Climate Change open letter and list of useful resources

[Sabsm...@aol.com]

Dear All- ,

 

I am attaching an open letter from a dedicated activist and good friend of mine about Climate Change. Many of you will already be familiar with the issues and so if you don't want to read the letter you can simply scroll to the bottom, for a list of useful resources about the subject as well as organisations doing crucial work who are in need of support ( financial and otherwise).

 

 Brien ( my friend) has also created a blog ( at the top of the list) which provides excellent info and asks anyone who can to contribute, with additional info and questions. Please feel free to send this on to everyone you know. 

 

Thank you for your time and work.

 

Saba Malik

 

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I’m writing you today because I have been transformed by a book I’ve recently read. No, it isn’t a self-help book, or a philosophical analysis of what it means to be human, it was a book about climate change. Prior to reading Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet, by National Geographic writer Mark Lynas, I was under the impression that it was already too late to stop catastrophic climate change, and I was mentally and emotionally adjusting to the wisdom of acceptance. Acceptance that over the last half of my life I would be witnessing the demise of most of what I love, the amazing variety of life forms and landscapes on this planet. While the book is devastating from the perspective of coming to grips with how horrific existence will be as the Earth warms past certain climatic tipping points, it was also devastating for me in a completely different way. In simple language it lays out what the best science is currently saying about some of these thresholds, and in doing so, it demonstrates that there is a very short window of time before it really is too late. For me, as someone with the privilege in this culture to have the time to contemplate a moral life deeply, I realized that I could not let this window of opportunity slip by without acting. I don’t think I could live with myself if I didn’t try to do something that was actually effective.

 

So I’ve spent the last six weeks reading and writing and putting together a blog, changing my mind, asking for help from a few friends, calculating carbon emissions and human population and tree-planting schemes, changing my mind again, and again, and again. I’ve finally come to this, to writing this letter, to try to simply lay-out what realistic options we have.

 

Before I do that, though, I should at least point you to some sources that will help you understand our situation. I’m assuming that most of you have knowledge similar to that of mine prior to reading Six Degrees. I recommend reading that book, but if you prefer multiple sources, there are a number of good websites and blogs, listed at the bottom of this letter.

 

If you are not well-versed on global warming or not convinced of the enormity of the situation, I recommend educating yourself further before reading on.

 

My sister helped me come to the following presentation of our options. While I have described just two scenarios below, it is of course highly likely that reality will be different, so think of these as continuums of the directions we would be moving toward. The left column, for brevity, is called, “Effective Action” and by that I mean a radical and massive undertaking to transform industrial civilization that begins in the next TWO years, and accelerates rapidly across the globe. The right column, “Business As Usual” is just that, allowing the corporations to control our governments, our commons (natural wealth), our cultural choices, and yes, our “solutions” to global warming.

 

Effective Action leads to:                             Business As Usual leads to:

Vibrant local communities                              Continuing decline in quality of life

Independent regional societies                       Dependence on bail-outs and gov spending

A healthier populace                                     Continuation of increasing diseases

A healthier environment                                 Further destruction of ecosystems

Much cleaner air                                           Slight, temporary improvements in air quality

Adequate water supply                                  Water scarcity and resource wars

Local food security                                       Continued dependence on corporate farming

Humane human population policy                   Ignores population, leads to famine and war

Abundant Earth-restoring jobs                        Primarily unfulfilling jobs

Clean, efficient public transit                          Primary dependence on private autos

Lots more bicycle lanes and bikes                  Little change to existing infrastructure

Gardens in every vacant urban lot                  Increasing poverty and food scarcity

Local currency and democracy                     Further nationalization and globalization

Healthcare for all                                          Healthcare for some

Sharing local wealth                                      Further gap between rich and poor

Safe communities, a safer world                    Increasing desperation, crime and war

A sense of rootedness, of purpose                 Further alienation, a culture of fear

Return of more free-flowing rivers                  Increase in rivers going dry

A rapid reduction in fossil fuel use                 A slow decline in fossil fuel use

Real world climate solutions                           Market-based “token” solutions

A stable global climate                                   Severe droughts and severe storms

Global Forest Preserves                                Death of the Amazon forest

Restoration of Indigenous sovereignty            Eventual cultural genocide of all indigenous

A rapid reduction in extinction rate                 Mass-extinction goes on, >70% species die this century

Ice pack & glacier melts slow considerably     Arctic ice gone and most mountains bare by 2100

Very slowly rising oceans                              Rapid ocean rise

Gradual relocation of coastal cultures             Rapid displacement of millions, associated war

Possible evolution to a sustainable culture       The end of life as we know it

 

I could probably sit here all day adding to this list, but I think the point is clear by now. We have a choice in the future for all life on this planet.

 

Once we pass certain carbon feedback tipping points, we will be in full defense mode, fighting for survival in the greatly reduced choice locales. Those humans that survive will live a very lonely existence on a mostly desolate planet. On the other hand, if we can force our governments, at every level, to initiate a transformation that will avoid those tipping points, the future is ours to design. We need to take the power back from the corporate elite, and return it to individuals at the local level, and we have to remember that biological diversity is the basis for all our real needs.

 

Okay, for those of you who read this far without knowing a lot about the pending climate crisis, you probably have a lot of suspicion or questions. I do highly recommend reading as much as you need to move you to action.

 

For me, while the actions I propose below will fall far short of getting us to a much better world any time soon, they are a starting point and may be politically possible right now. We are at a unique time, possibly embarking on a new Great Depression, so what was politically impossible last year may not be next year. The average person may be more ready for alternative approaches than s/he has been for decades.

 

I’ve listed more than 20 organizations, some that exist primarily to be advocates for solutions to the most pressing issue, keeping the CO2 level from getting past the 400 ppm tipping point. As you will see there are various approaches, some that may not even seem that related at first view, but understanding the vastness of the problem makes understanding the wide range of necessary tactics much easier. I’ve listed a few additional groups whose work is critical to our societal transformation and therefore supports the work of those fighting for sane climate solutions. I, personally, am donating money or time to five of these groups, and I have decided to give 8 hours per week, on average, to this cause for the next year or two. There are so many ways to act I won’t begin to suggest what anyone ought to do, but I will paraphrase Bill McKibben:

 

What can you do? Organize, organize, organize. And then organize some more. Organize with all the energy you can muster. And when your week is over, if you have any energy left, then you can change your lightbulbs to CFLs.

 

He’s saying we all need to be political lobbyists in our day-to-day lives. And I’ll be honest. Most of you know I’m not a very social creature, and I don’t like anything that feels like confrontation. I’m not a natural at organizing, which really just means talking with people about the issue with the intent of getting them on board with policy change. But I don’t see any potentially more effective action at this point in time, considering the urgency of our global situation. Yes, I’d much rather focus on learning to live appropriately in this bioregion, I’d much rather focus on creating a local land trust or traditional ecological knowledge learning center. Through that last one, I could organize for sane climate policy, but the amount of time and energy needed to establish such a venture would make that point moot: it’d be too late by then. To reiterate what most of the sources and science say, we have about six years to get the CO2 emissions in reverse, and that means wise global policy in effect within the next year or two. There is an international climate meeting in Copenhagen this December, where the replacement for “Kyoto” should be signed. The more people we have urging for the inclusion of the kinds of sane policies promoted by the organizations below, the better our chances of getting a few of these policies adapted. That is why I’m sending this letter now, and why I’m hoping my words and work in compiling the resources and organizations will inspire you to dedicate much of your free time to this task, the most important cause humans have ever had.

 

You are welcome to share this letter with everyone you know, or better yet, write your own. This can be the first step in organizing, spreading the word within your community. I will be posting weekly to my blog (listed in resources below) what I have done that week. I encourage all of you to follow along and share your efforts as well. For my personal recommendation of the best set of policy solutions, and the reasoning behind those choices, see my blog.

 

With appreciation that you’ve read this and sincere hope for joyous action,

 

Brien

 

 

 

Organizations Specifically Fighting for Sane Climate Policies

 

Focus on using existing and new laws:

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/climate_law_institute/index.html

 

Tree planting campaigns:

http://www.unep.org/billiontreecampaign/index.asp

 

http://english.tema.org.tr/OurWork/ReforestationProjects.htm

 

Focus on CO2 emissions:

http://www.350.org/en/about

 

http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/solutions/big_picture_solutions/a-target-for-us-emissions.html

 

http://www.climateprotectioncampaign.org/

 

Fair carbon capping schemes:

http://www.capanddividend.org/

 

http://www.capandshare.org./links.html

 

Proponent of carbon tax:

http://www.carbontax.org/myths/       

 

Green economy-oriented solutions:

http://www.postcarbon.org/rnd-solution

 

http://www.1Sky.org/

 

http://www.repoweramerica.org/

 

http://www.climatecrisiscoalition.org/about.html

 

http://www.globalwarmingsolutions.org/category/political-solutions

 

Electing climate-savvy representatives:

http://www.hottpac.org/?page_id=58

 

Reforestation and stopping deforestation:

Global Forest Preserves (please let me know if you find a group working toward this!)

 

http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/solutions/forest_solutions/

 

http://www.climateark.org/

 

Banning mountain-top removal coal mining:

http://ilovemountains.org/

 

http://www.appvoices.org/index.php?/site/mtr_overview/

 

Capping economic growth:

Limiting growth to 0.1% would do wonders for the world. (please let me know if you find a group working toward this!)

 

No-Till agriculture:

http://www.climateandenergy.org/TakeStep/ProtectNatualResources/Index.htm

 

Redirecting military spending:

http://www.wand.org/wand_who_we_are.htm

 

 

Population reduction/tax incentives for not having children:

http://www.zpg.org/

 

 

Other partial solutions for which I haven’t found allies:

 

Tax Incentives for Not Owning a Car

 

Tax Incentives for Stay-at-Home Parents

 

Ban the manufacture and sale of wasteful technologies

 

Abandon the road-building and road-widening programs, and spend the money on public transport and a national high-speed electric rail system 

 

Remove all subsidies for polluters, especially GHG emitters

 

Freeze and then reduce US airport capacity. Ban all new airport construction. Introduce a national quota for landing slots

National vehicle excise tax for the most polluting vehicles

 

[Note: If any of you find organizations promoting any of the above policies, please send me the link or contact info. Thanks!]

 

Organizations Whose Work Supports Positive Cultural Transformation

 

http://www.landinstitute.org/

 

http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/

 

http://www.nativeecosystems.org/campaigns

 

http://www.culturalsurvival.org/who-we-are                             

 

http://www.guaranteedhealthcare.org/about

 

http://culturechange.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=322&Itemid=1

 

http://www.fseee.org/index.html?page=http://www.fseee.org/forestmag/02SummerMaiduLittle.shtml

 

 

Resources for Understanding the Climate Crises and Its Politics

 

http://climatemorality.blogspot.com/ (this is my blog)

 

http://www.climateark.org/

 

http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/science_and_impacts/science/

 

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climatechange/science/projections/

 

http://www.realclimate.org/

 

http://bravenewclimate.com/

 

http://climateprogress.org/

 

http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/

 

http://sharonastyk.com/category/global-warming/

 

http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2008/11/25/one-shot-left/

 

http://www.climateactionproject.com/

 

http://www.desmogblog.com/

 

 

 

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[Paul Edwards]

Saba, thank you for forwarding your friend’s letter. I think more and more people are moving from “acceptance” to wanting to do something. A friend of ours points out that at the outset of World War II, the auto plants were retooled to produce the weapons of war in six weeks.

As you’re no doubt aware, some people are considering survival in “worst case” scenarios. The  February 25 issue of New Scientist magazine (issue 2697) has two articles:

“Earth’ Plan B” and “Hacking the planet: The only climate solution left?”

But for now, as my wife and partner wrote this morning to the people in our community effort,

“We’re all busy, we’re all working hard; we have children and parents to care for and errands to run; and when we have a little free time we’d prefer to do something more enjoyable than prepare to avoid a future like this. But Orlov is adamant from his experience that if we want to safeguard ourselves and our communities against such a future we must personally focus now on 4 priorities: having dependable sources of local food, shelter, energy and security. Certainly that is not the focus of our national or even local leadership, so it’s up to us.”

 

 

Paul Edwards - Public Affairs Consultant, Author and Columnist
Websites : PublicAffairsServices.com, MiddleClassAdvocacyInstitute.com, and MiddleClassLifeboat.com. Primary email address: Pa...@PublicAffairServices.com
Co-author with Sarah of 17 books, including our newest, Middle-Class Lifeboat: Careers and Life Choices for Navigating a Changing Economy.   Most books are now available as eBooks.   Columnist for Costco Connection magazine.

 

U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) Region IX "Small Business Journalist of the Year" 2006