 2011 and at the lowest level since
    September 2010.

    laurelbush
    laurelbush
    11 years ago

    where, tell me where for 2013!!

    laurelbush
    laurelbush
    11 years ago

    reuters, wow who is keeping the prices high, 23 Oct 2013 – With next year’s
    wheat output seen matching 2013’s strong 92.46 million … producer of
    wheat would be a bearish factor for global prices which …

    Nate Drake
    Nate Drake
    11 years ago

    Everywhere. In a world increasingly plagued by drought, even the markets
    can’t keep playing the specious speculation game indefinitely, and the poor
    will always bee the first to suffer for it. cnn. it/RsXsaQ 1. usa.
    gov/1fes8Ge bit. ly/NDhq13

    eve withoutadam
    eve withoutadam
    10 years ago

    well said. I wish more people would listen to talks like this one.. thanks for the talk.

    filthracer
    filthracer
    10 years ago

    Makes me feel like dropping out of high school all over again, if only I could.

    Micky Garcia
    Micky Garcia
    11 years ago

    The definitive sign of a good climate would be falling food prices.

    Electric Cars
    Electric Cars
    11 years ago

    Climate Change: Why you should be angry and why anger isn’t enough: John
    Ashton at TEDxBedfordSchool http://buff.ly/19xLOlp

    Paul Wayper
    Paul Wayper
    11 years ago

    Climate Change: Why you should be angry and why anger isn’t enough: John
    Ashton at TEDxBedfordSchool http://buff.ly/19xLOlp

    Electric Cars
    Electric Cars
    11 years ago

    Climate Change: Why you should be angry and why anger isn’t enough: John
    Ashton at TEDxBedfordSchool http://buff.ly/1exVvEc

    Desertphile
    Desertphile
    11 years ago

    Excellent talk: thank you.

    Vic Longdong
    Vic Longdong
    11 years ago

    every new technology has problems that get overcome with development saying
    LFTR had serious problems that could never be overcome is another one of
    your lies, there is no coolant water in LFTR so its obverse you don’t know
    what your talking about, typical alarmist, avoiding any real solution like
    the plague as long as that research money keeps coming in and the problem
    never goes away, that’s all that alarmists like you care about, research
    grants

    Iain1962
    Iain1962
    11 years ago

    Don’t talk nonsense, of course the planet will be “liveable” Science
    existed it just didn’t have the nomenclature we use for science today,
    don’t be ridiculous. How did the Egyptians build the pyramids without
    mathematics? Or the Romans their magnificent aqueducts. This is a bit of
    guesswork based on flimsy correlations. You could also say there are more
    bicycles now on the planet than 100 years ago. This is a media fuelled
    propaganda story to tax you and me, that’s all it is.

    Butch Cassidy
    Butch Cassidy
    10 years ago

    This guy says “we have to take oil and gas out of transport and heating.”

    The technology of fuel systems that produce 100 mpg or better for the
    average size car has been around for a long time. There’s quite a few
    videos on YouTube of such inventions dating back to the 70’s.

    If this technology were in use today then global CO2 emissions would be
    lower. The reason it isn’t in use is because of corporate interference
    within government, and perversion among its officials.

    Outboundz
    Outboundz
    10 years ago

    what he is saying here is the rotten world we created, deal with it please
    cause its ur problem know, ooh and we will keep contributing 2 pollution
    with our pensions, wich you ofcourse will not have

    Nicole Satteli
    Nicole Satteli
    10 years ago

    He’s 100% correct. Just one thing: At 15minutes in, when he starts to tell
    the younger generation how to go about making change, he forgets to mention
    what every other speaker forgets to mention – that the “global corporation”
    cannot be stopped, and therefore global warming will not be stopped,
    period. Governments are corrupt, and that is not going to end. So lets talk
    about what will happen after the world goes to hell, rather than wasting
    our time talking about how we can make a real change, which is impossible.
    These fools have a whole lot of nerve to look at us peasants like we are
    supposed to solve this kind of government corruption madness. We can get
    some wind mills and solar panels ready for the post-world to come, and
    that’s about it. This is a reality we all have yet to face, just as we took
    forever to face the fact that we are polluting our breathing air. And the
    fact is, we are afraid to even talk about it, which only underscores how
    screwed we all truly are. I’m disgusted to be on the same sinking ship as
    my so-called government, who will still somehow manage to steal the better
    seats.

    DIOSpeedDemon
    DIOSpeedDemon
    11 years ago

    it MAY be doing this. It MAY be doing that. All of this climate change
    business is total Fantasy. Thank God every Cop has Failed Miserably. Just
    give it over, the Jigg is up.

    John Oakley
    John Oakley
    11 years ago

    The predictions on climate change were all wrong. The peer reviewed
    consensus predictions within 95% certainty of future temperature were
    WRONG. We need a Sociological study to find how most major scientific
    organizations all believe the same WRONG IDEA. I suspect many scientists
    were wrong because of GROUP THINK and intimidation. The data directly
    disagrees with idea that climate models can predict accurately and data
    does not even correlate to significant man-made global warming, which
    became “Climate Change” after all the predictions completely failed. All
    humans know the climate changes. It always has. No one has come even
    remotely close to showing that significant man-made climate change has
    occurred. There are many scientific critics that are silent out of
    intimidation. Climate model grade = F

    Matthew Wal
    Matthew Wal
    11 years ago

    Cold weather-global warming
    Hot weather-global warming
    Record Arctic ice-global warming
    Decrease in Arctic ice-global warming
    Increase in hurricans-global warming
    Decrease in hurricans-global warming
    Increase in tornados-global warming
    Decrease in tornados-global warming

    See a pattern here? It was 10 degrees warmer in the 1800’s than today, and
    Co2 levels were lower.. The “consensus” or the “settled science” they talk
    about, consists of 300 or so paid, nutball scientists who will fudge and
    cherry pick data for grant $$.
    Our government, who invade countries for resources, spy on its citizens and
    destroy the constitution should be our real cause for worry.. People can
    barely afford to heat their homes or buy food and they want more money??
    GTFO!

    Tim Fouraker
    Tim Fouraker
    11 years ago

    What a load of bollocks. The human contribution to greenhouse gases is just
    0.0009% of all greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Any warming there is or
    has been has nothing to do with anthropogenic carbon emissions, and
    everything to do with natural variability. CO2 in the atmosphere is barely
    above the all time low in the earth’s history, so we need more of it, not
    less. Cut the current levels by 50%, and all plant life would die, so would
    we. It is an imminent ice age we should be more concerned about, not global
    warming, because the next one is overdue, and when it comes, it will very
    likely wipe two thirds of the world’s population off the face of the earth
    unless we are prepared for it. When the Holocene epoch comes to an end, the
    one we have been enjoying for the last 12,000 years, the next ice age will
    arrive hard and fast. The last ice age began 110,000 years ago and went
    from a climate warmer than that of today to full on ice age in just fifty
    years. At its peak 20,000 years ago, the ice over the UK was three miles
    thick in places and extended as far south as London.
    This is because we are actually living in one of the earth’s major ice ages
    right now, one of at least five in the earth’s history that we know of,
    this being the Pliocene-Quaternary glaciation which began 2.58 million
    years ago. Within this major glaciation, the climate has been flipping back
    and forth between relatively short warm periods, and longer much colder
    periods for the planet as a whole. The warm period we have been living in
    for the past 12,000 years is known as the Holocene, and as modern humans,
    it is the only climate we know.

    Now all scientists agree that the world is cooling, not warming. Ice is
    recovering in the Arctic and the ice extent, in circumference and volume,
    is at record levels at the Antarctic. The argument for anthropogenic global
    warming id dead in the water.

    tamckissick
    tamckissick
    11 years ago

    Interesting, well supported and thoughtful presentation. The problem is
    the premise is 100% reversed from the real solution. Politics is not the
    answer. The real solution is to produce the renewable, technical and
    crowd-organized solutions in the following ways:

    Keep them local, debt free and sustainable.
    Keep them interesting to everyone – IOW, make them attractive to even the
    most materialistic.
    Keep them cost beneficial to both the customer and the workers.

    We already have proven solutions in every economic sector which follow
    these rules. They just need more support.

    The rest will take care of itself. People will prosper, monopolies will
    die, governments will shrink and power will return to the people. There
    may be many details avoided here, but overall, it really is that simple.

    laurejon
    laurejon
    10 years ago

    Given the fact that land is being turned over to grow biofuels, at a time
    when millions of children are starving to death in their mothers arms. I
    can honestly say, without a science degree, or without doing too much
    research. Climate Change is complete and utter bollox, and the bullshit we
    are being fed is beyond laughable. Any solution that anyone comes up with,
    that doesn’t involve taxing people, is immediately dismissed. The solution
    to Climate Change is to shut down the NGO’s, shut down the Universities
    that are pumping out retards at great expense to themselves and society,
    when they could be doing something far more meaningful with their lives.

    namnack
    namnack
    10 years ago

    Trying to use politics to change things in this matter still sounds like
    someone whistling cheerfully from a cross..

    Saute Sapolu,Jr
    Saute Sapolu,Jr
    11 years ago

    WHAT ABOUT MY ‘INNOCENT PEOPLE’ OF SAMOA THAT WERE ‘SLAUGHTERED’ BY THE
    PRIME MINISTER OF SAMOA ‘CHINA NUCLEAR TEST SITE’ Five Year Plan By PM that
    he never told and let known to the ‘INNOCENT PEOPLE’ of my SAMOA. ‘CLIMATE
    CHANGE’ BUSINESSES are ‘EVIL’. You are just trying to persuade people or
    the young generations to believe is good to ‘slaughter’ innocent people in
    their country for them to make money. My Innocent People of Samoa that were
    ‘murdered’ by the ‘China Nuclear Test Site’ Five Year Plan By PM that
    ‘created’ a MANUFACTURE TSUNAMI on Sept 29th, 2009 never had a FUTURE. My
    Islands will survive without your ‘Evil’ CLIMATE CHANGE BUSINESSES.

    Liam Silverman
    Liam Silverman
    11 years ago

    we need a population order….

    1000frolly
    1000frolly
    11 years ago

    Its long past time that idiots like this guy were jailed for spreading fear
    and hysteria among our kids.

    Estoy Hasta LaMadre
    Estoy Hasta LaMadre
    11 years ago

    I have one single question:

    Does this “iceholes” pretend that the planet Earth stops having Changes in
    it’s climate?

    The planet start having climate changes the very instant it came to be,
    that’s a fact!

    15 years in the business of “climate change”? ….and then?

    What is it you propose to “stop the earth from having “climate changes”? ,
    how, when, who ?

    In sum: a huge planet size hot air balloon!

    Solving? climate change? many words to say absolutely NOTHING!

    15 years we got it…..and you DON’T HAVE ANY ANSWERS …..TO WHAT?????

    nat forest
    nat forest
    11 years ago

    “I’ve been in the climate change business for fifteen years now”
    That tells you right there everything you need to know about this fraud.

    Jon Hu
    Jon Hu
    10 years ago

    These people want you to buy into the cleAn energy windfarms that kill
    hundreds of bald eagles and other protected species, that you would be in
    jail if you harmed one. However if you contributed to the Obama campaign,
    you can kill them for free and no penalty. the wind turbines have
    absolutely ruined the bautiful sierra nevadas. Now all you can see is ugly
    friggin windmills. They take 20 years to pay for and they won’t last 15.
    Great capital venture.

    MAD WHITE
    MAD WHITE
    11 years ago

    I thought was going to learn something:-) lol a bunch of hoopla

    Jon Hu
    Jon Hu
    10 years ago

    Pure hokum! Non sense. This fraud is propagating a lie and he knows it. He
    just wants you to believe it too. Money to be made in the green business.
    Selling carbon credits to themselves like that damn liar Al Gore. He buys
    carbon credits from himself through acompany he created. Oh the lunacy of
    these propagand peddelers.

    sbarnett37tiger
    sbarnett37tiger
    11 years ago

    No, we can’t ‘deal’ with climate change, any more than we can ‘deal’ with
    the moon’s orbit. we have no control over either and to think otherwise is
    arrogant. The earth’s climate will change no matter what we do do to all
    you tree-huggers I say “Deal with it!! Stop worrying about it and get on
    with life!!” And stop being so damned negative. We live during a
    fantastic time in human history where we have the technology, medicine etc
    to live great lives, so stop worrying about nothing and enjoy life you
    bunch of morons!

    TheWibbletastic
    TheWibbletastic
    11 years ago

    Offending people to no end is not OK. However, sometimes it helps shke them
    out of their complacency and ignorance. This obviously does not always
    work. And if you think Christians have been offended, try thinking about
    the offence caused by all religions to the biggest minority belief system
    in history by hectoring, mudering, genocidal, bigotted people who believe
    they know the truth but offer no evidence.