It’s Getting Hot In Here

In case anybody missed this a few days ago…

Combined with the recent solar moratorium news, you begin to seriously wonder what our government is thinking. November can’t get here soon enough.

First, a bit of history:

Standard Oil, the company John D. Rockefeller founded and turned into an economic superpower, was forced to break up into roughly 34 different companies around 1911. Two of these pieces eventually became Exxon and Mobile respectively. As you all know, these two companies are now combined, which has created the worlds largest integrated oil company. Since this new economic superpower was born from the Standard Oil breakup, the Rockefeller family still has significant power within ExxonMobile - through stock ownership, trusts, and personal clout.

This is a very good thing. They are on the offensive.

A statement issued yesterday by the Rockefeller family was a warning shot, saying that Exxon’s leadership is “failing to address the future of energy and related industry hurdles,” and that “a majority of the family is now so concerned about the direction of ExxonMobil Corporation that it is urging a major change.”

Continue reading ‘Rockefellers Want Change!’

Right now there is an exceedingly long break in the action, so I thought I would take this time give an look at what a day-in-the-life of a youth delegate at COP13 is like.

My Friday and Saturday:

6:00am - Wake up after far too little sleep. Start the day’s work. (Going to sleep around 2am on the hotel floor because you passed out while writing a press release for the following days action is not entirely uncommon. In this case it was for the “Please” banner activity seen to the left)

7:30 - Grab breakfast knowing it will probably be the last time I eat until dinner.

8:30 - Jump on the shuttle to the convention center (also, work on the press release with others)

8:30 - Run to the opposite end of the convention center because for some reason the two main conference buildings are really far apart.

9:00 - Attend the daily international youth meeting and get organized for the day (also, continue work on the press release)

10:00 - Meet and strategize with other youth regarding specific activities for the day.

10:30 - Work as a group to track down good quotes for the press release, finalize it, and send it to media contacts.

11:00 - Go to the “bunker,” a space designated as the youth command center (underneath a stairwell), to help with current tasks.

Continue reading ‘BaliBuzz: A-day-in-the-life’

The world may be focusing right now on Al Gore’s tremendous victory on receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, but this December the world should focus on what world leaders do in Bali. In Bali at the UN climate negotiations, the international community will decide their response to the climate crisis. To make sure the youth voice is represented, a group of 22 U.S. youth will converge upon those negotiations. The SustainUS delegation, along with fellow youth from around the world, will challenge leaders to take a stand on global warming. Despite our fervent desire to the contrary, our future is in their hands.

The delegation is a part of the internationally recognized SustainUS Agents of Change program, designed to facilitate youth involvement in international policymaking and advocate for a sustainable future. The selected applicants were invited to join this delegation after a highly competitive, national selection process.

The delegation draws from outstanding young leaders from diverse backgrounds from around the country. The delegation together speaks 13 languages, despite all being under the age of 25. The team of 20 youth delegates are thoroughly committed to the conference, investing over 2,200 volunteer hours over six months prior to COP13 to prepare youth policy submissions, coordinate with national and international organizations, formulate comprehensive communications strategies, and organize pre- and post-conference events to engage youth worldwide.

At the meeting, the team will work to provide the youth perspective on pertinent climate change issues that will be addressed in Bali and frame the debate by emphasizing responsibility for future generations. The delegation will advocate for progressive policy ask leaders to demonstrate their potential for true leadership and to act, strongly and soon. We will show the world that US youth are committed to climate justice.

Check SustainUS.org for updates on this campaign, as well as further updates at ItsGettingHotInHere.org during the conference, Dec. 3-14. We can still use your support, so if you can, please support our effort.

EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson was called to testify before the Environment and Public Works Committee this past Thursday. The issue? A waiver request that would allow California to regulate vehicle greenhouse gas emissions. Senator Boxer, Chairwoman, believes the issue has been handled in an entirely unsatisfactory manner and demanded an explanation.

This issue will have huge repercussions. There are already 13 states waiting to adopt California’s emission standards, something they can only do if California’s waiver is approved. Support S. 1785 which will require the EPA make a decision on the issue by September 30th. After being delayed 1.5 years, it is far past time. Continue reading ‘“The Environmental Pollution Agency”’

Climate Myth Debunked:

Climate skeptics have often held to the theory that global warming is due to an increase in solar intensity; that human greenhouse gas emissions aren’t the problem - the sun is. Well, that belief ends today. A study published Wednesday in the journal, Proceedings of the Royal Society A, destroys this argument.

The report’s introductory paragraph says it all:

There is considerable evidence for solar influence on the Earth’s pre-industrial climate and the Sun may well have been a factor in post-industrial climate change in the first half of the last century. Here we show that over the past 20 years, all the trends in the Sun that could have had an influence on the Earth’s climate have been in the opposite direction to that required to explain the observed rise in global mean temperatures.

The sun may have had influence in the past, but over the past 20 years - when we have seen the most dramatic effects of global warming - the sun has not been the cause. This study further confirmed the terribly sobering fact - humans are to blame for the global warming we see. There are no scapegoats.

Continue reading ‘Why the Sun is Our Friend’