I'm not talking about a literal "fire in the basement." Rather, I'm talking about a multi-pronged, silent, global emergency that parents everywhere have failed to recognize -- and is a crucial topic that is going "undiscussed" by prominent leaders all over the world.

Not only are many parents busily installing solar panels on the roof of their homes, they're doing a plethora of other things to fight climate change -- things that they have been advised to do by the UN, the IPCC, the EPA, elected officials in their own country and most of the world's environmental leaders.

They have been led to believe that taking steps, like the ones below, will enable us humans to survive indefinitely as we work on providing "clean energy" for a grossly unsustainable way of living in the developed world. In addition to solar panels:

In other words, billions of people around the world are hearing the "beautiful and happy story" that our elected officials, the UN and the news media are telling us about how we can fight climate change...by just switching to clean energy.

For the sake of this SOS Memo, I am defining the concealed "fire in the basement" as three mega-problems, although out of sight and out of mind, that must be addressed if we're to have any chance whatsoever of preventing a near-term extinction of Homo sapiens.

Quite simply, the world's government and environmental leaders are not telling us the truth about our multi-faceted sustainability crisis described in these three bullets:

They are simply not addressing the elephants in the room; in this case, that multi-faceted fire in the basement. That fire is not actually flaming yet -- and the parents cannot see it, smell it or hear it. But it keeps getting steadily worse.

For this example, the impending disaster could be happening within the wiring of the house -- coupled with many flammable materials in the basement. Simple stuff, really. Like eating the right food for our species.

But the parents have no idea that our food choices are playing such a huge, outsized role in promoting climate change -- because, tragically, no one in authority ever told them.

As I have written and spoken about many times, my journey toward a health-promoting diet for humans AND for the biosphere that keeps us alive -- began in 2003 after I simply became curious about the optimal diet for humans.

While I focused primarily on human health during that first decade, it was in 2013 when I finally grasped the horrifying truth about the outsized role that animal-based foods are playing in climate change.

That's when I discovered the 2009 World Bank climate change research paper by Robert Goodland and Jeff Anhang.

In that paper, they concluded that animal agriculture was responsible for at least 51% of climate change.

In other words, doing more damage than than ALL OTHER climate change drivers combined.

It was also in 2013 when I started focusing more on the planet's ability to keep us alive than I was focusing on human health. After all, if humanity is destined to go extinct in the next forty or fifty years, what difference would it make how healthy we all are -- when that deadly event happens?

As for singing the same tune for ten years, click the image below for a 5-minute glimpse of one of my first public talks that focused largely on climate change.

Sponsored by the Healthy You Network under the leadership of Sheryl Greenberg, this one-day event took place at the historic Fox Theater in Tucson, Arizona on 9-21-13.

Progress Report. For twenty years I have been studying, writing and speaking about the connection between our food choices, our physical health and the health of the biosphere that keeps us alive. Yet things keep getting worse. Much worse.

Click here for Dr. Sailesh Rao's timeline of scientific research on this topic since 2005. It shines a bright light on how the UN and governments of the world are hiding the truth from the public on this most crucial of all topics.

But perhaps a breakthrough is on the horizon. A few weeks ago, I had a lengthy conversation with one of the world's most famous female athletes.

Just google Ruth Heidrich, PhD. You will quickly learn that in addition to being an 88-year old cancer survivor:

Oh, did I mention that she eats nothing but plants?

She and I are now working on a strategy whereby she would invite one or two of the world famous women pictured below -- to meet, in person, with Dr. Sailesh Rao and myself -- to discuss the next steps.

Later, if we can get Oprah onboard, we may have ourselves a whole new ballgame when it comes to fighting climate change.

Stay tuned!

After Ruth Heidrich and these nine courageous women with integrity take to the world stage to loudly fight climate change by focusing on the primary driver -- the eight men below may be shamed into explaining why they've been silent for so long on this topic.

Specifically, why have they been avoiding even mentioning the single largest driver of climate change -- one that is larger than all other drivers combined?

Of course, we're talking about animal agriculture -- a monster these men have not tackled because they know that such a move would not bode well for their popularity and position of influence on the world stage.

They're right, it would not be popular at first, but not taking that step will end up being a whole lot worse...for all of humanity.

Once again. Our creator gets the final word in a conversation with a UN rep after a 50,000 year absence.

She ain't happy with what she sees upon her return. She wants to know what happened to half of the six trillion trees she left here to moderate the climate.

She can't believe that we've deforested so much land in order to grow cattle that we weren't supposed to be eating in the first place. A very revealing and entertaining 15-minute video. Watch it and share it with everyone you know.

Finally, are you among the rare group of humans who are making the direct connection between food choices, your own health and climate change seriously? If so, I would love to collaborate with you. Contact me and tell me your story: jmorrishicks@me.com.

Here are handy links to my five most-recent SOS Memos (in chronological order) on this same theme. It's always the same theme...as long as our children's futures are in peril.

Also, scroll on down to the Big Picture Documents and Video Section where you will find links to a plethora of references regarding the validity and the urgency of the information contained herein.

Here is the first book we are now offering FREE to the world public: a quick and easy read that I published with Stuart Scott in 2020. Just click below for individual links to every chapter.

To our knowledge, OUTCRY is the only book ever published that features a summary of "outcries" from the natural world, along with consensus conclusions of nine big picture scientists regarding our dilemma — AND an envisioned sustainable civilization of the future, using today’s technology.

We've also started calling this book a "User's Guide for Planet Earth." We are giving it away because of this troubling fact that was stated by Jeremy Rifkin early in this recent 15-minute video:

"the most important info in all of humanity

We're talking about the crucial information regarding how we can possibly slow or stop climate change within a few years.

Want to help relieve the desperate situation in which we find ourselves, read OUTCRY as soon as you can and send it to everyone you know. Just click on the book cover above.

Here is the 2nd book that is now FREE: a quick and easy read that I wrote with Dr. Kerry Graff in 2015.

We want everyone to completely eliminate all animal-based foods from their diet. Yes, that includes cheese, eggs and all forms of seafood. 

It is #197 on this list of all of my SOS Memos.

Don't have time to watch the entire Honolulu video? Click here to view all 60 slides in that talk

jmorrishicks@me.com 

For a concise summary of "big picture" information about our situation, take a look at the landing page of my primary website that I recently updated. Just click hpjmh.com

We're talking about replacing it with an entirely new, ultra-green civilization of the future -- and we do our best to paint a picture of that envisioned way of sustainable living in OUTCRY. For what one Ohio State professor emeritus of history had to say about that book on Amazon, click here.

Also in 2022. A conversation with our creator after a 50,000 year absence.

And Mama ain't happy. A very revealing and entertaining 15-minute video. Watch it and share it with everyone you know.

In 2014, Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn produced their first documentary film Cowspiracy. Executive producer is Leonardo DiCaprio, it runs 90 minutes and has been on Netflix since 2015. In 2020, I met Kip and Keegan in Sedona where I was honored to be able to speak at the same conference with them and other great leaders in this movement like Dr. Sailesh Rao and Dr. Michael Greger.

Also on Netflix, Kip and Keegan teamed up again in 2017 to produce What the Health, which is also on Netflix. It runs 92 minutes and may be the best documentary ever that focuses on the health reasons for choosing to eat plant-based. Click here to watch the short trailer. You can also watch the full movie for free on Vimeo.

In 2021, Kip Anderson teamed up with British filmmaker Ali Tabrizi, to produce Seaspiracy, an 89-minute film that vividly and alarmingly reveals what is at stake when it comes to the crucial importance of our oceans to our future as a species. Most people have no idea regarding the environmental horrors of commercial fishing -- a disgusting industry that kills dolphins by the thousands and tosses them back into the ocean. It runs 90 minutes on Netflix. Click here to view the trailer.

As our situation becomes more desperate, the documentary films become more terrifying. As alluded to earlier, we are literally Eating Our Way to Extinction, a process that is vividly covered in this 2021 film (81 minutes). Narrated and produced by Kate Winslet, you can watch this great film on Amazon Prime or on YouTube for $3.99. The great ocean scientist and former head of NOAA, Dr. Sylvia Earle lends powerful credibility to such a crucial topic.

The film uncovers alarming information about the environmental and health impacts of the industry -- leading up to the discovery that we are on the edge of the biggest global disruption of food and agriculture in history. This new film is now available for $2.99 on Vimeo.

This 83-minute documentary is all about the findings that were documented in Dr. Stephen Emmott's 2013 book. TEN BILLION.

Finally, this half-hour video was published in November of 2021. It was produced by Michael Dowd, a non-scientific researcher like me who does a very fine job of explaining the many facets of the obstacles standing between us and our survival as a species.

I am confident that if a few million people carefully read and digested this book that there would be a more robust conversation around the world regarding our grossly unsustainable way of living in the developed world.

To my knowledge, OUTCRY remains the only book ever published that features an envisioned, totally-green, ultra-sustainable, super-desirable, future way of living for humans -- along with ideas for how we might get there as quickly as possible.

You can join my mailing list and/or find all of my previous postings by visiting the SOS Memos page on my website. 

Want to see earlier SOS Memos? Click here

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