“Hooray!” That’s the word I saw spelled out in big cardboard letters on the roof of a car driving through the streets of San Francisco this morning. Hooray! That pretty much sums up how a lot of us in the United States are feeling about Barack Obama’s inauguration as President.<\/p>\n
There’s plenty to say about the inauguration, but since I’m writing here on the 350 blog, I want to lay out a few reasons why I think this moment is so important for our movement to stop climate chaos and return the world to 350 ppm C02.<\/p>\n
First, we’ve got a political opening. For the last eight years, the Bush Administration has lead the United States down a suicidal path of climate destruction. Sound harsh? Totally, but it’s hardly hyperbole. With Obama in office, we finally have a chance to push the US in the right direction: strong emissions cuts and funding for developing countries for adaptation and sustainable development. That’s work that will involve all of us, no matter where we live.<\/p>\n
Second, we’ve seen the strength of a people powered movement (we like to think of the ppm in 350 as representing those last three words). Obama was swept into office with a savvy campaign that mobilized millions of people with a mix of new technology and old-school organizing. People around the US took the campaign into their own hands, organizing block by block, city by city. We can do the same – all around the world.<\/p>\n
And third, we’ve been reminded that history doesn’t crawl forward: it leaps and bounds. With all the hurdles we must overcome to pass a strong, international climate treaty in 2009, some are already giving up hope. They’ve forgotten about the explosive nature of change. With the right mix of ambition, creativity, sheer commitment, and yeah, a good amount of luck, we can move the world faster and farther than the cynics would ever admit.<\/p>\n
Here’s to more hoorays in our future!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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