Climate Change and Public Health: Free course on NextGenU!
Our team at 350.org had the honor of playing a very small part in developing a vitally important new course being offerred for free online at NextGenU. Here's the quick blurb from the course page on the NextGenU website:
This Climate Change and Health Certificate teaches about the effects of climate change on human health (through online didactics), and gives a chance to practice techniques to reduce those effects (with globally-available peers and mentors). All components of this training (like all NextGenU.org trainings) are free, including registration, learning, testing, and a certificate of completion.
The climate crisis touches all aspects of our lives -- and understanding how it intersects with human health is, quite literally, a vital matter. If you're interested in diving deeper, head on over to NextGenU and sign up!
Palo Alto stands up to Keystone XL (Again!)
This post was written by Lisa Altieri, an organizer with 350 Silicon Valley
On June 6th over 400 people, local residents and activists from all over the San Francisco Bay Area protested in Palo Alto to tell President Obama – STOP the Keystone XL Pipeline as he was attending a fundraising event for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee at a private home in Palo Alto. Many protesters were supporters of the President including some who worked on his campaign. We were there to make sure he knows we are counting on him to keep his promises on climate and clean energy and protect our planet for future generations.
One of the biggest challenges we face on climate is the timeline on impacts – people can and do make change on a large scale in the face of a crisis. We have seen this in history where societies mobilize and take action in the face of adversity. But with climate, the crisis will come long after we have emitted the CO2 – the reality is there is a time lag between when we emit CO2 and when the impacts occur. The intense storms, fires and droughts we are experiencing here in the US and globally are the results of emissions 40-50 years ago due primarily to the time it takes the oceans to warm.
Since the full effects of our emission will not be immediately visible to spur action, we need to be vocal – we need to speak for the planet loudly and often until it is clear we MUST act and we MUST act NOW. And above all we need to make sure that we provide people a vision of where we are going – not only can we do this, but where we are headed, the solutions, will create a far better world than we have now. Done right, the solution will not destroy our economy, but create jobs, provide cleaner air and a much safer planet. On June 6th, we were one voice as part of the many voices around the world, we spoke for the planet and we spoke LOUD!
The best part of the event for me was the great coalition on climate we are building here. 350, 350 Silicon Valley and all our 350 local groups in the Bay Area are working to build coalitions with other local and national groups to work together to make our voices heard. The event in Palo Alto was organized by a coalition including the Sierra Club, CREDO Action, the Center for Biological Diversity and Friends of the Earth. It is through these coalitions, coming together and working together that we will be stronger – we will be louder and we will really make and impact. It was wonderful working with everyone on the event and I look forward to building and growing our coalition and our local climate movement.
We’re following up this great event with a meetup to talk about next steps (over margaritas!) Here is the info and where to go to sign up:
What: 350 Silicon Valley Meeting & Margaritas
When: Tuesday, June 25th 7 pm, Palo Alto
Join us for Margaritas and learn about our new 350 Silicon Valley Group! If you already know about us, join us anyway and meet some other members! We will talk about our local campaigns and how you can get involved and take action on climate change. And of course enjoy some Margaritas... Hope you can make it!
16 US Cities at risk of climate-fueled storm surges
Those of us who live in low-lying places like Dhaka, New York City or Dresden know what a storm surge looks like: subways flooding, houses washed away, people left homeless, and disrupted lives and livelihoods. Hurricane Sandy alone, fueled by Atlantic Ocean waters that were 5 degrees warmer than normal, cause over $60 billion in destruction, and left tens of thousands homeless. A new report from CoreLogic details how 16 cities on the East and Gulf coasts of the US might fare with sea-level rise and climate-fueled storm surges. The numbers are staggering. All told, 4.2 million homes are at risk of storm surges in these areas, which represents about $1.1 trillion of property. The likelihood of these kinds of dangerous and costly surges is intensified by sea-level rise, as represented by the blue maps. For those that say the costs of transitioning to clean energy are too onerous, these maps and the background data help paint a picture of the costs of inaction. You can pick up a copy of the CoreLogic report here.
“To My Foreigner’s Eye”
I've seen Bill McKibben speak quite a few times, but today was something special. Speaking at the National Press Club, in Canberra, Australia, Bill delivered what a friend who was also listening called a "flawless" speech. It was something special that is for sure. Here it is in full. Tomorrow we are off to Melbourne and to another packed out theatre of 800+ people. You can follow our progress on Twitter: @350Australia #DotheMaths and on Facebook here.
Speech to the National Press Club, Canberra, Author and co-founder of 350.org, Bill McKibben
To my foreigner’s eye, there is a profound and interesting disconnection between the way that Australians view their fossil fuel resources, and the way that physics views those same deposits. This disconnection spells bad news for the planet, and perhaps also for the Australian economy, as it seems likely to lead to a series of bets that go disastrously wrong. My hope is that Australia might gain a more clear-eyed view of the future, seeing it more through the eyes of physics as it were, in hopes of charting a sounder course. A course that would, inevitably, require keeping most identified coal, gas and oil deposits safely underground.
Australia has vast fossil fuel deposits, some of the largest known on the planet; the most important are probably the coal beds. To Australians, and especially to the very wealthy men and women who own those holdings, these are the source of future wealth—enough wealth to allow you to build a whole fleet of replica Titanics, say. And so the plans are on for the rapid expansion of mine, rail, and port necessary to dig that coal and send it abroad to be burned.
Bill got cartooned in Australia
Bill McKibben is a kinda big deal here in Australia. Big enough that this morning we woke up to find him cartooned into the Canberra Times.
There's two pieces of context you might like with that: 1. The student is the Premier of Queensland State, Campbell Newman, who is pushing coal extraction like crazy. 2. The Gonski reference is to the Gonski report, which the Government commissioned to review the education system in Australia.
The Do the Maths tour of Australia is now well underway and with Sydney under our belts we're part way through our stop in the nation’s capital Canberra. It really is hard to keep up with things, but here's a bit of what has gone on.
Within hours of touching down in Sydney, Bill underwent an Australian baptism by fire, being a panelist on the live to air show Q & A. Despite being dropped straight in the middle of a foreign culture and a few unsavoury characters Bill easily stood his ground and impressed the audience, both in studio and watching from home, with his depth of knowledge and clear message about the climate challenge. In essence he mopped the floor with them. If you want to see grown men squirm, here is the link https://www.abc.net.au/tv/qanda/txt/s3759900.htm.
The next day a Bill found himself on another panel, but this time talking to a hundred plus financiers from Sydney and Melbourne. After presenting the ‘maths’ a lively debate ensued about the possibilities for and limits to divestment and what the carbon bubble means for investors. Changing tack completely the next stop was to meet with the head of the Uniting Church of NSW and ACT, to say a big thank you for being the first church in the world to divest their portfolio of fossil fuel holdings. After a quick prayer it was time to move on to the main event of the day the presentation at the Seymour Centre, University of Sydney - which you can see in this picture here was packed out!
Here is a take on the evening from a member of the audience, Georgia Bamber.
"If ticket sales, packed seats and a rapt audience are anything to go by, Bill McKibben’s first show in Australia was a roaring success. The Seymour centre was abuzz with anticipation at 6pm, amazing in light of the fact that we were all there to essentially hear a maths lesson.
Despite claims of jetlag Bill was fantastic. Relaxed and personal, he immediately won the audience over with his charm, intelligence and above all his passion.
His message to the audience was clear and simple:- If the Australian mining industry is allowed to proceed with the massive expansion of coal mining and export that they have planned, the planet will be pushed to warming beyond the point of no return. End of story, no wiggle room. The laws of physics says it is so.
However gloom and doom about the plight we are in was quickly dispelled as Bill invited young members from Lock the Campus and the Australian Youth Climate Coalition onto the stage to demonstrate his maths - using beer. After giggles from the audience and a few sips of beer by Bill, and the Lord Mayor of Sydney, everyone was ready to hear the plan of action. Divestment, direct action, and perhaps even a little gaol time for a few.
The way Bill connected with the audience was incredible. He not only educated the audience but he fired them up and made them feel empowered. I know I walked away from the evening ready to fight the good fight, and I am pretty sure most everybody else did too.
Thank you Bill for saying what needs to be said."
Check out the new film “Elemental”
We founded 350.org on the idea that all of our individual struggles to protect our planet, acheive environmental justice, and stop climate change were connected. Whether you're working to stop the tar sands in Canada, protect the Amazon in Brazil, block a coal export facility in Australia, or promote distributed solar power in China, you're part of a global movement. Climate change is the ultimate global issue, no matter where carbon dioxide goes in to the air it has the same warming effect on our atmosphere. And to solve it, we're going to need the ultimate global movement.
That's why it's so exciting to see new films like Elemental connect the dots between different struggles around the globe.
Click here to watch a preview of the film.
Here's a description of the film from its website:
Elemental tells the story of three individuals united by their deep connection with nature and driven to confront some of the most pressing ecological challenges of our time. The film follows Rajendra Singh, an Indian government official gone rogue, on a 40-day pilgrimage down India’s once pristine Ganges river, now polluted and dying. Facing community opposition and personal doubts, Singh works to shut down factories, halt construction of dams, and rouse the Indian public to treat their sacred “Mother Ganga” with respect. Across the globe in northern Canada, Eriel Deranger mounts her own “David and Goliath” struggle against the world’s largest industrial development, the Tar Sands, an oil deposit larger than the state of Florida. A young mother and native Denè, Deranger struggles with family challenges while campaigning tirelessly against the Tar Sands and its proposed 2,000-mile Keystone XL Pipeline, which are destroying Indigenous communities and threatening an entire continent.
And in Australia, inventor and entrepreneur Jay Harman searches for investors willing to risk millions on his conviction that nature’s own systems hold the key to our world’s ecological problems. Harman finds his inspiration in the natural world’s profound architecture and creates a revolutionary device that he believes can slow down global warming, but will it work?
Separated by continents yet sharing an unwavering commitment to protecting nature, the characters in this story are complex, flawed, postmodern heroes for whom stemming the tide of environmental destruction fades in and out of view – part mirage, part miracle.
You can purchase Elemental on iTunes or learn more about the film on its website.
Chicago students tell President Obama: stop Keystone XL!
This post was written by Dylan Amlin, a member of the Chicago Youth Climate Coalition, and the leader of the RU Fossil Free divestment campaign at Roosevelt University
Yesterday afternoon, hundreds of activists gathered outside the Chicago Hilton, where President Obama and other key political leaders attended a fundraiser for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. As a part of an international campaign against the Keystone XL Pipeline, we were there as a reminder that our movement will not back down on this issue—that the president’s decision on KXL could determine the fate of our climate and our future. Attendees represented a number of groups, including Chicago Youth Climate Coalition, 350.org, #IDLENOMORE, Sierra Club, CREDO, Chicago 350, Friends of the Earth, Center for Biological Diversity, and many more.
As a student at Roosevelt University, and a member of the Chicago Youth Climate Coalition, I attended the first Chicago birddogging rally at Argonne Laboratory. It was inspiring to see many of the same faces, but even better to experience the growth of this movement.
Australia and New Zealand: The New Frontiers of Divestment and Maths
Just yesterday, Bill McKibben was announced as this year's recipient of the Sophie Prize for his work in "building a social movement to preserve a sustainable planet." In receiving it, he joins the ranks of legends like Wangari Maathai, James Hansen, and Sheila Watt Cloutier. Meanwhile, Bill is about to start a two week tour of Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, bringing his Do the Maths message Downunder. Before he even lands in Australia, the Australian Coal Association has come out biting at his ankles...
"Foreigners coming to Australia to campaign against our national economy can do a lot of damage if their claims go unchallenged" - wrote the Australian Coal Association (ACA) in The Australian last month, attacking Bill McKibben in advance of his Do the Maths Australia tour.
The tour begins on Monday, and the ACA is doing its best to discredit and rubbish Bill McKibben, but they're nervous and full of bumbling attacks. Just last week, their CEO, Nikki Williams gave an address here in Sydney in which she took aim at activists who are challenging the might of the coal industry. She took particular aim at Bill for calling the Australian coalmining industry a 'rogue industry', saying "This sinful image is widely promoted by the self-styled planetary saints. The authors of such views are rarely seriously questioned about how they arrived at the view or whether the ‘facts upon which they rely’ are facts at all."
It's standard issue communications practice of the fossil fuel industry - discredit and make the oppostion sound unthruthful, and then over-inflate their own importance (for another example of William's bumbling efforts to discredit Bill, see the bottom of this article).
Last week Bill gave a taste of his upcoming tour on a live cross to the ABC's Lateline show. He also crushed arguments laid out by climate deniers. Well worth a watch - just click here.
In that interview, Bill gave some insight into our plans for bringing divestment campaigning to Australia. Although it has to be said that The Guardian did an even better job in announcing our plans for divestment campaign in this article. So things are hotting up here in Australia, and with many of the venues nearly sold out for Bill's Australia tour, you'll want to get in quick to get a slice of the action! For more info and tickets, visit maths.350.org/australia
Announcing: Summer Heat – Mass Action Across the US!
A letter from Bill McKibben, Naomi Klein, Winona LaDuke, Sandra Steingraber, and Rev. Lennox Yearwood
For the last two years, all across the country, people have said the same thing to us: “We’re ready to fight.”
And as the planet lurches past 400 parts per million concentrations of CO2, the moment has come, the moment to ask you to do hard, important, powerful things. The last two weeks of July are, statistically, the hottest stretch of the year. This year we want to make them politically hot too. Which means we need you, out on the front line. We need some of you to risk going to jail, and all of you to show up and speak out. And since it’s a hard thing to ask, this letter is going to be a little longer than usual. (If you want to cut to the chase, though, the list of actions can be found here.)
We’re calling this next phase of the fight “Summer Heat.” Over the course of the final weeks of July, from the Pacific Northwest to the coast of Maine, from the Keystone pipeline route to the White House where the administration has broken its promise to put solar on the roof, to the Utah desert where they’re getting ready for the first tar sands mine in the US, we’re going to try and get across the essential message: it’s time to stand up – peacefully but firmly — to the industry that is wrecking our future. Click here to make your stand: joinsummerheat.org/map
We believe that mass action can breathe life into even the most hardened political fights, and so these actions will all aim to bring together thousands of people to stand together -- perhaps sometimes on the wrong side of the law.
A major milestone.
For the first time, NOAA's Mauna Loa observatory recorded an average daily CO2 concentration above 400 parts per million. Globally, we're not yet at annual averages above 400, but this is indeed an important milestone. We've created 400.350.org to reflect on what this means, and talk about what we're doing to cool the planet.
Please take a moment to read and share.