If Tolkien had written about climate movement, what character would you be and which chapter would we be currently in?

​Photo: You want to have a good company when starting a long journey. Ukrainian climate activists left to right: me, Inna, and Vik. 

Press 'Read more' for the story from the real-world Hobbiton and to find out what character you are

We just sent out this email to our friends around the world. Not on our email list yet? Sign up here to receive crucial updates from the climate movement. 

Friends,

I immediately added my name to this open letter to President Obama calling for bold climate action, and I hope you will too.

President Obama is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to tackling climate change, but he's a very important piece.  This letter lays out exactly the kind of leadership we need from him in the coming 4 years. It calls for a rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline (the first and maybe simplest test of his seriousness on climate), a strong carbon rule that would address pollution from existing coal plants, and a number of other things which will need his attention right away.

The letter was written by our friends at CREDO, and the full text is below. In these early moments of Obama's second term, it's important that we are vocal about our high expectations. The more people who sign on, the louder our message will be.

Please add add your name here: act.350.org/signup/an-open-letter-to-president-obama/

We'll deliver this letter in bulk a few days before our big action in DC on February 17th, and I hope to have your name alongside mine when we do.

Thanks again,

Bill

Biking is cool! Bikers cool the warming planet! --this is the realization after joining the first Critical Mass in Dumaguete, a city that is known to be the Motorcycle Capital of the Philippines.The event was organized by Anna Koosmann, an Architecture Instructor at Foundation University, with the inspiration from the coolest biking mama Amy Villanueva. 

MABINAY, PHILIPPINES – “When bats die, the world ends.”  That was the take-home message of the two-day environmental forum and exhibit held in Mabinay, the cave town of Negros Oriental.

The Bat was the point of reference that led the way into the forum discussing the planet’s ecological meltdown.  Mysterious and often disliked, bats captivated the audience as they listened to Dr. Apolinario Carino, bat biologist and member of the Negros Oriental Wildlife Conservation Council, explain how bats are integral to the Mabinay ecosystem.

According to Dr. Carino, bats contribute to ecosystems as pollinators and by acting as natural pest control.  Bats are indispensible to sustaining the unique biodiversity of Mabinay. However, as Dr. Carino pointed out, increasing temperature and unseasonal rains of the changing climate are acting to disrupt bat development, reproduction, food access, and rest.

Dr. Carino expanded his discussion to present the Wet and Wild Exhibit, which expanded the discussion to include all the endangered species of marine and terrestrial wildlife in Negros Oriental.  He concluded by challenging the local government of Mabinay to develop and implement a comprehensive cave management plan to protect bats and promote the conservation of all endangered creatures.

350 Philippines followed with a presentation illustrating the Earth’s increasing rise in temperatures and the affected climate patterns around the world.  The audience was made to understand the destructive qualities of carbon dioxide emissions when combined with the blatant deforestation and liberalized mining practices that continue to destroy forest cover.

On Sunday, February 17, thousands of Americans will head to Washington, D.C. to make Forward on Climate the largest climate rally in history. Join this historic event to make your voice heard and help the president start his second term with strong climate action.

Join us at www.350.org/f17

I had the pleasure of co-facilitating a media and climate change workshop earlier this month in the Egyptian city of Fayoum alongside Amena Adel  – International DEMENA Youth Climate Ambassador and 350.org volunteer in Cairo.

Therefore, it gives me great pleasure to share this blog post which Amena wrote about the workshop (cross-posted from http://www.climateambassadors.net/ )

On January the 3rd 2013, 18 media enthusiasts from all over Egypt came together in Zad Al Musafer in Tunis- Fayoum to explore possibilities of communicating climate knowledge. From Sinai in the east to Alexandria in the west, and from governorates all over Egypt, they had each experienced the indirect and in some cases the direct impacts of climate change. With the help of Frank Thor Straten, Danish media and communication consultant, Mostafa Hussein, trainer in the field of Environmental professions, the Egyptian DEMENA team and 350.org volunteers, they went through a 3-day workshop to sculpt their skills and utilize them to encourage citizen journalism on Climate Change.

The global climatic crisis is the most demanding issue facing humanity in this era of environmental oblivion, and that’s why there’s a need for strong Media products communicating the issue, the ramifications, the consequences and the solutions.

I was travelling in Taiwan this holiday season and dropped in on the End of The World Climate Camp, co-organised by our regional Power Shift partners, the Taiwan Youth Climate Coalition and the China Youth Climate Action Network.

Along with similar events in Guangzhou and Hong Kong, the camp really sought to drive home the message that if we are worried about the end of the world, then we should really be worried about tackling climate change!

We started off with a presentation and debate on nuclear energy, whether we need it and what dangers come hand-in-hand. It was interesting to hear opinions from the Taiwanese youth, as well as youth from Hong Kong and Mainland China, each of whom had different perspectives on how to balance energy and environmental needs.

After the discussion, we proceeded to do an inter-city dialogue between youth from Taiwan and Guangzhou to connect and network with one another. We started with a phone conversation, where we shared our concerns and hopes for the climate movement in the upcoming year. Following that, we wrote postcards addressed to our friends abroad, to provide encouragement and support for their continued efforts in catalysing climate solutions on campuses and in communities back home.

The End of the World Climate Camp was also a great opportunity to catch up with local organisers whose first meeting was just last summer at the 350.org regional workshop in Indonesia! With renewed friendships, we're ready to working closely together towards building a new climate movement with the Global Power Shift!

Dear Friends,

Here's what President Obama said about climate change during his address today:

(Click here to share this on Facebook)

With words like that, it's easy to let ourselves dream that something major might be about to happen to fix the biggest problem the world has ever faced.

But we know that even if the President is sincere in every syllable, he's going to need lots of backup to help him get his point across in a city dominated by fossil fuel interests. And, given the record of the last four years, we know that too often rhetoric has yielded little in the way of results.

That's why we need you -- very badly -- to take a trip to our nation's capital on Feb. 17. We'll gather on the National Mall, in what is shaping up to be be the largest environmental rally in many years.

Click here to join us in DC: act.350.org/signup/presidentsday

Together we'll send the message loud and clear: 'If you're serious about protecting future generations from climate change, stop the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. If you can do that, Mr. President, we can all work together to help build a climate legacy that will be a credit to your critical eight years in office.'

Look -- numbers count. If 20,000 of us show up on February 17th, it will be noticed. We need you in that number. The President may have given us an opening, but it's up to us to go through it, and we need to do it together.

Thanks for all you've done to bring us this far, friends. Let's keep it up -- this is our chance.

Bill

For immediate release

Jan 15, 2013

Nation’s Top Climate Scientists Urge President Obama to Reject Keystone XL Pipeline

OAKLAND CA -- Eighteen of the nation’s top climate scientists released a letter to President Obama today urging him to say no to the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. 

“Eighteen months ago some of us wrote you about the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, explaining why in our opinion its construction ran counter to both national and planetary interests,"  wrote the scientists. "Nothing that has happened since has changed that evaluation; indeed, the year of review that you asked for on the project made it clear exactly how pressing the climate issue really is."

Indeed the past year has shown that climate change is here. A few months after Superstorm Sandy flooded parts of the Northeast, NOAA announced last week that the average temperature for 2012 was 55.3 degrees Fahrenheit, 3.2 degrees above normal and a full degree higher than the previous warmest year recorded -- 1988. 

The State Department is expected to soon release its supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) required for the northern leg of the Keystone XL pipeline. The department’s previous pipeline EIS downplayed climate risks by arguing that the tar sands would be developed with or without Keystone XL and therefore the project had no responsibility for the additional greenhouse gas emissions that come from burning tar sands oil. 

But two of Canada's largest banks, TD Economics and CIBC, have recently said that without added capacity, "Canada's oil industry is facing a serious challenge to its long-term growth" and that “Canada needs pipe — and lots of it — to avoid the opportunity cost of stranding over a million barrels a day of potential crude oil growth.”

The Obama Administrations has promised action on climate change but if KXL is approved, the Administration would be actively supporting and encouraging the growth of an industry which has demonstrably serious effects on climate.

Thousands of concerned citizens will come to Washington, DC on February 17th, President's Day weekend, to oppose the Keystone XL pipeline. Rally information is at www.350.org/presidentsday.

### 

1. Full text of the letter: