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Climate Change Costa Blanca

Environment & Climate Region - Costa Blanca Region - Province of Alicante Region - Valencian Community

Off Topic – Climate Change Costa Blanca

Of course the climate change Costa Blanca is not off-topic! This topic belongs everywhere. Currently I personally and publicly support the concerns and – explicitly – the approach of Extinction Rebellion and Fridays for Future. Here is the link to the Spanish contact points of Extinction Rebellion

Mapa realizado por Rodriguillo a partir de una imagen del Visor de Cartografía CTH de la Comunidad Valenciana. Esta imagen puede ser reproducida bajo licencia GFDL con la autorización de la Consellería de Territori i Habitatge de la Generalidad Valenciana (es:Wikipedia:Autorizaciones/Visor de Cartografía CTH de la Comunidad Valenciana) [Public domain], <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mapa_f%C3%ADsico_de_la_provincia_de_Alicante_(Espa%C3%B1a).png">via Wikimedia Commons</a>
Karte Weisse Küste / Costa Blanca – Provinz Alicante
Climate change Costa Blanca: Yes, it has also arrived at the Costa Blanca. Who has followed the weather anomalies of recent years suspects it. Those were no more “normal” Gota Frias. The particularly intensive heavy rain events with floods occurred in the last 10 years almost as frequently as otherwise in 100 years.

And they occurred more often, longer, colder, stormier and with far more water in a short time.  So everybody who lives here on the Costa Blanca or in the inland of the province Alicante knows. But why is it still so difficult for us to act? Nothing helps anyway is our most popular excuse in front of ourselves. But we don't feel really good about it.

Picture credits Map environmental protection Costa Blanca per Mouse over

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Alternatives and ways out

As long as our politicians do not bring about serious political decisions with a steering effect, it is really very difficult to change anything. Because we have to change our own behaviour. And who is good at that? I already fail with such simple things as closing the toothpaste tube or something like that. Even though I've been doing this all my life, it doesn't always work out. It's frustrating to be presented to yourself like that.

But there are always possibilities to solve something and to initiate a new start. My discomfort has its cause in the schizophrenic situation against better knowledge not to act. At least not sufficiently, although the signs of how wrong it is have become increasingly clear for years. If you feel like it, my striptease about Saul's climate might be interesting enough to read the article. Everyone does his own thing there of course. But I think that in my age group with similar youth experiences there are some similarities. This is how I describe my first steps here.

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What's holding me back

The fight against climate change – also on the Costa Blanca: Although I am a child of the 68's and Hippie time, it is difficult for me to mobilize today. This may have something to do with the fact that I became more lethargic in my old age. Also my indignation against grievances is not as passionate as it was at 17. And so some motivation is missing to get the – forgive me – ass up. But that may still change. Anyway, my motivation to do something grows with increasing knowledge. It simply seems to be a question of increased awareness and knowledge.

What's funny is that I also feel an opposite impulse. Even as a teenager the mainstream could not win me over. That drove e.g. with my beloved music strange blooms. As long as a band was unknown and rather a secret tip, I listened to it and checked if I liked the sound. When the band became popular, my acceptance disappeared. This led to the filter mainstream also deciding what I liked. Regardless of the quality. How stupid that was. But apparently you hardly change. The more popular the topic of climate change becomes, the more inner resistance I feel to participate. An absurd reason. I will overcome that and learn to enjoy the commitment and solidarity of so many great, primarily very young people.

My starting point Environmental Protection Costa Blanca

As with you, every activity depends on my situation and personal possibilities. Based on who initiated my increased climate awareness, I start with the climate activists Extinction Rebellion and Fridays for Future. The increasing media presence has undoubtedly made me curious and aware of the topic again. And this was only possible because many alert and mostly very young activists took personal risks. People who have used their time and energy for an overriding common goal instead of individual progress. That impressed me very much in these late capitalist times. It gives me courage to do something about climate change on the Costa Blanca.

Civil disobedience

Without civil disobedience, politicians who only think populist about their re-election cannot be persuaded. We have known this since the 60s. I certainly do not fit – even at well over 60 – into the age cliché of these initiatives. But my motto is also “Its never too late to have a happy childhood”. Unfortunately, especially in the pensioner's paradise on the Costa Blanca, I often encounter behaviour that is difficult for me to understand and sometimes unbearable. This concerns all nationalities.

So this very personal article on climate change in a more touristy Spain blog with focus on Costa Blanca is certainly unusual. It is a first small thank you to the activists for their great public relations. Writing these lines is easy in comparison. There is no risk or renunciation associated with it, as with you, just a little time. So this does not satisfy me alone of course yet. But it is a clear commitment to your commitment and a signal to people my age. It is never too late to do something. Even if it is only to show solidarity.

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What's the next step?

This contribution climate change Costa Blanca is only a first step. Mainly to open the topic and to thank me. What further can I follow at the moment. As I said, it also depends on the possibilities. One idea is to deepen and update the topic. Perhaps also with guest articles. If you are interested, please use the contact form. I will mail you back with my e-mail address.

There are unexpected advantages with some things. Due to my advanced age I may reach my generation more easily. Because I can report in my age group of my age-typical problems with the topic. I too have become noticeably more conservative over the years. This seems to be a normal symptom of old age. Perhaps it is easier to get into conversation from this level. There are a lot of pensioners in the region. Anyway, I will try to convince my contemporaries that everyone is needed, no matter how old.

After a lot of research work, I am now convinced of this! A radical change in our behaviour has never been so urgent in the entire history of mankind as it is today. Because we are actually in the process of completely extinguishing ourselves. In a way that will make future generations helpless. Because whatever they're trying to do to stop the demise. Once it gets going, this train won't stop. They can only go into the downfall with their eyes open.

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Reflections – What's going on?

I myself am 65 years old. I don't like to admit and consciously and loudly I didn't think that of course. Never ;). Quietly and deeply hidden in my brain there is something like: “For me it doesn't matter anyway, I don't experience the climate change anymore”. Let those who will be affected take care of it. I believe that I am not alone with this subliminal thought. Somehow you can feel that something is wrong with it. Sometimes even discreetly ashamed. But for a long time there was no external reason that reached me sufficiently intensively to think about it intensively and consciously.

Similar manipulations

I'm still a smoker, I'm afraid. With the inevitable health problems and the very high risk to die miserably. In my childhood I was able to draw cigarettes for 1 Mark at the low hanging vending machine when I was 10 years old. The cinema and television commercials had their effect. Today I am addicted to nicotine and still smoke. Although I know that it shortens my life. I was certainly not born with the aim of becoming a smoker. And I certainly tried to quit 100 times.

The saying of “free will” is cynical. It was only an unscrupulous manipulation to introduce children to one of the strongest known addictive drugs. The pushers were the tobacco companies that were allowed to advertise for poisons without regulation. Out of purely economic interests of companies who simply didn't care if someone died of their product. From my point of view today, that was millions of mass murders. Despite knowing what was going to happen, they did. A crime! The documents on the questioning of the tobacco industry in the USA uncover these lies relentlessly.

It is identical in terms of climate protection. Without legal framework conditions the profit-oriented enterprises will change nothing, absolutely nothing at all. Only we can influence politics and civil disobedience so that we are not killed by purely economic companies. Only because they can generate higher profits and increase shareholder value through uncontrolled, criminal environmental destruction.

Perception

In my subjective perception, climate change on the Costa Blanca and in general for many years had something imperceptible. The irreversibility of this process was never really clear to me in all its finality. The minimal media presence intended for climate change made him so infinitely slow and beamed him far away from my brain. So I was able to well blot out the threat and need for radical change from my life. I had become imperceptibly accustomed to the increasing number and severity of disasters. The annual rise of global horror scenarios with fires, storms, floods and droughts gradually became accepted normality. I was lulled. Today I would say manipulated.

Media presence & media scolding

It's always easy to blame everything on the media. But from today's point of view I have to say. The presence of environmental issues was clearly under-represented. That's not surprising in the case of the private sector. But the public channels have also for years pushed away the most important topic currently facing mankind in favour of soaps and lifestyle formats.

I sit a lot at the computer and usually run phoenix on the second monitor. Certainly an unsuspicious station. It would be exciting to investigate the frequency of environmental broadcasts since 2018 in comparison to the periods before that. Subjectively this has multiplied for me. In principle it started with Greta. Was climate change less threatening before? Are those responsible only now aware that only a high broadcasting time volume over years can bring a topic into the consciousness of the population?

The German and European public Channels Phoenix, arte and Co. have only a relatively small range. Also the public German channels 1., 2. and 3. are thus in demand. Thus e.g. the today's show does not hit e.g. really my humor nerve. For a long time I was quite arrogant towards this show. I rather like Nuhr and colleagues. But I stumbled over it every now and then. And now I have to revise my judgement. With Hau Drauf humor, difficult political topics are increasingly very well accommodated. That doesn't suit the intellectuals, but it does reach the broader population. Very clever. Much more needs to be done in this way. Not to mention Youtube & Co.

Marginalisation of consequences

And what is only 1.5 degrees warming? That seems to be such a tiny number. For a long time most media and the so-called Volksparteien + FDP gave a completely wrong impression. Because already 1.5 degrees are the pure horror with most substantial effects. Without a thorough clarification about the effects, as it gives it today increased, nevertheless everyone thought: “1.5 degrees cannot be nevertheless really bad degrees. So I don't have to think seriously or change anything radically. I already eat less anyway and, if, then organic meat. And I separate the garbage well-behaved German. That's enough.”

I am the best example of how stupid, unenlightened and sleepy this has kept us. I don't even want to imagine the information level of the population that only private broadcasters see and only Boulevard Presse read. And also no storms with 400 km speed, continuous fires a la California or precipitation quantities which are 10 times so high and let everything sink.

No, I don't want to pass it on to the media alone that I wake up so late. Others have also seen it. But in such a threatening situation, which will be irreversible, the most important thing is to educate the media. One of the very few keys to prepare a society to accept restrictions in order to survive. But one must know this and not only from the Greens and environmental organizations with bad medium operational readiness level now and then to experience to be able. In addition to slander and disparagement, such as banning party with solving suggestions to long overdue regulations … What can I say?

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Economy Lobbies

It goes without saying that the petroleum industry, for example, represents its interests. Everyone knows that the global oil cartel is extremely financially strong. The financial strength becomes clear when you look at the urban development of the Gulf States. And there is Texas, the rich Norway, Russia and, and, and, and.

They all don't want their financial basis to collapse when they switch to renewable energies. And they do everything, everything to prevent this and to delay it as long as possible. They don't care about climate change at all. The paid faces studies of the not man-made climate change remind of the corrupt tobacco industry with the cancer studies. It is only in this cause that not only smokers die, but humanity.

I increasingly have the impression that governments can no longer oppose the assertion of economic interests against the interests of the population. The concentration of so much capital is so incredibly powerful and effective in manipulating the population and bending government action. No, I am not a communist or a conspiracy theorist. The oil industry still does the dirty job with money. The IT industry has money and data power. Maybe capitalism has small weaknesses after all. 😉

Own changes

It is hard to believe that one's own small change in behaviour can make a difference if new coal-fired power plants are built in other places at the same time. Or if the neighbour has already ordered another larger SUV. The unrestrained use of resources around us is so present that we cannot believe that it will be successful.

The density of the particularly large and optically aggressive SUVs on the Costa Blanca is felt to be particularly high. On each of these cars I read the imaginary slogan: “I don't care”. That creates grief and anger. The point of no return is probably very close, if not already crossed. It can't work without rapid change.

Why is that so? Perhaps the relative wealth of many residents over the years creates a dangerous mindset unnoticed and unintentionally. The motto “With money I can regulate everything” does not work with the climate. Who has noticed the accumulation of weather anomalies of the last 10 years and the climate wall on the Costa Blanca, knows it anyway. Actually, everybody knows exactly what will happen.

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Supporting Politics & Activists

The most important thing for me – the mobilisation of all forces is the order of the day.

Not everyone can be an activist. Age also limits the possibilities. But one thing is crystal clear. If Pokitik does not create a worldwide framework for a climate-neutral economy, the world will actually end. And far faster than long thought.

Since politicians always have their re-election in mind, they usually make short-term and populist decisions. I don't want to end up in the elitist corner now. But from my point of view, the inadequate education of a very high percentage of the population makes them very receptive to populist messages. Which in turn tempts politicians to make dubious offers. But tacheles, truth and drastic measures are needed to survive. But nobody will be re-elected. What can you do?

Pressure on politics

Constant social pressure on politics is one way to achieve political change. Choosing a political party that has recognized the problem and is serious, the second. In combination of both, the necessary change can perhaps still be achieved.

It would also happen politically very quickly with the necessary changes. If it were scientifically clear that within 10 years the temperature would rise by 5 degrees. Everyone would accept everything necessary to do something against the end time catastrophe and to survive. No matter how drastic the measures would be.

So it can also come, only then it will be too late for countermeasures. The only chance is to act now. That is why I appeal to every alert and enlightened elderly person. Support climate activists. If not for you, then for your children.

Civil disobedience

As I said, I too have become more conservative over the years in line with my age and should actually reject civil disobedience. When you get older, you like to have things quiet, well regulated and orderly. The storm and urge time is over. Chaos is frightening and civil disobedience sounds like refusal to obey orders, riots and unlawful. All things you don't want in old age.

Today I support actions of civil disobedience. Because this is the only chance to get the media attention that is necessary to really change something. Fast enough to change. We are running out of time. Peaceful civil disobedience naturally and without any violence, that is my red line.

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What can you do about it?

Stupid question – depends on the situation. When you wake up and shake off your lethargy, it's obvious, act, right now! Are you physically fit and do you remember the 68's. Go to action events. Take part and show that it is not only the boys & girls. That impresses even policemen sometimes.

  • Do you have money and are rich – support materially. Make resources available. It does not matter what. Sleep places, food, computers. Donate – Extinction Rebellion
  • Do you have contacts, a network – help with public relations. Good multipliers are extremely important.
  • Are you good at writing or talking – get involved. Comment in blogs, the social media, the classic media.

There's so much more

My imagination is not enough to list all the handouts for this great troupe. The best thing is to get in touch with the group in your region, get to know the people and build yourself up to the requirements according to your possibilities. Good luck.

Adapt your own life

Changing habits is not always easy. Especially for reasons as abstract as global warming. In everyday life we do not have the mentality of a gardener. He thinks in other periods and knows that he can only enjoy the shade of the tree he has planted, if at all, in old age. We humans do not seem to be able to think, plan and act responsibly in larger periods of time. Why not use the primordial capitalist principle of supply and demand and market prices.

Without correct pricing, including environmental costs, I don't really believe in the human ability to do without, out of reason and voluntary renunciation. At least not for the majority of people. Those who manage to do so have my full respect and admiration.

Ecological pricing

Apparently, we humans are best able to achieve a personal change in behavior through price. We know this from all other products and can handle it. At the moment, however, we regard real environmental protection pricing as a punishment. It is only the elimination of the current subsidization of environmentally harmful behavior. This should even inspire the FDP.

The reduction of subsidies was and is difficult in all areas. Whether the German coal penny or renewable energies. But it is downright absurd that of all things the Left, the Greens and parts of the SPD are striving for a subsidy-free, capitalist market control of environmental costs. And the blacks and yellows want to build walls and regulate this in a planned way. A real joke.

If we were to pay the actual costs for all products and services, including the ecological costs, everything would be done simply and quickly. The market would regulate everything. That would be the urgently needed political framework.

Without social adjustments, however, it would also be extremely unfair. Wealthy citizens do not have to worry about how much heating oil, petrol and diesel cost. That is a real task for politicians. It will not be easy to find a well-balanced and social solution.

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Bottom line

Personal changes in behaviour are difficult. They only function nationwide via price. We are flawed people and collective consciousness changes only slowly. Health reasons also help us to reduce meat consumption. And German waste separation calms our consciences, but wrongly so. Because only avoidance really helps. In addition, even the good German garbage separator abroad can very quickly mutate back into an environmental pig if there is hardly any threat of sanctions. The wild dumping of waste of all kinds around the unattended containers at the entrance of urbanisations is the normal case.

The most important thing at the moment is to create massive political pressure. Through mobilization and peaceful civil disobedience. From my point of view this is the only chance to stand against populist election gifts of re-election of horny politicians. Support the activists where and how you can

Ecological Search engine

By the way, you can already do something with the simple use of a search engine. Ecosia is also financed by advertising like the others. But it works anonymously and distributes the profits to preserve the environment. The results are Google fed and very relevant and good. That costs nothing and is immediately feasible. 😉

Hope dies last

So I hope for a strong worldwide citizens' movement that enforces our fundamental right. Any support is welcome. Whether as a reference to the drivers of running SUVs in front of the supermarket, so that woman can get into an air-conditioned vehicle after shopping. Or directly. Here is the link to Extinction Rebellion Spain. Without support from us old people, our kids can hardly win their fight for a future worth living. So get out of lethargy and boredom. Hasta la Victoria Siempre. Good luck – Mark

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