The Nonfiction Portions of Legacy: Chapters 1-4

In most novels, blurring the line between fiction and nonfiction is all part of the fun. In Legacy, understanding which items are really happening in our nonfiction world is an essential part of the project. Listed below are references to further information on many of the real parts of Legacy. These are presented in the sequence in which they appear in the book.

Caution: This page may contain plot spoilers!

General


Climate change forecasts
The timeline of climate change follows a combination of scientific forecasts. It switches between models depending on what information can be found with answers at that degree of detail. The temperature increases are the forecasts of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Union of Concerned Scientists. The sea level rise is Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the California EPA. The agricultural forecasts are detailed under “Chapter 8.” The water supply is a combination of Union of Concerned Scientists and UC Davis CALVIN models. The megadroughts are a combination of the Hadley Center, the Palmer Drought Index and the aforementioned agricultural forecasts. The CO2 emissions and CO2 concentrations follow Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change models.

Political ideas, proposals
Many portions of the political process in the later chapters (post-2012 successor to Kyoto, WEO, the combination of treaties, international poverty tax) are proposals made by nonfiction authors. Although these agreements and organizations do not yet exist in real life, the initiatives certainly do. Therefore, I do not consider these to be fiction, but rather to be illustrations of very real, vital, and important ideas which merit serious consideration in solving our environmental problems.


Preface


Seven Generations
Cultural reference: “In our every deliberation we must consider the impact on the next seven generations.” Versions of this quote have been attributed to many Native American sources, including the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy

Chapter 1


Book titles (Section 1)
* All book titles mentioned in Legacy are real. Check your local public library, or order used or out of print copies online at bookfinder.com and read. Participate in the conversation about these world-changing ideas.
* The books Tia finds in the bookstore are The Heat Is On, by Ross Gelbspan; The Next One Hundred Years, by Jonathan Weiner; The State of the World, an annual publication by the WorldWatch Institute.

EPA distortions (Section 3)
* In 1999 riders were attached to the House versions of the Agriculture, Energy and Water, Foreign Operations, Interior, VA/HUD/Independent Agencies and Commerce/Justice/State appropriations bills by Rep. Joseph Knollenberg, reading “... none of the funds appropriated by this Act shall be used to propose or issue rules, regulations, decrees, or orders for the purpose of implementation, or in preparation for implementation, of the Kyoto Protocol which was adopted on December 11, 1997, in Kyoto, Japan, at the Third Conference of the parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change” According to the Environmental Defense Fund, the riders prohibit the administration from engaging in international negotiations on climate change, block voluntary programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and skew scientific forums and the scientific process, in part by “requiring the Environmental Protection Agency to provide ‘balanced’ viewpoints on climate change in panels or presentations, no matter how unscientific the position.” (source link1 link2 accessed 4/23/05) See also see Anup Shah, “Corporate Influence in the Media” acccessed 3/12/05
* In July 2005 the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility brought to public attention the EPA’s request to use public funds to improve the agency’s public image. “‘Good science does not need spin,’ stated PEER Program Director Rebecca Roose, pointing to recent reports that have faulted the agency for improperly altering scientific work on mercury, asbestos, water pollution and even the public health dangers at the World Trade Center following the September 11 attacks. ‘EPA’s scientists are telling us that there is not enough funding for vital environmental and health research but there appears to be no shortage of money for media manipulation.’” http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=551 accessed August 3, 2005

Tia’s reading (section 4)
* Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change scenarios are accessible online.
* The Hadley Center provides models of temperature change variability.
* Megadrought projections are discussed by Peter DeMenocal in “After Tomorrow: Climate Science and Political Reality,” Orion Magazine, January/February 2005.
* Sea level rise is analyzed at Germanwatch: “Sea-Level Rise in Bangladesh and the Netherlands: One Phenomenon, Many Consequences” http://www.germanwatch.org/klak/fb-ms-e.htm
* The Nile Delta and Alexandria information came from http://www.grida.no/climate/ipcc/regional/030.htm
* Maps of U.S. Lands Vulnerable to Sea Level Rise
* El Niño affected by climate change: Sharon Elaine Thompson, The Greenhouse Effect, p. 58
* In 1992 most of the world’s countries, including the United States, signed and ratified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, acknowledging the need for a global agreement about greenhouse gas emissions. In subsequent meetings, including a 1997 meeting in Kyoto, Japan, a Protocol agreement was developed to implement the world’s first global treaty for control of greenhouse gasses. In the ensuing years, several of the world’s countries ratified this Kyoto Protocol, but the U.S. resisted. In March 2001 the United States declared officially that it would not ratify the Kyoto Protocol.
* “International scientists agree”: see an amazing “History of an International Scientific Consensus” complied in Jan. 2003 by Environmental Defense
accessed 9/11/05. Of particular note are the events and studies leading up to 2001, the point at which George W. Bush declared that scientific uncertainty was too great to justify participation in Kyoto.
* The Natural Resources Defense Council and the WorldWatch Institute do an excellent job of ongoing documentation of the environmental and social crisis we face. http://www.nrdc.org/ and http://www.worldwatch.org/

Consumer Choices (Section 6)
* The Monterey Bay Aquarium offers a wallet sized card which guides consumers to wise choices in seafood purchases. Free online at “Seafood Watch: Make Choices for Healthy Oceans,” http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp
* Environmental Working Group offeres a similar wallet card identifying which produce typically carries higher levels of pesticides. 

Automobiles, Prius versus Navigator (Section 6)
* The 2002 Lincoln Navigator SUV rated EPA mileage of 12 city, 17 highway http://www.forbes.com/2002/01/28/0128test_4.html
* The 2003 Prius rated EPA mileage of 52 city, 45 highway

Garden mistakes (Section 7)
* Most of Tia’s mistakes are explained in the text. Hybrid seed would be a sustainability issue if one were saving seed for use in following planting seasons, because hybridized varieties to not reproduce true to type; frequently the offspring do not match the parent plants. On occasion, seed produced by hybrid varieties is sterile.

Biodynamic planting methods (Sections 7 and 13)
* The book referred to is John Jeavons, How to Grow More Vegetables Than You Ever Thought Possible On Less Land Than You Can Imagine.

Edie and consumerism (Section 8)
* “... the billion or so middle-class people across the planet who, more than the numerically few rich, consume the vast bulk of the planet’s resources.” David Holmgren, Permaculture: Pathways and Principles Beyond Sustainability, p. 7

Vermicompost (Section 10)
* “All waste equals food” is a Permaculture Ecological Principle. AOTEAROA.
* Worms Eat My Garbage by Mary Appelhoff is the classic text on worm composting.

Air conditioners (Section 11)
* “...the [U.S. Climate Action Report 2002, U.S. Dept. of State, Washington DC May 2002] identifies increased air conditioner use as one of the ‘solutions’ to climate change impacts ...” per a letter dated July 17, 2002. In this letter to President Bush, the Attorneys General of California and ten other U.S. states urged the Bush Administration to rethink its policy on climate change.
* In a letter to President Bush dated July 17, 2002, the Attorneys General of California and ten other U.S. states urged the Bush Administration to rethink its policy on climate change. Prior to the July 17, 2002 date of the Attorneys General letter, Massachusetts and New Hampshire had passed climate change related legislation and New York was considering a cap. California’s greenhouse gas provision, Assembly Bill 1493, was signed into law on July 22, 2002, to be effective for emissions beginning in 2009.

Community Gardens (Section 12)
* There are many community gardens around the greater Los Angeles area. @LA Plants/Horticulture includes a partial listing of gardens. Other references are available throughout this LA Times article on community gardens: Lili Singer, “Together from the Ground Up,” March 3, 2005

Prechter theories / Elliot Wave Theory (Section 13)
* More information on Elliot Wave theory is available with free registration at http://www.elliottwave.com/

Climate change in California (Section 14)
* The Union of Concerned Scientists has published a clear and readable report entitled “Climate Change in California: Choosing Our Future.” This report is available free online at http://www.climatechoices.org/

Cloud Formations (Section 15)
* Personal observations by Joseph Vana, born in New York, 1924, moved to Los Angeles circa 1950.

Chapter 2


Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, L. Hunter Lovins, Natural Capitalism (Section 1)
* The four types of capital are concepts Paul Hawken gleaned from E.M. Schumacher’s classic Small Is Beautiful. As character Ari states, Hawken’s book expands upon these theories with examples from modern life where business is choosing a greener path. A 25 year anniversary edition of Schumacher’s book is available, with a foreward by Hawken and fascinating sidebar comments from many current thinkers.

Genuine Progress Indicator (Section 1)
* Although the calculation is often referred to as Gross Domestic Product now, the text continues using the more familiar abbreviation GNP. More information about the GPI or Genuine Progress Indicator, including a brief description of what the calculation includes, is available at (link) Graphs comparing GPI and GNP are available many places.
* “Rising consumption is not improving well-being.” David Holmgren, Permaculture: Pathways and Principles Beyond Sustainability, page 7

Paul Hawken quotation (Section 2)
* The Paul Hawken quotation to which fictional character Ari is referring is reprinted in Chapter 11 of Legacy.

Corporate control of the media (Section 2)
* See Anup Shah, “Corporate Influence in the Media” acccessed 3/12/05

Thailand sea level rise (Section 5)
* The actual documentation addresses Bangladesh, not Thailand. “Sea-Level Rise in Bangladesh and the Netherlands: One Phenomenon, Many Consequences” by Germanwatch.
* Jonathan Weiner indicates that Thailand is in jeopardy of flooding under sea level rise, The Next One Hundred Years, p.108

Moon calendar (Section 5)
* The moon’s gravitational pull affects the water content of plants, and thus affects their growth spurts. Some gardeners plant only during certain phases of the moon. There are several theories and calendars for this; the one I have used for several years is Gardening By the Moon.

Architect Ton Alberts (Section 6)
* A bank building in Amsterdam designed by Architect Ton Alberts is glowingly described in chapter 5 of Natural Capitalism, Paul Hawken et al.

Permaculture and Sustainability definitions (Section 7)
* The definition of ‘permaculture’ given is from David Holmgren, Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability. p. xix. The definition of ‘sustainability’ given is from Howard Yana-Shapiro, Gardening for the Sake of the Earth, p.2

Soils, organic matter, Millie’s talk (Section 8)
* Read more about Soils in Chapter 3, Gardening for the Future of the Earth, by Howard-Yana Shapiro.
* “A fertile soil contains between four and ten percent organic matter. When the organic matter drops below 2% all activity in the soil goes to the microorganisms in the soil and the plants will basically get nothing. It’s only when the organic matter rises above two percent that you are actually starting to feed plants. So the idea is to let the soil feed the plants in order to feed ourselves.” Alan York, quoted in Gardening for the Future of the Earth by Howard-Yana Shapiro. p.80
* Mychorrizae information is from “The Secret Life of Fungi” by Elizabeth Pennisi, Science Magazine 11 June 2004 and from organic gardening veterans on the Gardening Organically community at YahooGroups.
* “Nitrogen molecules … are highly stable. It takes a lot of energy to break them apart and use them in living molecules – work that our lungs are not equipped to do. For this reason plants and animals are often starved or stunted for the lack of nitrogen … Only a few specialized soil bacteria are capable of pulling nitrogen out of the air. All plants get their nitrogen from these species of symbiotic bacteria, and all animals, including the human animal, get their nitrogen from the plants … Here is an element that fills the bulk of the atmosphere and is needed desperately by the entire biosphere, and virtually the only connection between the two spheres [biosphere and atmosphere] is the microscopic bacterium.” Jonathan Weiner, The Next One Hundred Years, p. 50-51.

Genetically Modified Organisms (Section 8)
* GMO Free Alameda County has accumulated information about GMO crops.
* Europe has rejected GMOs due to lack of proven safety. A map showing the extent of GMO limitation is viewable online.
* A list of studies demonstrating the problems with GMOs is available online.
* In 2001, Monsanto pursued exactly this sort of lawsuit against Roger, Rodney and Greg Nelson of North Dakota. http://nelsonfarm.net/issue.htm

Community Gardens (Section 9)
* Since 1973 Green Guerillas of New York, NY has helped grassroots groups turn vacant lots into community gardens. www.greenguerillas.org

United States disruption of international negotiations (Sections 10-11)
* Resistance to targets for increases in the use of renewable energy met with resistance by the U.S., Australia, Canada, Japan and the major oil producing countries. “Brazil and the countries of the EU announced creation of a ‘coalition of the willing’ involving over 30 countries interested in making progress on the renewables issues.” per Tom Bigg, IIED, “The World Summit on Sustainable Development: Was it worthwhile?” pdf.
* The EU proposed “a goal of having 15% of countries’ energy provided by renewable sources by 2015” but the U.S. fought to defeat this, per James Gustave Speth, Red Sky at Morning, p. 112-113.
* “The World Development Movement … felt the [Johannesburg] Summit was a failure for the world’s majority and that ‘much of the failure can be attributed to the two major world powers – the US for active obstruction and the EU for pursuing the politics of self-interest.’” from Anup Shah, "Outcome of the Summit," World Summit on Sustainable Development (source link, accessed 1/27/05)
* Bullying tactics by the US are nonfiction. “[The WSSD summit’s 70-Page action plan]’s section on renewable energy reportedly saw European governments forced to back off demands for concrete targets on the use of alternative energy such as wind or solar power, under pressure from the US, Japan and many developing countries.”  (source link, accessed 1/27/05).

Chapter 3

Voluntary Partnerships (Section 1)
* September 2002 “U.S. undermines multilateral process by emphasizing bilateral and voluntary partnerships instead.”

South Central Farmers (Section 5)
* The battle for the 14-acre community garden at 41st and Alameda in South LA is documented in "Tezozomoc: The orgaizer with South Central Farmers on surviving eviction, feeding the poor, and rethinking city parks," Dea Kuipers, LA City Beat, 4/21/05.  (source link, accessed 6/28/05)

Definitions of Sustainability (Section 5)
* This webpage includes a diverse selection of definitions
* “For any human culture to be considered sustainable it must have the capacity (proven only with historical hindsight) to reproduce itself down the generations while providing human material needs without cataclysmic and long-term breakdown. If it is energetically impossible for high energy society to be anything more than a pulse in the long run of human history, then it cannot, by this definition, be sustainable, no matter how much we shuffle the technological deckchairs.” David Holmgren, Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability, p. xxx

Conservation (Section 5)
* “… a policy of landscape management preserving only isolated pieces of natural habitat is doomed to fail. Like lights winking out one by one until the whole billboard is dark, the plant and animal populations in isolated patches risk gradually going extinct unless a sea of natural habitat surrounds and supports them. Instead whole landscapes must be preserved and managed.” Jared Diamond, “Paradise and Oil: Oil Exploration in the Jungle of Guinea,” Discover Magazine (March 1, 1999)

New Delhi UNFCCC results (Sections 7-8)
* “Economic concerns drown out ecological, social justice and equity concerns,” Anup Shah,
accessed 1/26/05
* “Rich countries turn the debate around to poor countries,” and “Little progress so far” (about COP8, Delhi) Anup Shah, (source link accessed 1/27/05)
* “Governments agreed in principle to take action to help the poor gain access to affordable energy” (about WSSD Johannesburg) accessed 1/27/05


Chapter 4


Growing Soil, Sahara (Section 1)
* “We as humans are part of the Earth’s nutrient cycle, just as the plants and animals are. The Earth welcomes us by creating what we need. … As we become more aware of and attuned to our place in the circle of life, then it will seem natural to plant at least 70% of our growing area in carbon-producing crops, which also produce calories. In this way our crops will give life back to the Earth which has fed us.” John Jeavons, How To Grow More Vegetables Than you Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than you Can Imagine, p.29. It should be noted that Jeavons’ “carbon-producing crops” means producing carbon-matter in terms of building the organic content of the soil, just like character Millie was talking about in her lecture in Chapter 2, Section 8. As the plants grow, the carbon they capture is the carbon sequestration discussed in Chapters 7 and 8 of Legacy. Jeavons is thus saying the same thing, albeit with different vocabulary, as R. Lal in the soil sequestration references below.

“Rick” (Section 1)
* The circumstances of fictional character Orrick Chandler in the dialogue in this scene, including death threats, patent theft, and harassment, are drawn from the nonfiction circumstances surrounding Dr. Paul M. Brown, as outlined by Thomas Valone, in his online article “Remembering a Genius Energy Inventor, Dr. Paul Brown” and “Nuclear Waste May Become a Safe Energy Resource” both accessed March 24, 2005
* In the article “Nuclear Waste May Become a Safe Energy Resource” it is indicated that the photoremediation process of neutralizing nuclear waste yields energy itself, sufficient to run the entire photoremediation plant. This is also implied at “Advanced Nuclear Waste Decontamination Technologies” by Mark Porringa contained within “27 Methods of Neutralizing or Disposing of Radioactive Waste” by Gary Vesperman at
(accessed March 24, 2005)

Big Business (Section 3)
* “Environmental problems due to energy use are unnecessary and only increase business costs. Specifically, meeting and surpassing the Kyoto Protocol climate-protection targets will not be costly but profitable, because saving fuel costs less than buying fuel, let alone burning it. Climate politics will therefore shift from price, pain, penury, bearing burdens and sharing sacrifices, to profit, enterprise initiative, innovation and competitive advantage.” Amory Lovins and Chris Lotspeich, “Energy Surprises of the 21st Century,” originally published in the Journal of International Affairs, Fall 1999.
* “Even the switch to alternative energies such as wind and solar … will mean new business opportunities. Every time society has switched from an existing fuel to a newer one – from wood to coal, coal to oil, oil to natural gas, the switch has been associated with economic progress.” Jim Woehrle and Julie Bach, quoted in Guy Dauncey, Stormy Weather, p.177.
* CERES The Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economics http://www.ceres.org/is an attempt by business to move in a more sustainable direction. Although their slogan “Investors and Environmentalists for Sustainable Prosperity” is perhaps an oxymoron.

Russian Ratification (Section 9)
* Russia’s parliament ratified the Kyoto Protocol in late October 2004. The Kyoto Protocol could only come into force when ratified by 55 countries accounting for at least 55% of 1990 developed country emissions. The first threshold was met in 2001, and Russia’s ratification in 2004 met the second threshold. 90 days after that second threshold was met, on February 16, 2005 the Kyoto Protocol became binding international law for ratifying countries. (link1 accessed 1/31/05 and link2 accessed 2/5/05)
* You can send a message to lawmakers through the People’s Ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. “The People’s Ratification is a nationwide petition drive designed to give thousands of citizens a chance to respond in a way that we now cannot. We are telling our local officials, our nation’s leaders and the international community that we do not go along with the Washington party line.” (source link accessed 5/2/05)

U.S. and Saudis (Section 10)
* Greenpeace, describing Buenos Aires "Saudi Arabia worked alongside the US throughout the meeting and further blocked progress ... it demanded compensation for loss of oil revenues if the world moves away from fossil fuels."  from "Climate talks end in disappointment," News Release 18 December 2004, Steve Sawyer contact person.

2005 Weather phenomenon (section 13)
* The strong correlation between Los Angeles tornadoes and El Nino phenomenon is explored by Mike Davis in Chapter 4 of his book Ecology of Fear.
*The December 2004 Ladera Heights event is per personal account from property owner V. Williams.
* Arizona drought hardship described at “Arid Arizona Points to Climate Change as Culprit” accessed April 2, 2005.
* Pacific Northwest hardship described at Tomas Alex Tizon, "Mayor Is on a Mission...," Los Angeles Times, Feb. 22, 2005.
* U.S. Drought Monitor and the Palmer Drought Severity Index
* " 2005 was only a mild El Nino year" is from AP News, "Mild El Nino weakening in Pacific," March 3, 2005. (source link)
* Legacy was written prior to the devastating August 2005 hurricane Katrina which swept New Orleans and surrounding areas. Only this small insert paragraph could be added to the manuscript at that point in book production, and even at the point of that insertion, the extent of the damage and casualties was unknown. Class 5 hurricane activity in the Gulf region was not unexpected. NOAA states “The strongest hurricanes in the present climate may be upstaged by even more intense hurricanes over the next century as the earth’s climate is warmed by increasing levels of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere.” A graph comparing simulated hurricane intensities for present-day with future climate conditions anticipates fewer low-intensity hurricanes and far more category 5 and above. Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, source link accessed 9/1/05
* During the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season, storms Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne struck the state of Florida.  (source link accessed 9/1/2005)

Prechter waves (section 14)
* In the observations of Robert Prechter, the third wave of the five wave cycle is the most powerful trend. The theories of Robert Prechter assert that economic markets are unrelated to external events. By contrast, U.S. policymakers have long asserted that transition to renewable energy sources, clean fueled vehicles and more sustainable lifestyle habits will be detrimental to the U.S. economy. The fictional timeline of this novel is in keeping with Prechter’s theories: the economic downturn occurs of its own accord. It presents subsequent sustainability opportunities, rather than the sustainable transition being the cause of the downturn.

Photo credits: Stormy Atmosphere 3 by Monica P., Rome, Italy; At the Pump Again by John Schwartz, Maple Grove, MN; Freeway overpass by James Lin, Simi Valley, CA.