From Mobilization for Climate Justice website
Click here for original article with links, photos, etc.
1/13/2009 – New York, NY – In the wake of a controversial outcome at the Copenhagen climate talks, a diverse crowd of scientists, Faith congregations, activists, students, and concerned citizens converged in confrontation and protest at the 2nd Annual IGlobalForum Carbon Trading Summit today. The summit is the largest annual meeting place of corporations, banks, and lobby groups to further the agenda of a carbon trading scheme to address climate change. Activists rallied to oppose market-based trading of greenhouse gas emissions credits and call for real solutions to the climate crisis. Dr. Maggie Zhou, from Secure Green Future and Climate SOS, was among the demonstrators who engaged in a nonviolent direct action and risked arrest in an attempt to blockade the venue’s revolving doors, and display a banner decrying carbon trading as a false solution.
In the face of political powerlessness, there is a global climate movement emerging that is standing up for climate justice and confronting the polluter-controlled establishment forces which range from corrupted environmental NGOs and corrupted governments to the fossil fuel industry itself. Please help Secure Green Future today so that we can raise our collective voices in Massachusetts and stand more effectively with the people of the world.
Many have heard that science shows that in order to avert the worst of climate catastrophe, we not only must reduce our emissions dramatically, but also ensure that the total accumulated greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere is reduced swiftly from the present 387 parts-per-million (ppm), to below 350 ppm (pre-industrial level was around 275 ppm).
But how does that translate into emission reduction targets and a time line?
A Climate Bill Written by and for Polluters
In June, the House of Representatives passed the American Clean Energy & Security Act (ACESA), a.k.a. Waxman-Markey. This bill started out as an extremely weak and compromised measure, and was further watered down during its journey through the House. Much of the bill was written directly by corporate lobbyists. The final result was a thorough polluter protection bill that, in the words of the nation’s top climate scientist, Dr. James Hansen, will “do more harm to the environment than doing nothing at all.”
Many climate activists are captive of the notion that this bill - any climate bill, is a start, a first step, and can always be improved later. There are two fallacies with that: 1. Global warming is proceding with such rapid pace, we do not have time for trial and error, or for slow initial action. 2. This legislation actually locks us onto a damaging path, that could make global warming even worse.
We are seeking 350 Climate Minutemen & Minutewomen who will join together to fight for climate action and climate justice. This force will make a decisive difference in the outcome of the climate crisis. These peaceful climate warriors will commit to service and fortitude for the sake of their communities and for their children's future. At a minute's notice, these Climate Minutemen and Minutewomen will speak truth to power, and demonstrate that through collective action and cooperation we can reshape our society and rebuild our communities. They will point the way to endless possibilities of living lightly and joyously on this Earth, and leading complete, fulfilling lives doing so.
Stand up, and stand together, for a SECURE GREEN FUTURE now!
The Climate Minutemen & Minutewomen Pledge:
You might have heard about ClimateGate -- a series of hacked emails from climate scientists that has given climate change deniers fuel to continue undermining a clear scientific consensus in the court of public opinion. Here they are in their entirety. Good luck trying to disprove global warming based on these emails!
Despite adding nothing substantive to the questions surrounding climate change, this illegal act of naked distortion has put the environmental movement on the defensive, which in turn has handed the debate over to the public relations efforts of dirty energy profiteers. One website focused on clearing up the PR games around climate change is the DeSmogBlog. And two of the blog's authors have a new book out called Climate Cover-up which exposes the public relations fraud behind the fake debate around climate change.
What's incredible is how ClimateGate has dominated the climate discourse leading up to Copenhagen. Indeed, our friends at the DeSmogBlog point out that "this PR campaign could not be accomplished without the compliance of media as well as the assent and participation of leaders in government and business."
This article was written as a response to Senator John Kerry's Aug31 Op-ed on the Huffington Post, which I submitted to the same outlet but was not published. Here it is a few months later, when we have seen how far the Senator bill (co-sponsored by Kerry, Boxer and Kirk) comes to answer the urgency that Kerry himself seemed to stress in his Op-ed.
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In his Aug31 article in the Huffington Post, Senator John Kerry pressed the case of climate change presenting a grave threat to America’s national security. He was right on point.
However, ultimately he missed the point on several accounts:
by Lim Li Lin, Third World Network, Briefing paper 1 on UN Climate Change Talks, Nov2, 2009. originally posted on http://www.twnside.org.sg/
The plot
Some developed countries are plotting the death of the Kyoto Protocol. The stage has been set. Misinformation has been circulated to the media and public that the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012. The December 2009 UN climate change conference in
The truth
Dear Friends,
On Sat Nov 7th, Al Gore will be in Cambridge, MA to promote his new book: Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Global Climate Crisis. Details here: http://www.harvard.com/events/press_release.php?id=2398
Unfortunately, tickets are already sold out. If any of you have gotten a ticket, please consider asking the following questions of him. Since each person could ask only one question, it will help if you could let me know so we could coordinate.
We need to be outside holding signs and banners too! We'll meet there at 12:15 pm, Saturday Nov 7th.
Suggested signs/banners are at the bottom of this page.
Al Gore has played a crucial role in pushing climate change onto people's consciousness. Yet, he has embraced cap and trade and the current polluter-protecting, climate damaging US federal climate legislation. Let's use this opportunity to ask some tough questions and hopefully shed light on some critical issues, and to show some visible opposition to false and dangerous "solutions" that only make matters worse. Below are questions similar to some of the ones we prepared last week to ask Obama at his MIT speech (but from which he escaped with his swiftly escorted motorcade). Mr. Gore will have a harder time running away, since he will be signing his books too! :-)
“Scientists are now saying that the problem of climate change is now so grave and so urgent that we have less than 10 years to slow, stop and reverse greenhouse gas emissions. Common actions are needed in every country to protect the common inheritance that has been given to us by our creator.”
- Prince Charles, 2008
The Secure Green Future (SGF) project educates, activates and empowers Massachusetts residents to effectively address the converging threats of climate change, resource depletion, and economic meltdown. We work to guide communities toward an essential economic transformation that will make possible a sustainable and just post-carbon future. SGF seeks to break the shackles of what is “politically feasible” and inspire change that addresses the magnitude and urgency of the dangers we are facing. We are committed to the principle of democratic empowerment as the most appropriate means for securing the just and sustainable future that we all deserve, and that is within our reach.
Thanks to an incredible grassroots effort, the Secure Green Future ballot question has won in EVERY SINGLE DISTRICT it appeared, and by a total landslide margin! At least 153,252 voters said YES to a Secure Green Future on November 4th, netting the ballot question an astounding 81.44% of the vote!!!
Thanks to all of you who helped get these questions on the ballot and helped to spread the word to voters. Your efforts have paid off big time, and we now have clear evidence that the people of Massachusetts are READY for decisive action to fight climate change and energy uncertainty by transitioning to a secure, green economy NOW.
