Dispatches from the Youth Climate Movement
Article and photos by Halle Miroglotta, Loyola University Chicago ’11
Asthma? Check. Lung Cancer? Definitely. On the south side of Chicago, there are two toxic sites that some Chicagoans know nothing about. According to the Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform Organization (PERRO), the Fisk and Crawford coal plants, located in the Pilsen and Little Village neighborhoods, are “the two largest sources of particulate-forming air pollution in Chicago.”
This April, the roots of leadership were laid in the Climate movement. From Powershift to the FTN Town Hall Campaign, young people across the country moved into positions of leadership, and engaged their community and policy makers on our vital clean energy future. A sea change in the quality and quantity of leadership occurred, and on the eve of the first ever US climate legislation it continues to breed success and momentum.
Since April, certain needs have arisen that must be addressed. First, we must continue pressure on policy makers and institutions to accelerate our transition to clean energy sources, and to strengthen ACES and our local legislation. At the same time, we must fulfill the less noticed need of developing and empowering our new climate leaders.
Continue reading ‘From Coal to Copenhagen: An Opportunity for Leadership’
What Could be Inside?
Cross-Posted from: HERE
A month ago, I wrote about the staggering amount of money energy lobbyists had given to members of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and how coincidentally those who had received the most money were causing the most trouble. Ever since the bill passed out of that committee, its main obstacle has been the Agriculture Committee Chair Collin Peterson. Continue reading ‘Peterson Bought Out’
Join the Energy Action Coalition in the celebration of our 5th Anniversary! It has been a remarkable 5 years, defined by the incredible collaboration of the 50+ coalition partners of EAC. Our coalition partners will all be in town planning our next 5 years and beyond and would love to share in celebration with our DC friends.
This Friday we will celebrate EAC’s birthday party at Local 16, and we hope you can come along. In the spirit of sustaining our efforts for many decades to come, we ask that you come prepared to make a contribution to the long term fight for a clean and just energy future!
DETAILS
RSVP and invite friends:
Thanks for all the support you’ve shown over the years. We look forward to celebrating this momentous occasion with all of you!
Young people aren’t waiting around for climate policy – we’re taking action around the world and we’re in the rooms where the debate is happening. For months now, law-makers in Washington have been under the watchful eyes of youth climate activists, sometimes referred to as the ‘green-shirts’.
We’ve been writing about the hearings, tweeting about the hearings, and mobilizing the grassroots all over the country to make more noise so we can deliver that message to our politicians here.
Today (Tuesday June 15th), we’re trying something new. A new twitter feed will be keeping watch on the climate hearings with a special focus – Lets Talk About Climate, Baby! >>> Follow Lets Talk About Climate on twitter.
Lets Talk About Climate’s mission is very simple. Bring the debate back to the seriousness of the issue at hand and the solutions required to address it. Lets talk about climate change, lets talk about what will actually fix it. Lets talk about carbon levels in the atmosphere – both where they are now and where they need to be. Lets talk about how survival is non-negotiable.
Continue reading ‘Lets Talk About Climate, Baby!’
This is a guest post by Rachel Young, Avaaz Action Factory Fellow.
“The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what our nation does or does not do at Copenhagen. It is for Barack Obama to undertake the unfinished work of climate change
mitigation and nobly advance a treaty that will ensure the survival of all nations and peoples.”
On the last day of unproductive climate talks in Bonn, Germany, Abraham Lincoln came to the Hill with a message for President Obama: it’s time to rise to the challenge of the century and solve global warming.this December. As Lincoln demonstrated remarkable leadership in the face of unprecedented challenges, so too must President Obama show bold global leadership in halting climate change. By publicly committing to go to Copenhagen, Obama will prove that stopping global warming is truly a priority of his administration.
In the halls of Congress (and outside the Capitol South metro station) Honest Abe delivered his “Copenhagen Address”—a riff off of Lincoln’s most renowned speech tailored to address the crippling lack of US leadership in halting climate change:
“It is often said that global recession precludes the possibility of strong climate mitigation. But, in a larger sense, we cannot back down from this challenge, lest it continues to grow until waters overwhelm out coastal cities, deserts encroach on our fertile plains, and the parched voice of a mother with no water for her child calls to her relative far away, only to find that she has been displaced by floods. In the face of such a future, we have no choice but to demand that our leader, Barack Obama, consecrates the negotiations at Copenhagen with his presence.”
Last week, eight young leaders and intellectuals from around the country arrived at the Breakthrough Institute for the 2009 Breakthrough Generation Fellowship. Breakthrough Generation is the young leaders initiative of the Breakthrough Institute, a public policy think tank, and this summer represents our second annual fellowship program.
Selected from a large pool of applicants from the world’s top universities, this year’s fellows will continue Breakthrough Generation’s efforts to empower progressive young leaders to advance bold ideas for a stronger, safer, and more prosperous world. I invite you to follow their writing and join the discussion at the Breakthrough Generation website:
Follow Breakthrough Generation’s writing and ideas
Our 10-week fellowship includes a two-week introductory program, including a graduate-level reading course, daily blogging, and presentations from some of the country’s top energy and economic experts (reading syllabus is available for PDF download here). After this introduction, the fellows will perform research and writing throughout the summer to develop and advance the Breakthrough Institute’s efforts on energy, climate, and economic policy.
Learn more about Breakthrough Generation below the fold…
Continue reading ‘Breakthrough Generation Launches 2009 Fellowship Program’
Rising Tide North America is calling for a week of action starting Monday June 15th to show solidarity with the indigenous tribes resisting Peru’s attempt to open their lands to the oil, gas, and logging industries.
Last week over 85 people were killed by Peruvian police while protesting the governments plans revoke protections for traditional lands and allow for industrial exploitation of the Amazon. The plans are a part of the new free trade agreement between the US and Peru. Since the Peruvian government announced these plans, tribes around Peru have been blockading roads, oil installations, and other critical infrastructure. But the government has begun to brutally crack down on the unarmed blockades, resulting in last week’s massacre.
There are signs that the protests in Peru, and international pressure, are beginning to work. Peru’s congress just voted to suspend two of the laws in question, in hopes of getting the situation under control. Indigenous communities and labor unions however have made clear that this is not enough, and are continuing the blockades and protests. Continue reading ‘Week of Action in Solidarity with Indigenous People in Peru’
On Wednesday, June 10th, Representative Nikki Tsongas (D-MA) officially congratulated both houses of the Massachusetts State Legislature for passing a resolution written by Mass Power Shift student leaders in partnership with State Senator Marc Pacheco and Representative Frank Smizik in a statement in the congressional record.
In her statement, Representative Tsongas highlighted the efforts of Mass Power Shift in helping secure the passage of the resolution that called on congress to RePower America with 100% Clean Electricity in the next 10 years. MAPS Campaign Co-Coordinator Nick Dahlberg, a rising senior at Boston University, expressed his gratitude to Representative Tsongas: “We really appreciate the Congresswoman’s recognition of our hard work and persistence. It’s good to know that congress has officially received word about our efforts here in Massachusetts.” His fellow Campaign Coordinator, Meredith Annex, a rising junior at Williams College, adds: “But we could not have succeeded without strong leadership in the State House. We are really grateful for the partnership our network has established with Senator Pacheco and Representative Smizik, and look forward to continuing our work with them in the years ahead.”
Massachusetts Power Shift is continuing forward with its campaign towards 100% Clean Electricity within the next 10 years, seeing it as a serious solution to a serious crisis. This summer, the network has twenty students bicycling around the state, spreading awareness about the climate emergency, and the 100% Goal. They are also proud to partner with students at Clark University, who are hosting Summer of Solutions – Worcester. Stay tuned to itsgettinghotinhere for updates!
For more stories on the RePower America Resolution and other Mass Power Shift successes, please visit www.masspowershift.org/media
Cross-Posted from: HERE
I came across an article about the incredible potential for US industry to save significant on their energy costs while at the same time reducing emissions, thanks to a strong commitment to energy efficiency in the economic stimulus.
“The $787 billion federal stimulus bill contains some $60 billion of grants and incentives aimed at cutting energy use. In addition, 19 U.S. states have adopted mandates that essentially compel electrical utilities to find and finance energy savings for their customers.” Continue reading ‘The Next Stimulus’
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