A European Energy Scenario for EU-25
GREENPEACE
introduction
Climate change is real and it is happening now; the result of the
greenhouse gases we are pumping into the atmosphere, climate change
impacts our lives and is expected to destroy many natural environments in
the coming years. A rise of the global mean temperature of 2°C or more
above pre-industrial levels would mean a dramatic increase in damage to
ecosystems and disruption to the climate system.Today, we are already
committed to 1.2 or 1.3°C warming, even if all greenhouse emissions were
stopped immediately.To keep global mean temperature below the 2°C
level, we have a very short time window to act.Within no more than one
to two decades, we have to change our energy system to meet this target.
Nuclear power is as radioactive and dangerous as ever. Every part of the
nuclear cycle has unacceptable risks, from the mining of uranium, to the
production of energy, to the unsolved problem of safely transporting and
storing radioactive waste and the threat of nuclear proliferation.Today the
nuclear industry tries to present itself as the solution to climate change in
a massive green-washing drive.To replace one environmental catastrophe,
polluting fossil fuel power, with another environmental disaster, nuclear
energy is clearly not the answer.
The Day a Week Starts
I attended the Jewish Friday Sabbath service at the Temple Israel in Omaha at 7:30 pm on Friday, November 11th. The congregation of this temple is the Reform; therefore, the beliefs of worshipers are more liberal than other Jewish congregations. During the service on that day, people sung, the Rabbi talked, a guest speaker from university gave a lecture, and a lady was converted. After the service, some people moved to the different room to get together and had some conversation over refreshments.
The building of temple is described as plain, but it has elegant characteristics. Inside the temple was not very much decorated with arts, but there were many worded remembrances of Jewish history and beliefs on the walls. There was a section where many goods which were made in various times of history were displayed. Compared to the Asian religious places that I know of, Temple Israel looked very different. If I express some of the Asian religious places as a strong, dignified places, it is rather simple but elegant: with the white-based walls and colorful stained glass in the higher parts of side walls. There were three statue-looking objects in bright colors behind the see-through curtain at the very front of the room. I did not know what they were called, but they looked that they were sacredly kept. They were taken out during the service.
My impression of the service for worshipers was to share a meaningful time with other worshipers and to gain better un