Crime against humanity. Someone else is saying it. This is incredibly uplifting. It is virtually impossible to see our precarious climate situation any other way. Believe me, I’ve tried. Just when I think we are collectively hoisting that boulder pretty near the top of the mountain, inching closer to the tipping point that topples the monopoly and stranglehold  the fossil fuel industry has on our energy choices, WHAM – I get knocked down a bit.

The last time was the midterm elections here in the US which were like a splash of ice water, reminding me that a lot of people are still being conned by these crooks. Below is a press release from the wonderful organization, 350.org. reporting from Lima, Peru.  In it, you can see that a Friends of the Earth (Nigeria) representative says those 3 VERY important words: crime against humanity. The ecocide part was never ratified, but nonetheless, this is extremely noteworthy. Think about this: prosecutors will use what they need, cherry-picking if it supports what they WANT to get done. The fossil fuel industry is expert (as was the tobacco industry) at exploiting vague language and finding loopholes in laws, regulations and treaties to get whatever they wanted to continue their dirty business. Now, OUR side needs to do the same. We need to fight fire with fire. There is, without question, leeway to interpret and apply certain Articles in the Rome Statute in several different ways. Having said that, the Rome Statute explicitly does outline crimes against humanity which align perfectly with what the fossil fuel industry has done, is doing, and plans on doing for many decades to come, no cherry-picking required.

Not only that, but atrocities committed by the fossil fuel industry are exhaustively documented, even by themselves, unlike many other war crimes, crimes of aggression and crimes against humanity, many of which have relatively few witnesses to aid in successful prosecution. It is ALL about what the International Criminal Court in The Hague feels that it can take on, and what it feels it’s mandate is. Timing really is everything.

Please read the 350.org Press Release below, and take note of the the last line: Do you see the reference to carbon capture? Okay, now, take a deep breath, close your eyes and swoop out for a second and get a macro view of this situation. Go ahead. Swoop WAY out… Think about the post I made earlier today regarding the rabid idiots that dominate the US Congress. Now think about their lap dog (it may actually be more like a competitive sibling, but who can tell), which is the US Department of Energy, and, more specifically, their Office of Fossil Fuels. As you can see below, the House is criticizing the Department of Energy for not being supportive ENOUGH of the fossil fuel industry which would be like accusing your 95 year old grandmother of not baking cookies fast enough. Totally bizarre, right? If you are the House Energy Subcommittee, you need that sweet granny to keep the goodies coming, to help support that disgusting, bloated and perverted rich uncle, the one who is always trying to give wet kisses at Thanksgiving. But he MUST be kept happy or the money dries up. The Energy Committee’s relationship to the Department of Energy is SOCLOSE that when one side gets a cold, the other sneezes. And yet, look at this: Which leads me to believe that this carbon capture and sequestration sleight of hand DOE “Cash Cow” is, indeed, a red herring and actually not at all feasible. So that means that they are just conning us into waiting for a technology which has already cost taxpayers billions and billions of dollars to “explore,” when renewables are gasping for every nickel and dime they may have thrown their way. A classic “stall” technique. Totally unacceptable. And CRIMINAL, I might add. And will add.

UPDATE: In October 2014, I asked the ICC to open an investigation into the fossil fuel industry, en masse, for crimes against humanity. 6 months after I submitted my documentation and request, they decided not to take it beyond the preliminary stage, but they will keep my documents and request should further evidence become available.