First Photo of the Day: Solar Panels in New Zealand
This is it, folks. A chance for pure, unadulterated direction action, no intermediaries. Still time to find an activity near you.
From 350.org founder Bill McKibben via email:
Dear friends,
It's happening--and it's even bigger than we thought it would be.
From what we can tell from reports streaming in from East Asia and Australia and New Zealand, 10/10/10 is going to be the biggest day of climate action ever--from one end of the planet to the other, people are already hard at work.
If you haven't already figured out which event to join, visit the map on our website to find a work party in your community--and be sure to check out the front page of 350.org, which has transformed into an amazing showcase of today's events.
And a last minute request: Make sure that you document whatever you're doing today. WE NEED PICTURES, and we need them right away so we can post them on our homepage, send them to the media, and deliver them to political leaders.
It's seriously easy to upload pictures to 350.org--just read the instructions in the box on the right side of this email.
This year has been a hard one: political leaders have failed to rise to the challenge of the climate crisis, and we've seen one climate-related disaster after another. But today represents a crucial shift--and we're gaining momentum for the road ahead.
After today, we can move forward with a new sense of optimism and confidence--not just because President Obama decided to put solar on the White House or because the Mayor of Mexico City announced that his city will cut carbon emissions by 10% this year.
We can be confident because the climate movement is bigger and more beautiful than ever before--and it's not going away. Visit 350.org today and you'll see that millions of people, from 188 countries, are united with a common purpose. They may speak differently or look differently or pray differently, but they all care about the same future.
It won't be easy to get on the path to 350, but we can all keep pushing for the big actions that matter--pushing with the confidence that comes with having a movement standing together.
Thanks for all you've done--and all you'll do in the days, weeks, and months ahead.
- Add your photos as attachments, ensuring photo size is less than 3MB.
- Submit only one photo per email.
- Use your city and country as the subject.
- The body of your email will be the caption for your photos.
- Include any photographer credits in the e-mail body/caption.
- Send your email to photos@350.org.
I'm glad that Barack Obama has reversed himself on putting solar panels on the White House. But with all due respect, here's what real presidential leadership looks like as President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives personally installs solar panels donated by Sungevity.
Ths is one of many pictures already streaming into 350.org in advance of it's "Global Work Pary" this Sunday. Wouldn't it be great for Obama to follow this lead, and personally take part in the solar panel installation at the White House? Wouldn't that make for nice pro-active progressive news cycle?
In advance of 350.org's "Global Work Party" this Sunday, founder Bill McKibben sent out the following email this morning:
Dear Friends,
When we first announced the Global Work Party scheduled for this weekend, I had three worries:
1) Since so many of you had done such a good job last year--5200 events in 181 countries, what CNN called "the most widespread day of political action in the planet's history"--I was concerned that it was going to be hard to top.
2) Because the Global Work Party called for real, tangible Work, I thought fewer people would be willing to rise to the challenge.
3) It had been a discouraging year, with the failures in Copenhagen and in the US Congress, and the unwillingness of governments all over the world to take any sort of meaningful climate action. People told me the movement was deflated, and that no one had any energy left.
As it turned out, I didn't need to worry.
Thanks to you, this weekend will be remembered as the day when a single message blanketed more of the planet than ever before. This won't just be the most widespread day of carbon-cutting action in the planet's history--it will be the most widespread day of just about anything the earth has ever seen.
In the same year when global temperatures have set one scary new record after another, you are rewriting the record books for civic engagement. We don't have the final numbers yet because registrations are still streaming in, but it's clear that we're on track to shoot past 7000 events in 188 countries. That leaves four countries unaccounted for: North Korea, Andorra, Equatorial Guinea, and San Marino. Barring those, the entire planet is engaged. Which makes sense, since this is the first issue that involves the entire planet.
We look at the map of events around the world and some days it seems crazy, that this many people would volunteer to do this much work in this many places. But mostly it just seems beautiful.
And now we need to make sure that everyone sees just how beautiful. Your photos will be how we show politicians and the media that people around the world aren't just ready for climate solutions--we're getting to work building them.
So remember to email your top photo to 'photos@350.org'--and put your City and Country in the subject line, and put a short description of your event in the body. Try to get a "350" in your photo somehow--it's our universal message knitting this whole thing together. And if you can get a photo that shows how people are getting to work on climate solutions, even better.
Things are happening fast here, and I've got to get back on the phone with reporters to try to explain to them about everything happening around the world. We are so grateful for all that you're doing, and committed to making it count.
Here's another photo included in the email, a girl in Cochabamaba, Bolivia, where the global south held it's alternative climate summit earlier this year.
In the same way that quick, intense action was able to get Obama to reject the sleazy foreclosure bill, there really are opportunities for bottom-up activism to bring top-down action into play from this White House. So it's not a pipe-dream to imagine that we might yet get Obama to do something dramatic and symbolic like this. And once he's done that, then there's momentum for pushing further to put flesh on symbolic bones.
So, again, there's just a couple of days left to join up for the Global Work Party on 10/10/10. There's over 6,700 carbon-cutting events in 188 nations. Go to www.350.org/workparty.
Continuing its strategy of using the internet to coorindate internation grassroots activism to fight global warming, 350.org is spearheding a "Global Work Party" on October 10--10/10/10--just 18 days away, along with a wide range of partner organizations, particularly 10:10, a global campaign to cut carbon by 10% a year, starting in 2010. There are currently events scheduled in 165 countries, and there's still time to create an event locally, if there's not one near you to participate in.
"It's time for us to roll up our sleeves and get to work on building the clean energy future that will generate economic opportunity and provide a better, safer, healthier world for our children," said Secretary Moon. "On October 10, I encourage everyone to do his or her part to be part of the solution to the climate challenge."
This synergy between grassroots activism on the ground and high-profile endorsements by public figures, including political leaders, is part of an unprecedented global movement-building strategy to effect dramatic and urgently-needed change that is currently being blocked by existing power structures.
In an emial meesage sent out today, 310.org said:
Dear friends,
There are just 18 days left until the 10/10/10 Global Work Party, and it's shaping up to be the largest single day of carbon-cutting action in the planet's history.
It's hard to keep up with all the incredible news pouring in from around the world, and even harder to know what news to share first, so let's just dive right in:
First up: the explosive growth of this movement. In the last two weeks alone, over a thousand 10/10/10 events have been registered. In the last five days, ten of the "missing countries" without events got on the map, bringing our country count up to a whopping 165!
If you're already linked up with a local 10/10/10 event, you can click here to check out the 25 missing countries that are still not on the map for 10/10/10. Maybe you know someone that knows someone that knows someone in, say...Jamaica? Or Bhutan? If so, you can give the climate movement a real boost and spread the word.
Next: the huge scale of 10/10/10 events. When we announced 10/10/10, we expected that some people would plant a few trees--but we were blown away when we found out that a team in the Philippines is organizing 2,000 people to come out and plant mangroves. We expected that some people would promote sustainable transportation, but we weren't expecting organizers in New Zealand to fix up every old bike in their capital city. People are thinking BIG for 10/10/10.
If you haven't signed up your local work party yet, don't let these big events intimidate you--instead, let them inspire you. Even if you can't pull off anything at quite this scale, you can still dream big and know that no matter the size of your own event, you'll be part of something massive.
Third: the buzz is building all around the world. Every day, we get more calls in the 350 office from reporters and politicians. They know something huge is in the works, and they want to get in on the action. Let's make sure we've got something to show them on 10/10/10: now is the time to spread the word to make sure LOTS of people come to local events, and start working on your banners to make sure we get lots of iconic "350: Get to Work!" pictures to show the media.
Fourth: we're all working together. One major reason that the buzz is building so much is that our hundreds of partner organizations are stepping up to spread the word. From Greenpeace to the World Council of Churches, organizations all over the planet are getting their members fired up for 10/10/10. And of course, our featured partners over at 1010Global.org are pulling out all the stops to make this day truly epic.
Finally: this movement is made of real people and real stories. Some of their pictures are below. We want to share yours too. So email us: send your latest updates to organizers@350.org and your pictures as attachments to photos@350.org (make the subject line the "City, Country" that the photo was shot in).
Together, we are building something truly amazing. It's an honor to do it with all of you.
(Both Congress and the President have been huge disappointment on dealing with climate change. But that's no reason to give up in despair, as this diary explains. - promoted by Paul Rosenberg)
by Sarah Laskow, Media Consortium blogger
Congress comes back into session next week, but environmentalists and climate change activists have given up on the legislature. Instead, activists are planning to spur popular concern about these issues, until calls for change are so loud that Congress must listen.
Today, climate change reformer Bill McKibben will ask President Obama to reinstall a solar panel that first graced the White House roof during the Carter presidency. In the months to come, advocates hope to lead more radical direct actions that force more Americans to confront the issues at hand-and hopefully pressure change from the bottom up.
For the past two years, Congress has flirted with action on climate change, only to shy away time and time again. Environmental groups have spent record sums on courting lawmakers to no avail. McKibben and other environmental advocates are now convinced that they must bypass elected representatives and instead work to convince constituents that the country must do something to address global warming.
Direct action
McKibben, the environmental author who now leads an international climate campaign called 350.0rg, along with Phil Radford and Becky Tarbotton, both heads of environmental groups, wrote to potential allies against the energy industry in Yes! Magazine.
"We're not going to beat them by asking nicely," the three wrote. "We're going to have to build a movement, a movement much bigger than anything we've built before, a movement that can push back against the financial power of Big Oil and Big Coal. That movement is our only real hope, and we need your help to plot its future."
These three leaders see a greater role for direct action in pushing America to scale down its energy use, move towards renewable energy, and abandon its dirty energy habits. As civil rights and suffrage advocates suggest, to move the populace, "to effectively communicate both to the general public and to our leaders the urgency of the crisis," climate activists must "put our bodies on the line."
Those for who have suggestions on how to move forward can contact these leaders at climate.ideas@gmail.com. They hope to draw on submitted ideas for actions in the spring.
Clean Energy Victory Bonds
Those less inclined to take to the streets still have options for supporting clean energy. The Nation'sPeter Rothberg suggests supporting the idea of Clean Energy Victory Bonds (CEVB), as conceived by the group Green America. This idea requires Congress to pass legislation, but "it seems like a no-brainer," Rothberg writes.
"According to Green America, CEVBs would benefit the economy, the environment, and investors, by uniting individuals, communities, and companies to help finance the rapid deployment of renewable energy projects and energy efficiency upgrades," he says. Other benefits: it's a safe and potentially flexible investment, and the bonds could help create 1.7 million jobs.
Easy to ignore climate change
At this point, the push for direct action almost seems like a more sensible investment of political energy, at least. Climate change has dropped in importance for most Americans, so it's easy for Congress to ignore the problem. As Kevin Drum explains for Mother Jones, "The high-water mark for public opinion on climate change was in 2005 or so, and we've been losing ground ever since. Until we get it back, Congress is going to continue to do nothing."
It appears that, without broad popular pressure for some sort of action, Congress feels comfortable leaving aside even policy proposals that the majority of Americans support. One of the sticking points of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-NV) energy bill has been a renewable energy standard (RES), a requirement that the country will increase the percentage of its power generated from clean energy sources within a certain time frame.
"Not many policies get this kind of bipartisan support these days," Roberts writes. "People are fond of saying energy should be a bipartisan issue and surely reasonable people can agree, etc. Well, here it is, happening."
What's more, an RES would go a long way towards spurring private sector investment in clean energy. Lew Hay, the CEO of NextEra, a major clean energy company, has said that an RES would spur his company to invest billions of additional dollars in wind and solar development.
East vs. Midwest
Passing an RES would also mean pushing the renewable energy industry to hash out a viable infrastructure for a clean energy future.
"As the nation looks to move to a renewable energy standard, a lot of that really comes down to how to meet the energy needs of the East coast," Jamie Karnik, the communications manager at a wind advocacy group, told The Washington Independent's Andrew Restuccia. "Certainly people who are building wind in the Midwest, have their eye on the eastern market."
The problem is, Restuccia reports, that entrepreneurs on the East Coast want a chance to develop off-shore wind farms. Ultimately, the country will need new electric lines to transport energy created from clean sources, but right now, competition among clean energy manufacturers could delay the construction of those lines.
Maybe climate change activists can come up with some ideas to push the clean energy industry along faster, too.
This post features links to the best independent, progressive reporting about the environment by members of The Media Consortium. It is free to reprint. Visit the Mulch for a complete list of articles on environmental issues, or follow us on Twitter. And for the best progressive reporting on critical economy, health care and immigration issues, check out The Audit, The Pulse, and The Diaspora. This is a project of The Media Consortium, a network of leading independent media outlets.
Today is "Young and Future Generations Day" here at the International Climate Negotiations in Copenhagen, and I'm here with my wife Wahleah and our two-year-old daughter Tohaana. Along with thousands of other young people, we're doing everything in our power to convince world leaders to commit to a fair, ambitious, and legally binding international agreement based on a target of 350 parts per million (ppm), which is the safe upper limit of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Less than 400 miles away in Oslo, Norway, President Obama is accepting the Nobel Peace Prize "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." If ever there was a time and place to live up to that honor, now, in Copenhagen is it.
Four former Nobel Peace Prize winners have endorsed a target of 350ppm. On December 12th, 2008, at the international climate talks in Poznan, Poland, Al Gore (2007 winner) said to a huge crowd: "Even a goal of 450 parts per million, which seems so difficult today, is inadequate. We need to toughen that goal to 350 parts per million."
350.org co-founder Bill McKibben and Australian scientist Tim Flannery talked with Democracy Now! previewing an International Climate Action Day today (info here)--on the flip. The impacts of climate change in Australia have gone far past the point where denial is still possible.
Meanwhile, the Boston GlobeGreen Blog notes that 350.org took out the following full-page ad in MIT's newspaper yesterday, putting three question to President Obama as he addressed MIT on clean energy the day before the worldwide day of climate action taking place today (more in the extended entry):
Make no mistake, whatever else it takes, mass action is needed to make real change happen, and we're one week away from two important opportunities to do that. Go to these sits to learn more about them.
October 24th is an internal day of climate action, sponsoed by 350.org, with over 3500 events scheduled around the world, in 161 countries. 350 parts per million is the CO2 threshold we need to get below in order to avoid the worst of global warming. Find an action near you on the map here.
October 25-27 is the Showdown in Chicago, pitting the people against the plutocracy at the American Bankers Association annual meeting in Chicago.
Schedule of Events
Note: all times are approximate and subject to change If you wish to join us at the Showdown, please fill out a Showdown Inquiry Form
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2009 3:00pm - Welcoming & Kick Off to the Showdown Americans from all walks of life come together to roll up our sleeves and start working together on how we ensure we have a financial system that benefits people.
7:00pm - Community Dinner
Break bread with people from across the country.
8:00pm - Workshops: Financial Reform that Protects People and Creates a Recovery on Main Street
MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2009 DAY OF ACTION
The American People take our grievances and proposals for change directly to the worst actors in the financial crisis - the banks and lobbyists who caused the crisis and even now continue to block reforms the that will help American families recover.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2009 MARCH TO THE BANKER'S CONVENTION 10:00am - Prayer vigil on Wacker, east of Michicagan Avenue
10:30am - March: starting at Stetson and Wacker
11:00am - Rally at the Sheraton Hotel (301 East North Water Street, Chicago)
Eight years ago today, two planes flew into the World Trade Center, another crashed into the Pentagon, and a fourth landed in a Pennsylvania field. The raw power of that day came to be symbolized by a date composed of three numbers. Three numbers that evoked the shock of being attacked, the horror of the sounds and images on our television sets, and the heroism of so many men and women. Three numbers that framed the events of the last decade and seemed like they would define my generation.
But eight years ago, many in my generation couldn’t vote. We didn’t choose the President, his wars, or his policies. In fact, young Americans have largely rejected the politics of fear and division that dominated those formative years of our political consciousness—voting 2 to 1 in favor of Barack Obama. Today we remember the victims and honor our heroes, but we also have a new President, new crises, and three new numbers: 3-5-0. 350.
Hey, ho, where's the cash flow? Wasn't the bailout supposed to get those streams of credit flowing again? But while the titans of trickle-down and the free-reign rainmakers pray for new rivers of revenue to float their boats, some venerable bodies of water beyond the canyons of Wall Street are in danger of literally evaporating--and all the money in the world won't bring them back once we pass that terrible tipping point.
London Bridge isn't falling down, but the river it spans may be drying up, according to the Guardian:
"Britain's rivers could nearly run dry because long hot summers caused by climate change will not be sufficiently compensated by wetter winters...the overall average trend is towards drastically reduced river flows across the country."
STATE BLOGS
October 24th is an internal day of climate action, sponsoed by 