Bill’s Response to the Senate Vote Today
Friends,
After a very chaotic week on Capitol Hill, I wanted to write you with an update on what just happened in the Senate today.
First and foremost: the oil industry's Senators did not manage to pass legislation that would force President Obama to build Keystone XL.
Because you -- and people like you, all across the country -- jumped into action this week, they backtracked and instead held a vote on a nonbinding resolution that says it would be nice to build the pipeline, but doesn't actually do much about it. For that vote, they got the stomach-churning number of 62 Senators to vote with them. As usual, the ones who had taken the most money from the fossil fuel industry lined up to cast their votes—the cosponsors of the bill, on average, had taken $807,000 in dirty energy money.
Now, this amounts to symbolic chest thumping by the oil industry: showing just how many Senators they can get to jump when told to. It's not the worst thing that could have happened, but it reminds everyone why, in one recent poll, congress had approval ratings lower than head lice and colonoscopies -- even on the symbolic stuff, they can't get it together to stand up to the oil industry guys cutting them checks.
In a certain way though, this vote couldn't come at a better time. Congress is going on break, and for the next two weeks, these 62 Senators will be back in their home states, doing things like meeting with constituents -- people like you.
Home states are where some of the most heroic work took place the last week -- in Minneapolis, say, where 150 350MN.org activists showed up on very short notice at Sen. Klobuchar's office in a snowstorm to tell her to vote no on Keystone (and she did, it should be added).
If you're interested in following in the fine example of those leaders who held actions at their senators offices, you have a chance in the next two weeks.
We're looking for people who can step up to lead, and then we'll put the 350 network into action to get people to join you. If you want to lead an action, just click here to tell us when you'd like to do so: act.350.org/survey/kxl-senate-accountability-2013/
Look, there are two ways to react to a democracy for sale. One is to walk away in disgust, which is what the Koch Brothers count on. The other is to stand up and say: no more. If you visit your Senator, take some pictures or some video so we can share them around. It’s time to build this broader fossil fuel resistance.
And remember, Capitol Hill is not the center of the world. Around the country this week our friends at Tar Sands Blockade have been actively targeting Keystone investors; faith groups have been hauled off to jail in front of the White House to protest the pipeline; and the divestment campaign has expanded off college campuses and into municipal and state governments.
The movement is doing amazing stuff -- we just need more of it. We can’t outspend the oil industry, but we can out-organize them. In fact, we have to.
Forward,
Bill McKibben
Solidarity with the Immigration Reform Movement
One of the major movement efforts underway in the U.S. right now concerns a comprehensive reform of the immigration system. Our Board of Directors issued the following statement of solidarity today:
We stand in solidarity with our movement allies who are working towards comprehensive reform of the U.S. immigration system. This is a just and moral cause that affirms the fundamental equality of all people and we support it wholeheartedly. We do this in the spirit of true solidarity, knowing that the struggles for immigrant rights and climate justice are intimately linked.
From working with our partners around the world, we know that migration itself is increasingly a climate issue. Many people who have come to the U.S. in recent decades were fleeing impossible hardships at home, including hardships caused by weather-related disasters linked to climate change.
Upon arriving in the United States, immigrants all-too-often find themselves on the front lines of environmental racism, living dangerously close to dirty refineries, power plants, and mine sites. For decades, these communities have led courageous fights for clean air, land and water – and through their victories have kept uncounted tons of carbon and other greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere.
We are committed to supporting these crucial, front-line struggles and that means supporting immigration reform. Existing unjust laws keep millions of undocumented immigrants in the legal shadows, a place where fighting for the basic right to a clean environment can lead to prolonged incarceration and deportation. With comprehensive reform, these silenced voices will be liberated to grow louder and more forceful, making us all safer in the process.
Immigrants to this country bring a fresh and global perspective to our environmental challenges, as well as much needed political power. Together we can build a stronger, more resilient society, one that is capable of responding to the threat of climate change and to the opportunities for a fairer, cleaner economy. At 350.org we believe that respecting the Earth’s limits and unlocking the limitless potential of all people go hand-in-hand. We look forward to strengthening our alliances in the months and years to come.
Will your city divest?
We just sent out this email to our friends in the US. Not on our email list yet? Sign up here to receive crucial updates from the climate movement.
Dear Friends,
There are days when I get utterly preoccupied playing defense against the fossil fuel industry, trying to stop pipeline after frack well after coal port. It’s necessary work -- but there are also days when I remind myself we’ve got to go on offense too.
Today’s one of those days. We’re launching the next phase of our fossil fuel divestment campaign, bringing it off campus to include city, state, and town governments; religious denominations, museums, foundations -- anyone with an investment portfolio. If someone’s investing in the destruction of the future, we’re going to ask them to sell those shares.
Here’s how to get started. Our web-team has set up a new online petition tool that makes it easy for you to join up with a local campaign or start your own. These petitions will help you build up some local pressure, as well as start a local email list you can use for organizing (they’re so easy to use, even I can figure it out).
Click here to find or start a local divestment petition: www.GoFossilFree.org/start
Once you’ve got a petition going, it’s time to start organizing. Host a local meeting to get your group together, set up meetings with your key decision makers, make the case for divestment, and then figure out the type of pressure you’re going to need to get a victory. You’ll find some useful resources up on the GoFossilFree.org website -- and don’t hestitate to get in touch if you need help.
Click "Read More" to check out the full letter.
The Island President: Find or Host a screening near you
Join a screening in your town or city via PBS Independent Lens, which hosts free screenings and discussions throughout the country.
Host a special Earth Day screening of the captivating documentary The Island President through through Tugg.com, which partners with local theaters to host special screenings.
Coal Kills, report reveals the deadly impacts of coal in India
Crossposted from India beyond coal.
Coal Kills! We knew it all along and now a strong report has confirmed the obvious. A new report from Urban Emissions supported by Greenpeace and Conservation Action Trust shows that in the year 2011-12, 80,000-115,000 premature deaths have been reported due to emissions from coal. The report, the first of its kind in the country also shows that a massive number of asthma cases, totalling to more than 20 million were reported in that single year. The repors states that these numbers are conservative estimates which means that the number of casualties from coal could in fact be much higher.
Through detailed analysis, the report shows that the largest impact of emissions is over Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Indo-Gangetic plain, and most of central-east India. These are regions with high population density and greater vulnerability to impacts of coal . Using a conservative value of Rs. 2,000,000 ($40,000) per life lost, the premature mortality estimates from this study would result in a health cost of Rs. 16,000 to 23,000 crore ($3.2 to 4.6 billion) annually.
The emissions are a result of India’s growing dependence on coal for growth. With plans to dramatically increase power capacity generation through coal, the number of pre mature deaths is only set to rise. This is a dangerous trend that demands our attention and any more deaths are unacceptable. The alternatives in the form of decentralized renewable energy and energy efficiency are already here and their adoption is critical if we want to curtain these deadly impacts.
We need a moratorium of further mining in India and power plans near densely populated areas, we need a strong movement against coal! The India beyond coal project of 350.org is aimed at building the narrative against coal and pushing for the alternative solutions that already exist. Our day of action on November 10th 2012 showed that there is a growing fight against coal and the results of this report will only push us to do more to safeguard the health and lives of millions of Indians.
Here is an infographic on the health impacts. Please share it with your social networks. The full report can be dowloaded here.
Tonight! Strategy sessions across the United States.
UPDATE: here's the recording of the video chat (it ran long):
Tonight in over 100 communities across the United States, 350 organizers are meeting to discuss what's next for us and our movement.
At 7 PM Eastern / 4 PM Pacific, the strategy sessions will kick off with a video chat hosted by Bill McKibben and 350.org staff, who will talk about our current political moment, and background on some of the projects already underway across our movement.
Then, folks who are meeting in person will spend some time discussing what they do and don't like about these plans, and come up with ideas of their own. Hosts of local events will provide feedback to 350 staff, and we'll debreif the national conversation next Sunday (March 17th) at the same time.
To find an event near you, click here and enter your zip code: https://act.350.org/event/2013-strategy-sessions/search/
Even if you can't find an event near you, you're still welcome to watch the video chat and participate. To join in, just go to this site and click play when the time comes: https://act.350.org/cms/thanks/2013_strategy
Fighting alongside the #PacificWarriors
We're still waiting on photos to roll in from a bunch of the Pacific Islands from the Pacific Warrior Day of Action - but incredibly moving solidarity photos keep pouring in from around the world (see the Solidarity Photos here). In Kiribati their internet has been moving so slowly they can't load up any photos to us - which is not suprising - whenever I've visited Kiribati, the internet is often down for a day or two at a time. In Tonga, the team loaded up their amazing footage only for their computer to get all viral on it and wiped their entire collection of photos and video. As for Nauru - it remains largely a mystery as to what happens there, but we do on occassion hear from our organisers there - and when we do, it's usually something spectacular. For example, last year for the Connect the Dots day of action, they convinced the electricity company to turn off the generator, which powers the whole island, for 350 minutes! Then this morning I've just heard from our coordinator in Vanuatu, who has been stranded because of a massive storm that hit Vanuatu over the weekend, which has pegged back the internet to snail pace. Thankfully they are all ok there though. We did however receive these amazing photos from the teams in Pohnpei, the Federated States of Micronesia, Niue, and Palau (you can see the full collections on 350 Pacific's Facebook page).
FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA
NIUE
PALAU
Meanwhile, we've been blown away by the incredible solidarity shown by people around the world. Here are just a few more of the hundreds we've received.
ENGLAND
GUYANA
Photo highlights: Pacific Warrior Day of Action
Throughout the day, photos have been rolling in for the 350 Pacific Warrior Day of Action - not just of the amazing warrior dances in the 14 Pacific Islands nations - but also of the solidarity from people around the world. Here are just a few of the amazing photos that we've seen today - we're expecting many more to keep rolling in. So stay tuned to the Day of Action photo site, and if you're on Facebook, check out 350 Pacific.
Tokelau Warrior Dance
Tokelau warrior dance
Marshall Island Warriors
Marshall Island Warriors
Solidarity came from around the world
Bangladesh
Kazakhstan
Norway
Canada
New Zealand
Some tough news on Keystone XL
Friends,
Yesterday Time Magazine declared that Keystone had become the Stonewall and the Selma of the climate movement -- and today we got a reminder of just how tough those fights were, and how tough this one will be.
On a Friday afternoon, with Secretary of State John Kerry half a world away and D.C. focused on the budget fight, the State Department released a new environmental impact statement for the pipeline. Like the last such report, it found that approving a 800,000 barrel-a-day fuse to one of the planet’s biggest carbon bombs was “unlikely to have a substantial impact” on the tar sands or the climate.
That, in a word, is nonsense -- some of our most important climate scientists in the U.S. have written the State Department to explain exactly how dangerous Keystone is. Just yesterday Europe’s top climate diplomat pointed out that it would send a truly terrible signal to the rest of the world.
President Obama will be making a decision in a few short months. I won’t lie: today’s report makes the odds look even tougher -- and the power of the fossil fuel lobby hasn’t waned one bit.
But I’m reminded that the last time the State Department issued an environmental impact statement about the pipeline, we were just beginning this fight. That day in 2011, 50 people were arrested at the White House during the very first wave of protests against the pipeline.
This time around we’re tens of thousands of people stronger, and once again, I think we are just beginning to fight.
March 2nd: Stand with the Warriors of the Pacific
Keina Tu mai Ta olo Stand Up Let’s Go
Keina tu mai ta o Stand up, let's go
Kae whakatonu ko to ta aho To organize our day
Keina tu mai ta o Stand up, let’s go
Kae whakatonu ko toku aliki My Lord be with me
Ko toku aliki Tui Tokelau Lord of Nature Tui Tokelau
Hau he matagi ke moli au May a wind carry me (there)
Tui o Nuku Tui o Vavau
Hau he matagi keina tu
Hoa, hoa lava
Those words of blessing come from the Pacific archipelago of Tokelau. They carry special significance in this moment because tomorrow - Saturday, March 2nd - thousands of warriors from Tokelau and across 14 other Pacific Islands will be mobilizing at prominent locations to perform their unique war challenges, songs, and dances. They will carry a single message to the world and that is, “We are not drowning. We are fighting, and we need you to fight with us."
These warriors know who their opponents are in this fight. It’s clear that the islands will no longer exist if the fossil fuel industry digs up all the coal, oil and gas it plans on burning. We’re at a breaking point: it’s the future of the Pacific Island nations and territories - like Tokelau, Kiribati, and the Marshall Islands - versus the bottom-line of the fossil fuel industry. Their business model threatens the Islands' very survival, and since they will not back down in this fight, not Tokelau, not Fiji, not any island, then the fossil fuel industry must change its ways.
We already know that this change is possible, and the Pacific Islands are leading that change. Last November, Tokelau shut off the diesel generators that used to power the islands and switched over to 100% clean, renewable solar power. They were the first country to show the world that it is possible to go towards 100% renewable energy. Now, we are urging others to join in this commitment.
The narrative written so far for the Pacific islands nations has been one of victims at the hands of climate change, succumbing to the rising sea-levels. While it is true that island nations are and will continue to be at the front line of climate impacts, it is time to show the world the true warrior spirit of the Pacific Islands, and that they are not drowning, and that they are not about to give up.
As the people of the world see this warrior spirit, we must act to make sure that the world never gives up on the Pacific Islands. But acting will require us to find the strength, will and power to give up on fossil fuels. This is what it will take to change the narrative for the future of the Pacific Islands.
Calling up the spirit of the Pacific Warrior
One of our 350 Pacific organisers described why they chose to call on the fighting spirit of warriors and war dances:
The War dance is an integral part of Pacific history and tradition. It is symbolic of the very traditions and culture we fight to keep alive. The war dances were chosen as the medium for this day of action for this very reason. Every Pacific nation has a unique culture and a war dance that is representative of that culture; it is a common thread across all Pacific nations. The Pacific organizers felt it was hence appropriate to use the war dances as a symbol of solidarity amongst the island nations and to channel the pacific warrior spirit.
Stand in solidarity with the Pacific Warriors
As the photos stream in from across the Pacific Islands, we will be moving to share them in every corner of the world - through Facebook, email, Twitter (with the hastags #PacificWarriors and #climate) and our exciting photo solidarity platform. Wherever you are, you will be able to show that you are fighting with the Pacific Islands.
You can also sign the pledge of support here.
A huge thanks to our key sponsoring partner, the Pacific Voyagers Foundation.
Also thanks to our partner, UNICEF Pacific.