It’s Getting Hot In Here

On July 1st, New York Times published an op-ed by 2002 Pulitzer Prize winner and noted author Thomas Friedman. The article titled “Just Do It”, calls out the flaws of the ACES bill. Friedman, author of “The World is Flat: A Brief History of the World”, agrees with many scientists, economists and environmental journalist, Brentin Mockr, that the ACES bill is weak and cannot afford to get any weaker. Friedman goes off in this op-ed calling out Republicans, President Obama and the American public for making this bill weak. Here’s a piece of what he had to say:

“Attention all young Americans: your climate future is being decided right now in the cloakrooms of the Capitol, where the coal lobby holds huge sway. You want to make a difference? Then get out of Facebook and into somebody’s face.”

We hear you Friedman and we here at www.checktheweather.net
have been hitting the concrete talking to real people about this “ACES” Climate Bill. Last night we went out to Horace and Dickie’s Chicken and Fish Carry Out in Northeast, Washington, DC and asked Dennis “Chico” Jackson what he felt about Climate Change, Michael Jackson and most importantly what he knew about the Waxman Markey climate bill.

Visit Checktheweather.net to watch the video, download our mixtape for climate justice and get in the KNOW on real people talking real about the Green Movement. www.checktheweather.net

He listened! Obama listened!

We chanted during PowerShift’s march on the Capital Coal Plant and even later that night outside of the While House calling for “Food, Not Bombs! Plant a Garden on the White House Lawn!” It sounded good, and I remember seeing the lights go on in an upstairs window as we sang late at night, but maybe that was just a twinkle in the White House’s eye.

Either way, I just learned that Obama did plant a nice big vegetable garden on the White House lawn in March, the first since Eleanor Roosevelt’s Victory Gardens, and things are coming up golden. They’ve 90 pounds of food,  enough produce for the White House kitchens and local soup kitchens as well.  Good and always with honor have released a detailed map of the White House Garden – let’s hope more people follow suit, eating as locally as physically possible, their own backyards!

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’

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’

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

Canada has committed to emission reductions at home of 2.7% below 1990 levels by the year 2020. (Or 20% below 2006 levels by 2020 as the government phrases it). ember that we committed years ago to 6% below 1990 level target by the year 2012 via the Kyoto Protocol.

I am confident that the government recognizes the scientific advice of achieving 25 to 40% emission reductions globally below 1990 levels by 2020. Yet our target doesn’t seem to match up.

Continue reading “Number Crunch: Where Canada’s Emission Targets Stand” here…

Ha empezado una nueva campaña que busca llevar la voz Latina al centro del dialogo internacional sobre el cambio climatico. 350Dominicana, inspirada por y aliada a 350.org, tiene como objetivo la organizacion de una cumbre regional en America Latina y el Caribe con fines de dialogar sobre el limite de 350 partes por millon de dioxido carbono que tiene la humanidad para prevenir daños catastroficos del cambio climatico en los siguientes 20 años. Para Republica Dominicana, estos daños incluirian:

1) La perdida de gran parte del sector turistico y las zonas urbanas por la subida del nivel del mar;

2) La perdida de recursos hidricos y agricolas por las sequias, la evaporacion, y tormentas tropicales mas intensas; y

3) El incremento de las enfermedades infecciosas.

La campaña 350Dominicana busca que el Presidente Leonel Fernandez proponga a la region una Cumbre Regional Sobre el Cambio Climatico que discuta las consecuencias de no actuar suficientemente contra el cambio climatico a nivel mundial. La Cumbre buscaria formar un consenso regional con principios y estrategias politicas que presionaran al resto del mundo a comprometerse a acciones justas y que puedan prevenir efectos catastroficos del cambio climatico.

Vea el video de introduccion: http://350dominicana.org/2009/06/07/350-dominicana-%C2%A1unete-ya/

Firme la peticion: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/compromiso-regional-definido-para-cumbre-sobre-cambio-climtico-en-copenhague-suena-la-alarma-firma

Suscribete al Boletin: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=cmFxTUwwWUVMSS1DRjJIZEhIelZYSGc6MA..

Continue reading ‘350Dominicana: Creando Una Voz Latina Contra El Cambio Climatico’

This Monday, people throghout the world came together at Peru’s consulates and embassies demanding an end to the systematic genocide of Peru’s indigenous populations.  This tragedy was brought about by the disastrous “Peru Trade Promotion Agreement” which stripped land rights from indigenous communities and opened them up for foreign investment resulting in widespread oil and gas drilling and logging.

Iternational trade treaties should be targets of groups working on international climate mitigation. As we have seen when Mexico signed on to NAFTA, free trade agreements export our unsustainable lifestyle, drive (mostly indigenous) coummunities into poverty, and deepen the destruction of previously protected ecosystems. All of these problems contribute to the rise in greenhouse gas emissions and destroy precious cultural know-how that has the potential to guide us to implement more sustainable versions of development.

Many groups and journalists showed up at the Washington D.C. protest (organized by Amazon Watch) including the Energy Action Coalition, Campus Progress, Friends of the Earth and the Quixote Center.

Check out this video about the protest in Washington D.C. and make sure to leave comments with links to media from protests you attended!

Tommaso Boggia is the Climate Advocacy Associate at Campus Progress. Check out his other blog posts about the American Clean Energy And Security Act on FundingourFuture.campusprogress.org

Check out this great video from the Cliffside Climate Action.

Iowa is all over the news this week.  But what you may not have heard through all the coverage of same-sex marriages is that Iowa will soon connect to the Midwest High Speed Rail Network.

This weekend the Iowa State Legislature approved the allocation of $3 million to the Department of Transportation specifically for passenger rail.  These funds are enough to qualify Iowa for matching federal funds of $12 million, which is enough to begin upgrading existing tracks between the Quad Cities and Iowa City to handle higher speeds.

As I mentioned in my post last week, “travel by train is approximately 3 times more efficient than travel by car and six times more efficient than travel by airplane.  So not only does it create jobs, reduce congestion and traffic hassles, but it cleans the air and enables affordable transportation between urban centers.”  But that is just in terms of transportation emissions.  Rail has further benefits if you consider that rail doesn’t require the paving of green space for parking lots, creates jobs  in upgrading the tracks and has next to zero fatalities or injuries. Continue reading ‘Victory in Iowa!’