It’s Getting Hot In Here

The vision:

This spring, we (we= me, you, and thousands of our friends) engage members of Congress through town hall-style meetings on college campuses, phonecalls, emails, letters and visits to district offices, meetings on Capitol Hill, and actions at iconic places. Presidential candidates receive videos from us and our fellow citizens, asking them what their plan is to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050.

Fast forward to this summer. Each and every member of Congress has been contacted by their constituents about climate change. Climate Change is a major issue in the presidential campaigns.

Fast forward to 2009. We have Federal climate legislation that puts us on the path to an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 while acknowledging the rights of all citizens of the global community.

Continue reading ‘Here’s the Plan’

Instructions for navigating this (interactive! choose-your-own-adventure style!) blog entry are as follows:

1. First, read this sentence– “This week, you have the opportunity to help kickstart strong Federal action for our climate and our clean energy future.”
2. Now, pinch yourself. Close your eyes. Open ‘em again. See? You’re awake. You’re not dreaming. Read the sentence again. That’s right, I said the magic words: Strong. Federal. Action.

Continue reading ‘Ending Oil Subsidies, Easy as 1-2-3??’

The EC is making strides on tackling climate change in the EU — today, it told nine member states to go back to the drawing board. The reason? Their proposed emissions caps were too high.

The UK is the only country which managed to receive EC approval for its plan to cap emissions at 246.2m tons per year between 2008 and 2012. Unfortunately, this plan still falls below the original 20% by 2010 aspirations which the Labour party had espoused as recently as 2005. Emissions have been rising slowly but steadily since 2002, and so the EC’s decision to accept the UK’s plan feels like a mixed bag. Still, activists seem heartened by the EC’s overall actions. Meanwhile, predictions about the UK’s climate future suggest that it could become a haven for climate refugees from around the world. Will the government respond to increasing public concern with meaningful action? We’ll see…

In a podcast from Nairobi (the sound quality isn’t great — you can access a summary article here), the UK’s environment secretary, David Miliband, expressed skepticism about the importance of setting annual nationwide emissions cuts — an issue which is sure to be mentioned tomorrow when the UK reveals its much-anticipated climate legislation. Miliband supports a 60% reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 but says: “We think binding annual targets are silly, really, because if the weather is bad in one year it doesn’t make sense to change your policies. You need to know you are on track in the medium term.”

Continue reading ‘UK in Nairobi: Binding Annual Targets = “Silly”’

In my home region, the Pacific Northwest, a growing number of local companies are providing individuals with opportunities to offset their annual emissions. While critics are right to argue that all carbon cuts are not created equal, this seems like a step in the right direction. It’s good to see companies like Expedia thinking ahead of the industry curve. Time to stuff the stockings with carbon gift certificates!

…And there goes my early optimism.

In an interview with Reuters at the Nairobi conference, our senior climate negotiator, Harlan Watson, seemed indifferent to last night’s election results. “I do not see any change in our policy. We feel very comfortable…The president…feels very comfortable that we are making progress and he sees no reason to change.”

Hopefully, this is just a lot of blustering. It sounds like other delegates in Nairobi are viewing the election as a good sign; European Commission negotiators said they thought it might become easier now to find common ground on global climate policies. At the very least, we should have enough environmentally oriented representatives to hold the administration accountable for its recalcitrance. Still, it is so frustrating. I can’t think of a more resounding message than the one which voters sent yesterday, and yet few administrative figures (apart from Rumsfield, who didn’t exactly have a choice) seem willing to admit that it’s time for a change.

Some British analysts are suggesting that no one should get too excited about having the Democrats in office; however, even they concur that the political shift is good for climate change:

“World trade, aid (what happened to the stalled Doha round of WTO talks?), the battle to stem, then reverse damaging climate change, all will matter and may - may - become easier with a new Congress.

US states and cities have already been moving closer to Europe over issues like carbon trading.

A Democrat-controlled Congress with myriad powerful committees able to set a new agenda will bring that realignment to Washington at last.”

Here’s hoping.

Colorful banners and costumes filled Trafalgar Square on Saturday as the Campaign Against Climate Change march drew over 20,000 protestors to London’s Trafalgar Square. Participants walked, cycled and even canoed from around the UK to reach London for the big event, which began with a march from the U.S. Embassy to Trafalgar Square. At the square, organizers held a rally headlined by several big-name guests, including singer KT Tunstall. The huge crowd had two primary demands: that the UK Government spearhead an international agreement that will keep the average global temperature increase from exceeding 2ºC; they also want the UK to legislate national annual emissions cuts.

Here in the UK, the event’s being depicted as an impressive success, with several news agencies noting that this is the largest environmental rally to take place in recent history. 40 different organizations participated in the march, from longtime climate activists like Friends of the Earth to newcomers like The Women’s Institute. Many participants said this was the first time they’d ever joined a march.

Continue reading ‘Successful UK Climate Rally Sparks Big Questions’

Get this: Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman has commissioned a study to provide the Bush Administration with direction for America’s long-term energy policy. That study will by led by none other than… Former Exxon CEO Lee Raymond and the National Petroleum Council he chairs!

Yup, you read that right- America’s energy future. In the hands of a former ExxonMobil Chairman and CEO.

Continue reading ‘Raymond? Ridiculous!’

Check out www.priceofoil.org/oct24 and sign up for the US National Day of Action on October 24th.

October 24^th is our opportunity to send a message to our Senators and Representatives in Congress that we want them to represent us, not the oil industry. If you’re already working on the Campus Climate Challenge in the United States, this is a perfect opportunity to tell your elected representatives that you’ve taken the lead on energy issues…and they should, too. Lots of community and campus-friendly action ideas to get you going are listed on the site.
It’s time to get oil money out of politics… it’s time to Separate Oil and State!