Give Me a Break via It's Getting Hot In Here
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Sustainable Justice via It's Getting Hot In Here
You may have heard this piece of wisdom in Econ 101. “There is no such thing as a free lunch.” Someone is footing the bill.
The mass material affluence that characterizes much of American society is a testament to the power of our economic and political system. The cities we inhabit, the cars we drive, the gadgets we use, the ways we communicate, the food we eat, and the energy we consume are all products of its success.
But remember, “There is no such thing as a free lunch.” Someone is footing the bill.
Allow me to modify that statement. There is no such thing as a dollar menu. Transactions inflict costs on the real world that are not reflected in a market pricing system.
A friend of mine is particularly fond of McDonald’s Dollar menu, and makes a habit of... Beyond Al Gore and Inconvenient Truths: A New Generation, A New Vision, a New Dream via It's Getting Hot In Here
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Cascade POWER SHIFT Summit Wraps Up Two Weeks of Intense Northwest Climate Action! via It's Getting Hot In Here
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Full Funding of the Green Jobs Act has a chance on the Senate floor tomorrow! via It's Getting Hot In Here
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Don’t Miss Cascade POWER SHIFT: Mobilizing Youth for Climate Justice! via It's Getting Hot In Here
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Bush Administration Proposes $10 Billion Christmas Present From Joe Taxpayer to Big Oil via It's Getting Hot In Here
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Yuletide Gifts from Washington D.C.: Reflections on a Frustrating Week of Federal Energy, Climate Politics via It's Getting Hot In Here
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BaliBuzz: Youth Statement to High-Level Plenary in Bali: “This is our last chance” via It's Getting Hot In Here
Yesterday, the International Youth delegations read a powerful statement to the high-level plenary in at the climate conference in Bali. Giving the UN climate conference’s closing statement, it was a defining moment. The incredble speakers were Anna Keenan from Australia, Karmila Parakkasi from Indonesia, Whit Jones from SustainUS in the United States, and Bambou Chieppa (a 13-year old girl). At 4 minutes, the statement was powerful and concise — and called for bold action.
I helped coordinate the drafting of the statement, and it was an amazing experience. Written together by the Indonesian, Japanese, American, Australian, Canadian, Belgian, and French youth delegations, it was a true international collaboration. I am so proud of the inclusive and consensus process we... Billy Parish Tells Congress “This Young Generation is Ready to Carry Out a Historic Power Shift” via It's Getting Hot In Here
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Our Urgent Opportunity: Fighting for a Sustainable, Just, and Prosperous Future via It's Getting Hot In Here
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Michael Shellenberger Says It’s Time For A Breakthrough via It's Getting Hot In Here
Youth climate activists must shift their focus from simply avoiding the impending global warming apocalypse to articulating a vision of a new prosperous and sustainable clean energy economy, says Michael Shellenberger, Power Shift 2007 speaker and coauthor of the new book, Break Through: From the Death of Environmentalism to the Politics of Possibility.
Shellenberger - well-known for kicking up a stir with the controversial essay, “The Death of Environmentalism,” co-authored with his “partner-in-crime” Ted Nordhaus in 2004 - is now the President of the Breakthrough Institute, a small think tank which focuses on a new kind of progressive politics.
This weekend, Shellenberger will share his vision of a new, “post-environmentalist,” progressive climate...
Power Shift Poem via It's Getting Hot In Here
Remember, Remember
The 5th of November
The Day the Youth Cried Out
I Know of No Way
Power Shift Lobby Day
Will Ever Be Forgot...
A Brilliant Future: Brains, We Need Your Brains! via It's Getting Hot In Here
I have spent the last two days talking to and listening to Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger and the question they always are asked is, what is your positive vision for the future? Well, I will be doing a full review of the book soon, but the question is being asked of the wrong people. Tom Friedman got it seriously wrong, as well. The activists engaged in the Youth Climate Movement are the most innovative, creative, and brilliant creators of a green future and are both inspired by and engaging with the “bright green” thinkers that are launching a community thinking experiment online. If you have never gone to WorldChanging, go there. Now. Then come back.
Friedman wants us to hit the streets, Gore wants us to encircle bulldozers. Sure, done that. Will, do more. But they...
In China, Global Environmental Injustice Kills Millions. via It's Getting Hot In Here
The New York Times has published a ground-breaking piece on the environment in China, “As China Roars, Pollution Reaches Deadly Extremes.” The key point to take away is one that I have tried to explain but have had trouble communicating. The ramifications of environmental decisions in China occupy a dramatically different political space than it does here. Environmental “issues” in China are core and personal, the daily difference between life and death for hundreds of millions, every day. In the West, we fundamentally misunderstand the role of pollution and the environment in China. We also don’t recognize the global injustice being conducted in the name of our prosperity in China.
China has become the environmental sacrifice zone for the global economy. We...
The Arctic Heats Up, Militarily?! via It's Getting Hot In Here
This is just crazy. The U.S. Lawmakers get back from visiting Greenland last month. Russia plants its flag in a titanium capsule on the arctic sea shelf, Canada decides to build a military base to protect their sovereignty. All hell breaks loose over who gains control of the northern passage, which will open once the North Pole goes the way of the dodo bird, and of course…who will control all that Arctic oil previously protected by masses of ice. Is it just me, or is this toxic stew of militarism, fossil fuels, and greed what got us into this mess? Please tell me that we are smarter than this.
Canada will build two new military facilities in the Arctic in a move to assert sovereignty over the contested region, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Friday. Source: Canada announces...
Getting Dirty with Coal! via It's Getting Hot In Here
Behind the scenes on It’s Getting Hot in Here, there has been a heated debate over James Hansen’s recent call to action against coal, that we covered in this post, NASA Scientist Hansen Calls for “Vociferous Objection” to New Coal. This sparked a discussion over the definition of ‘clean’ coal, whether it is an oxymoron, and if we should be focused on promoting a positive vision over quibbling over technology. However, a peek at the most relevant part of Hansen’s piece follows:
A moratorium on coal-fired power plants without CCS is by far the most important action that needs to be pursued. It should be the rallying issue for young people. The future of the planet in their lifetime is at stake. This is not an issue for only Bangladesh and the island...
Japanese Elders Fighting Climate Change via It's Getting Hot In Here
The largest senior citizen organization in Japan is stepping up to fight climate change by encouraging elders to pass on conservation values. Think of the impact in the US if the AARP decided to take on a similar initiative!...
Where’d the East Coast Go? via It's Getting Hot In Here
One of the biggest obstacles to the development of mass public sentiment around the injustice of global warming is the abstract way in which it has been framed in popular discourse, i.e. “Gases we can’t see are causing climactic changes that are difficult to sense which in turn will result in dangerous ecological crises at some point in the future.”
This is deeply ironic because the implications of unchecked global warming, as incomprehensible as they sometimes are, are nothing if not incredibly personal, concrete, and real. This map shows what will become of our country if sea levels rise 6 meters, or nearly 20 feet. Yes, you’ll want to look again if you live anywhere on the east coast, from eastern Florida to Maine or the Gulf Coast from western Florida to Texas.
While this... For The Children via It's Getting Hot In Here
In a recent essay for Grist Magazine, Arthur Coulston pointed out that in the single-sentence preamble to the U.S. Constitution, the government’s founding purpose was to protect the rights and welfare of “ourselves and our Posterity.“ While this aknowledgement of the rights of future generations probably doesn’t provide standing for a generation-wide class action lawsuit against the Bush Administration or it’s worst polluting allies (as fun as that would be), it does provide a useful starting point for re-orienting the climate movement around values, rights and justice.
The major new advertising campaign by the Ad Council and Environmental Defense shows how powerful appeals based on protecting children can be. My favorite of the two 30-second spots is a...