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Dear friends,
This is exactly what the climate scientists have been telling us to expect.
The last few weeks — from the record rainfall in Minnesota and Florida to the epic fires in the West, from the crop-shriveling drought in the High Plains to the “land hurricane” that left five million without power across the East — this is what climate change feels like in its early stages. We’ve heard from friends and colleagues who have fled their homes — but our leaders still aren’t connecting the dots.
There should be no doubters left. But of course, thanks to the power of the fossil fuel industry, the denialists still reign in DC: last year the House of Representatives voted to reject the widely accepted scientific consensus that human activities are causing climate change. The mainstream media isn’t helping much either: only 3% of the stories about the wildfires even mentioned climate change.
So tomorrow we’re going to DC to deliver a message to the climate deniers. In fact, the sun is going to deliver the message — we’re just going to help. We’re planning on setting up gigantic blocks of ice that say “Hoax?” right in the heart of DC. We’ll see just how long it takes to melt away. Not long, probably — the forecast is for over 100 degrees tomorrow.
Two years ago, in the middle of Washington DC’s record snowstorms (made possible by our wet new atmosphere) Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma had his grandchildren build an igloo to make fun of global warming — Inhofe is the guy who called global warming the “greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people.” (Since then his home state has set the record for the warmest summer ever recorded in the United States.)
Inhofe’s igloo stunt was silly and misleading — but it captured the attention of the media and spawned legions of gloating climate deniers. Well, there’s no reason climate deniers should have all the fun in DC.
Like everything we do at 350.org, the ice sculpture will be people-powered — your donations will help pay for it, and we’ve recruited 350 activists in DC to help with logistics on the ground. Even if we thaw some denial, though, it won’t matter if we don’t also melt away the laws that keep fossil fuel king. That’s why we’re campaigning hard this summer to end subsidies to the planet’s richest industry. In the coming weeks, we’ll fan out across the country to town-halls and campaign events to ramp up the pressure on politicians who still haven’t committed to ending fossil fuel subsidies.
There’s lots of work to be done — but for now let’s start a climate denial meltdown. Click here to donate to help build the sculpture: www.350.org/ice
Onwards,
Jamie Henn for the 350.org Team
P.S. Can you handle a little sarcasm? Check out Bill McKibben’s piece from the Daily Beast. Sorry if he’s a little pissed off — it’s the heat.
P.P.S. The stories and images coming out from areas afflicted by this latest round of extreme weather are heart-wrenching — you can make donations directly to The Red Cross for direct relief by texting “REDCROSS” to 90999 or by clicking here.
More Links and Info
STUDY: Media Avoid Climate Context In Wildfire Coverage – Media Matters: www.mediamatters.org/research/2012/07/03/study-media-avoid-climate-context-in-wildfire-c/186921
GOP-led House rejects science, 240-184 – ClimateProgress: www.thinkprogress.org/climate/2011/04/06/207842/gop-led-house-rejects-science-240-184