Fwd: We've launched a fast for climate action at the UN

[EBroadbent]

I didn't know how to propose to our church community that we take up fasting in support of the Yeb Saño's hunger strike at the UN climate conference in Poland, so I'm sending to our GS group for any thoughts.  Is there a socal-action committee email list?

If you aren't aware of the hunger strike and who Yeb Saño is, you can watch parts of the speech he made here:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yITq61XedI&feature=youtu.be

The amount of human tragedy rolled up into this disastrous weather event is just unimaginable, and yet somehow it seems like we are collectively lulled into a catatonic state by the continuous "news coverage".  Yes we need to contribute to the relief efforts - all that we can.  But the larger problem of what is happening to our planet looms and nothing is done at the governmental level to stop it, even though that is the ENTIRE REASON for these climate conferences.

So we are left to make things happen ourselves - and this call for people to fast in solidarity with the hunger strike seems like an eminently doable step for us.  If folks have ideas on how we might encourage others to participate - please speak up.  Any such message might be accompanied by a list of some relief organizations that the UUA is coordinating with - i.e. Oxfam or others (I don't know but will try to research).

-Eric

Begin forwarded message:

From: aryt alasti <aryt....@gmail.com>

Subject: Re: We've launched a fast for climate action at the UN

Date: November 13, 2013 9:35:00 AM EST

To: Collin Rees <colli...@sustainus.org>

Cc: Adam Greenberg <adam.gr...@sustainus.org>, 350-massac...@googlegroups.com, Margaret Bullitt-Jonas <marga...@aol.com>

There isn't any effort you could be involved in which would be more profoundly meaningful and potentially transformative. May the countries of the world finally set aside the bickering and the quibbling, focusing sincerely on the incontrovertible reality that the future of humanity depends upon what is done at these negotiations. Collin and Adam, your action with Yeb will be be a beacon to further illuminate the stark necessity of that mandate's success, and so many of us with have you in our thoughts.

                                                       Aryt

On Nov 12, 2013 8:10 PM, "Collin Rees" <colli...@sustainus.org> wrote:

Thank you all for your wishes, thoughts, and prayers -- it really means a lot to Adam and me that you all are such strong supporters. Of course we knew that already, knowing so many of you personally, but it's especially powerful to be so far from home and still feel the strength and solidarity of the wonderful Massachusetts climate community to keep us going. 

As Greenberg says, Yeb's incredible Day One speech and the subsequent escalation of this campaign has taken a year of the climate talks anticipated by many to be a pretty unimportant year unlikely to produce anything major and transformed it into an event the entire world is talking about. Stories connecting Typhoon Haiyan's especially severe impact to climate change have made the front pages of Al Jazeera, the BBC, the NY Times, CNN, and others -- including some more in-depth pieces exploring the true wrongs of climate injustice that are exposed by events like these. 

Here's a great summary of the action taken today at COP19 that's since galvanized a wide swath of civil society into standing with the Philippines and fasting in solidarity. The feeling on the ground here in Warsaw is that this really could impact negotiations surrounding Loss & Damage, especially if it continues to grow in symbolic power throughout the first week and into the second. It sounds a bit wonky, but that would be huge and well worth a bit of hunger. 

I do want to reiterate that we're going to great lengths to do this responsibly -- there is now a medical and support team in place to support civil society members, and we want to maintain as much capacity as possible and be effective doing the things we came here to do. We recognize we're incredibly privileged just to be here, and we don't take this opportunity lightly -- we're going to take care of our bodies and continually make sure we're doing this for the right reasons and with the right mindset. 

Thank you again for all the support; we're feeling incredibly blessed and supported. We know you'll keep fighting for justice today and a livable future tomorrow, and that's why we're so damn proud to be a part of the 350 MA community. 

In love and solidarity, 
Collin

On Tue, Nov 12, 2013 at 7:16 PM, Margaret Bullitt-Jonas <marga...@aol.com> wrote:

God bless you, Adam.  Our prayers are with you.

Margaret

The Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas
Priest Associate, Grace Church
14 Boltwood Ave.
Amherst, MA 01002

-----Original Message-----
From: Adam Greenberg <adam.gr...@sustainus.org>
To: 350-massachusetts <350-mass...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Tue, Nov 12, 2013 2:46 pm
Subject: We've launched a fast for climate action at the UN

Hi friends,

I'm writing to you hungry from depths of the conference halls in which our future is up for negotiation, at the UN climate negotiations in Warsaw, Poland.

I just wanted to let y'all know what's been going on. On day 1 of the negotiations, 
Philippine negotiator Yeb Sano threw down the gauntlet, and announced, in the face of devastating supertyphoons and inaction at the UN, that he would stop eating food until some form of meaningful action was achieved.

Two 350MA members, Collin Rees and myself, are fasting with him here in Warsaw. We are joined by a growing number of youth delegates, faith groups, and civil society delegates here at COP19. 

This is a solidarity fast. We're not exactly sure what meaningful action could look like, but the media response this is generating is big, and we may actually be able to influence the negotiations and help deliver a mechanism on climate change-caused loss and damage. 

I write more about what you can do below, and stay tuned. There's going to be a bunch of media coming out of here soon. I ask you to support. In the meantime, Jamie Henn of 350 just sent me a few pictures he took of the solidarity action. They are here, and some others are here.

If folks want to help by sending out some of our press releases and tayloring them to 350MA a bit, let's work together on that.

Here's a longer description of what the fast is about, specifically (I'll spare you the updates of all the other stuff happening and things I'm doing here). 

I also want to make clear that I'm definitely not planning on endangering my life. I have duties to my delegation that need to get done, and the fast will only last until Nov. 23, and I'll be drinking fluids.

Also, I have very limited ability to respond to emails during this time, but I absolutely appreciate your support, and Collin does too. We stand with people suffering and dying all over the world. 

I know that you do, too
Thanks so much for all you do, and stay tuned for ways to support (a good start is to follow @pragmactivist99 @sustainusagents and @collinrees and we're sending out calls to action from there)!

Best always,
-Adam Greenberg and Collin Rees

I am now going on a voluntary fast as I demand climate justice:

Monday at the UN climate negotiations, my friend and Philippine lead negotiator Yeb Saño spoke at the plenary about the devastation in his home country, the lives lost, and the inaction in the UN process. He then announced that he would voluntarily refrain from eating foods for the duration of the 2 week conference until real and meaningful action was at hand.

I am joining this fast, and will not be eating until we get this right, until we see steps toward the kind of action science--and morality, and any shred of human decency or calculated pragmatism we've ever had---demands. 

I stand in solidarity with Yeb, with the people of the Philippines, with all those facing the worst impacts of climate change, and with future generations whose futures are being decided right now in these conference halls. I'm doing this for my kids, and yours, too. 
We need to call out and end corporate control of COP, of our politics at every level, of our future. We need to build a world based on justice. We need to fight for people today, and for our future tomorrow.

I am one of many people taking this step here at COP, and at home in countries around the world. Our hunger is small in the face of the suffering and deaths caused by increasing climate change and impacts all over the world.

I ask that you please support us by sending love and support, by being ready and on hand to amplify our message, to spread the word, to communicate the urgency and convey the specific calls to action we put forth. Twitter is actually an impactful place to be--We also seek to pressure the secretariat, which is consistently responsive to social media pressure. I'll be posting here, too, with calls to action. 
Here, too, inside the belly of the vulture, we will be asking for your help.

There are so many ways we can each take action to build a better world.
I just want to remind you that people are fighting.
And people are dying.

--

Adam Greenberg
UNFCCC COP19 Youth Delegate | SustainUS 
www.sustainus.org | www.youthclimate.org 
adam.gr...@sustainus.org 
US +1 617-922-6666
Poland +48 733-688-202

--

Collin A. Rees
SustainUS COP 19 Delegate

M: +1 308 293 3159
E: colli...@sustainus.org
T: @collinrees

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