Robber fly - Nature photographer Thomas Shahan specializes in amazing portraits of tiny insects. It isn't easy. Shahan says that this Robber Fly (Holcocephala fusca), for instance, is "skittish" and doesn't like its picture taken.

Eye-popping bug photos

Nature by Numbers (Video)

"A Summary" – Apr 2, 2011 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Religion, Shift of Human Consciousness, 2012, Intelligent/Benevolent Design, EU, South America, 5 Currencies, Water Cycle (Heat up, Mini Ice Ace, Oceans, Fish, Earthquakes ..), Middle East, Internet, Israel, Dictators, Palestine, US, Japan (Quake/Tsunami Disasters , People, Society ...), Nuclear Power Revealed, Hydro Power, Geothermal Power, Moon, Financial Institutes (Recession, Realign integrity values ..) , China, North Korea, Global Unity,..... etc.) -
"The Quantum Factor" – Apr 10, 2011 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Galaxies, Universe, Intelligent design, Benevolent design, Aliens, Nikola Tesla (Quantum energy), Inter-Planetary Travel, DNA, Genes, Stem Cells, Cells, Rejuvenation, Shift of Human Consciousness, Spontaneous Remission, Religion, Dictators, Africa, China, Nuclear Power, Sustainable Development, Animals, Global Unity.. etc.) - (Text Version)


“ … Here is another one. A change in what Human nature will allow for government. "Careful, Kryon, don't talk about politics. You'll get in trouble." I won't get in trouble. I'm going to tell you to watch for leadership that cares about you. "You mean politics is going to change?" It already has. It's beginning. Watch for it. You're going to see a total phase-out of old energy dictatorships eventually. The potential is that you're going to see that before 2013.

They're going to fall over, you know, because the energy of the population will not sustain an old energy leader ..."

(Live Kryon Channelings was given 7 times within the United Nations building.)

"Update on Current Events" – Jul 23, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: The Humanization of God, Gaia, Shift of Human Consciousness, 2012, Benevolent Design, Financial Institutes (Recession, System to Change ...), Water Cycle (Heat up, Mini Ice Ace, Oceans, Fish, Earthquakes ..), Nuclear Power Revealed, Geothermal Power, Hydro Power, Drinking Water from Seawater, No need for Oil as Much, Middle East in Peace, Persia/Iran Uprising, Muhammad, Israel, DNA, Two Dictators to fall soon, Africa, China, (Old) Souls, Species to go, Whales to Humans, Global Unity,..... etc.)

"Recalibration of Free Choice"– Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Loose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth, 4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Paddle wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical) 8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version)

“… 4 - Energy (again)


The natural resources of the planet are finite and will not support the continuation of what you've been doing. We've been saying this for a decade. Watch for increased science and increased funding for alternate ways of creating electricity (finally). Watch for the very companies who have the most to lose being the ones who fund it. It is the beginning of a full realization that a change of thinking is at hand. You can take things from Gaia that are energy, instead of physical resources. We speak yet again about geothermal, about tidal, about wind. Again, we plead with you not to over-engineer this. For one of the things that Human Beings do in a technological age is to over-engineer simple things. Look at nuclear - the most over-engineered and expensive steam engine in existence!

Your current ideas of capturing energy from tidal and wave motion don't have to be technical marvels. Think paddle wheel on a pier with waves, which will create energy in both directions [waves coming and going] tied to a generator that can power dozens of neighborhoods, not full cities. Think simple and decentralize the idea of utilities. The same goes for wind and geothermal. Think of utilities for groups of homes in a cluster. You won't have a grid failure if there is no grid. This is the way of the future, and you'll be more inclined to have it sooner than later if you do this, and it won't cost as much….”



"Fast-Tracking" - Feb 8, 2014 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Reference to Fukushima / H-bomb nuclear pollution and a warning about nuclear > 20 Min)

Obama unveils landmark regulations to combat climate change

Obama unveils landmark regulations to combat climate change
In a bid to combat climate change, US President Barack Obama announced the Clean Power Plan on Monday, marking the first time power plants have been targeted by mandatory regulations on carbon dioxide emissions in the US.
Google: Earthday 2013

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Dutch climate champion brings 'case for hope’ to Australia

Lawyers Weekly, Felicity Nelson, 24 July, 2015
     
Marjan Minnesma
The refreshing 'can do’ attitude of Marjan Minnesma goes a long way to explaining a momentous victory in the Dutch courts last month.

Ms Minnesma (pictured), director of the Urgenda Foundation, interrupted her holiday to deliver talks around Australia.

Urgenda (an NGO whose name combines the words “urgent” and “agenda”) made history in June when the District Court of The Hague ruled that the Dutch Government must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25 per cent of 1990 levels by 2020.

The court found the government’s present target of 14-17 per cent by 2020 was unlawfully negligent.

Ms Minnesma said the case was viewed by the Dutch press as a publicity stunt and no one really believed Urgenda, together with the 886 plaintiffs they were representing, could actually win. 

“The reaction of most lawyers was, 'this is not possible’,” said Ms Minnesma, speaking at an event hosted by EDO NSW in Sydney this week.

Urgenda and its supporters marched to the courts to launch the case in November 2013 after engaging in polite correspondence with the government, as is required by Dutch law before civil proceedings.

“[We were essentially] just putting papers on a desk, but we were there with hundreds of people – children, balloons, everything,” Ms Minnesma said. “We had a lot of fun.”

Urgenda’s case was led by Roger Cox, a partner at the Dutch law firm Paulussen Advocaten and the author of Revolution Justified, which lays out the legal thinking behind the case.

The first meeting of the two parties took place in April this year.On June 24 the court was again packed with hundreds of people and more than 50 journalists to hear the verdict, which was handed down in Urgenda's favour.

“We were all dressed up in white,” Ms Minnesma said. “The people of the state were dressed all in black, so it was very easy to see who was good and who was bad,” she laughed.

“What I found very special was that the court had decided to translate everything in English,” said Ms Minnesma.

Holding the government to its own standards

The most remarkable aspect of this case is its relative simplicity from a legal perspective, according to Ms Minnesma.

“It is important for people to realise that this is civil law,” she said. “This is not environmental law or international law.”

The way the case was constructed meant that the legal team could draw on other parts of the law indirectly, while focusing on the government's duty of care of government.

“In duty of care there is a so-called ‘open norm’,” said Ms Minnesma.

Open norm allows duty of care to change over time, according to the standards of the era. This is known as the ‘reflex effect’.

It allows the court to judge action (or inaction) as lawful based on the various principles, treaties and bodies of knowledge that the government has already recognised.

“[The open norms] would be different in the 1800s than they would be now – I even think 15 years ago it would be difficult for us to fight this case,” said Ms Minnesma.

While the state has a lot of discretionary power, there is a minimum level of care that must be met to protect citizens, she said: “A government cannot do everything it likes.”

This minimum obligation is determined by what the government has already established itself, through treaties and policies.

“The judge is not inventing policies,” Ms Minnesma said. “It is only looking at what the government has declared itself up to now, what have they signed.”

The Netherlands is a signatory of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which produces a scientific report every five or seven years.

“The report is not from scientists alone,” Ms Minnesma said. “In the end, 195 countries sign it and say, ‘this is the body of knowledge that we acknowledge’.”

As the Dutch Government did not dispute the science in the most recent report in the case, the judge concluded that this was part of the accepted norms.

“The judge simply said 'well, you should now live up to your own principles. That is part of your duty of care’,” said Ms Minnesma.

Ms Minnesma said the arguments of the state were not very convincing: "I think the lawyers were not really very good. We were happy about that."

Changing the conversation

Ms Minnesma recalled the joyous moment that erupted in the courtroom when the decision was read out.

“There was yelling and crying and hugging and it was really a very strange court.

“[The news travelled] within an hour all over the world. I was surprised how quickly it went.

“There were so many people that called us to say they were crying in front of the TV.”

Since this “case for hope”, the media in The Netherlands have stopped focusing on whether climate change is real or not, she continued.

“Suddenly, climate change is a fact … and we are finally now acting on the solutions.”

The government has been ordered to pay Urgenda’s legal bills, estimated at €13,522, and (so long as an appeal is unsuccessful) the government will have to pay large fines to the NGO if it does not comply with the court ruling.


Urgenda supporters celebrate at the Hague after court ruling requiring Dutch
government to slash emissions. Photograph: Chantal Bekker/Urgenda

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