Please watch this very informative 14 minute video with Naomi Klein about the United Nations Climate Talks in Paris.
http://www.democracynow.org/2015/11/30/naomi_klein_on_paris_summit_leaders
Grateful for this impressive video!
Food for Thought
From Nicolas Haeringer of 350.org:
“There are times when words are hard to come by, and when you find them they feel inadequate.
I’m writing you from France, with a heavy heart. Following Friday’s attacks in Paris, the mood here is tense. People are angry, and many are afraid. Many of our staff members are in Paris to get ready for the climate talks in a couple of weeks, and they are feeling the pain of this moment sharply.
I am heartbroken — for the lives lost in Paris, and for those lost in Beirut and Baghdad, which also suffered devastating attacks late last week. Clearly the world is hurting in many places right now.
As we’ve struggled to find the right words and the right response to Friday night’s attacks, one thing rises to the top for me:
The upcoming Paris Climate Summit is, in a sense, a peace summit — perhaps the most important peace summit that has ever been held.
We need global solidarity more than ever right now, and that is, really, what this movement is all about. Even as climate change fans the flames of conflict in many parts of the world — through drought, displacement, and other compounding factors — a global movement that transcends borders and cultural differences is rising up to confront this common existential threat.
Let’s hang on to that solidarity and love. Let’s learn from it. Especially at a time like this.
Friday night’s events were horrific, and we must clearly and unequivocally condemn such violence. Their aftermath has also been frightening though, and we should stand in equal condemnation of the instinct to meet violence with more violence. It is a cycle as old as it is ugly: after tragedy comes the rush to judgement, the scapegoating, the xenophobia and Islamophobia, the blame.
There is a real danger here that those already impacted by both the climate crisis and the wars that are so intimately bound up with it — migrants, refugees, poor communities, and communities of color — will be further marginalized.
If there is a thing we must resist, it is our own fear and short-sightedness. No government should use a moment like this to increase the burden of hatred and fear in the world — sowing suspicion, calling for war, and reducing people’s civil liberties in the name of security. This is a mistake we’ve seen too often before, compounding tragedy with more tragedy.
The Paris Climate Summit, scheduled to begin in just a couple of weeks, will proceed. The government is promising heightened security measures, which is understandable but also worrisome.
We don’t yet know what Friday night’s events mean for our work in Paris. The coalition on the ground is committed to working with the French authorities to see if there is a way for the big planned march and other demonstrations to safely go forward. We fully share their concerns about public safety — just as we fully oppose unnecessary crackdowns on civil liberties and minority populations.
We do know that this global movement cannot and will not be stopped:
The Global Climate March — a worldwide day of action scheduled for November 28th and 29th — will also proceed, no matter what. We can think of few better responses to violence and terror than this movement’s push for peace and hope.”
The Paris Climate Conference – Explained
Can you help put out the deadly fires?
I just read about the fierce fires burning all across Indonesia and how they are affecting orangutans, leopards, tigers, sun bears, gibbons, and human children. These precious species are in peril, as are one-third of the world’s orangutans at risk from fires and sprawling, heavy smoke in Sumatra and Borneo. As many of you know, orangutans are in danger of becoming extinct, and their numbers are fewer than 70,000. Fires have been raging for months, burning precious forest where these animals live. Many people are struggling to put out the fires and save the land. Sadly, the fires are not easy to extinguish because they linger underground in the peat. As soon as the fires are put out they appear, almost as if by magic, in another location. Hopes were pinned on the start of the rainy season at the end of October which was expected to completely eradicate the fires. Unfortunately, NASA and other climate watchers announced the rains will not come until some point between January and March of 2016.
Orangutan organizations and rescue groups need your help. They require hoses, buckets, protective gear, and heavy machinery so they can increase their fire-fighting efforts. If the forests go up in flames there will be nowhere for the animals to go. Already, so many have died from smoke inhalation. Orangutans, leopards and tigers need forests to survive. People need forests to survive. Please be as generous as you can, and support a non-profit organization such as Orangutan Foundation International or International Animal Rescue. The animals, and humans need us now. Please join me. Thank you.
Carry Your Garbage?
The other week I gave the college students in my sustainability class a homework project. They had to carry their garbage, in a plastic or paper, bag with them for 48 consecutive hours. If they bought a plastic water bottle or can of soda they had to take that empty or half-full container and put it in their bag when they were done with it. If they went to a fast-food restaurant they had to take all of the wrappers and containers and put them in the bag too. If they cooked dinner and had zucchini scrapes and chicken fat that had to go into the bag too. At first they were shocked when I gave them the assignment. After a few minutes it started to sink in and they, as individuals, were going to see how much trash they created. Since I could not monitor each student they were on an honor system and had to report, with color photos, how they had done.
Most of my students thanked me for giving them this assignment. They had not realized how much plastic they used or how much garbage they were responsible for. Some even stopped using throw away plates and utensils and started using washable ones to cut down on the amount of trash they created. And many realized how much money they were wasting on buying water in plastic bottles instead of drinking from a re-usable container. A couple of students remembered that too much trash goes into the oceans and kills dolphins, turtles, and seals. And for every pound of trash we put into a landfill we put 40 pounds of carbon pollution into the atmosphere. So now I challenge you. How little trash can your produce? Why not try the homework assignment for 48 hours?
Be A Part of a Better Future
Open Letter
A True Honor
For the past several years Vice President Al Gore and his nonprofit organization, The Climate Reality Project, have been working tirelessly to teach people about the reality of climate change and empower them to become climate leaders. Trainings are held annually in places such as San Francisco, Chicago, Istanbul, and Sao Paolo. Additionally, they are sometimes offered several times in one year. Now there are over 8,000 Climate Leaders worldwide, representing over 186 countries.
I had the honor and pleasure to recently work, again, as a Mentor with Vice President Gore at a Miami training conference. We educated people of all ages and from all walks of life. These people included doctors, lawyers, high school students, retirees, photographers, independent business owners, teachers, executives, administrators, and politicians. They are planting trees and gardens, installing solar panels, saving dolphins and seals, running for elected office, and producing television programs.
I have said it before, now is the time to make a difference. Be the one to reduce your carbon footprint. Be the one to reduce your family’s consumption patterns. Be the one who ensures a safe and livable planet for your children. Stand up for what is right. There is no time to waste.
“You Make a Difference, part II”
In May I wrote about how you can make a positive difference in the world. And I spoke about each one of us having an impact on the world around us. Someone asked me for more ways to reduce his carbon footprint. Here are some more ideas below.
1. Vote for politicians who are committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
2. Fly less often.
3. Buy locally produced products.
4. Sell your fossil fuel investments and buy alternative energy investments.
5. Trim a tree, do not cut it down.
6. Consider your purchases and reduce your consumption levels.
7. Replace incandescent bulbs with LEDs.
8. Wash your clothes in cold water, not hot.
9. Unplug your electric appliances when not using them.
10. Get a free home energy audit from the utility company.
11. Limit your use of gas-powered lawn equipment.
12. Use recycled paper.
13. Work from home one day per week.
14. Print documents only when necessary.
15. Drive a fuel-efficient car.
16. Install a white or reflective roof instead of black shingles.
17. Carpool.
18. Become a vegan or vegetarian.