North Carolina has a stake in UN climate talks
Speaking "United Nations" and "Poland" in the same sentence is likely to draw yawns from North Carolinians far removed from the deliberations of international law, security, economic development, and social equity that occur at various conferences and events throughout the world.
But some people are closely following the UN climate talks occurring this week in Poland as momentum builds on the grassroots level around concerns about global warming. I received this dispatch today from two Greenpeace USA campaigners, who are attending the conference and providing updates to the media:
A team of Greenpeace global warming campaigners from the United States are engaging in the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poznan, Poland, which began on Monday. The conference has brought together voices from Australia to Zambia, from the IPCC to the European Youth Forum, and hundreds of youth and delegates. We have come together for the following two weeks to further dialogue on a shared vision of the solutions to avoid a climate catastrophe.
For the last sixteen years representatives from across the world have come together to address climate change. At this time last year the world met in Bali to discuss long term cooperation plans. A road map was created and has led to the current meetings in Poland where we are laying the groundwork for next year’s crucial meeting in Copenhagen. One year from now, an international agreement will be finalized that will determine how the world will work together to address climate change.
While significant steps have been taken to combat this growing problem, real solutions cannot be reached until countries like the US take responsibility for their own actions. Given that the US is one of the biggest contributors to climate change, it’s clear the climate crisis can’t be solved without strong leadership. In order for an international agreement to be made, our leaders must swiftly reverse course and engage in the international process – the rest of the world is waiting for us.
Americans from all walks of life are already taking action, from changing their light bulbs and driving less to contacting their representatives and demanding leadership. We are bringing this very message to Poland: Americans are already doing their part, it’s time for real leadership from US elected officials.
We will continue to bring your voices to the attention of world leaders while in Poland. It is up to all of us to continue to call on our elected officials to stand up with the rest of the world to solve the climate crisis. Stay tuned to hear more about how voices from communities across the country are impacting the role the US plays in this historic conference.
For the climate,
Eva and Kristin
Greenpeace USA
Global Warming Campaigners
Greenpeace has worked with farmers in the Piedmont Triad to petition federal lawmakers to help cut carbon emissions. More than 30 farmers, including those from Faucette Farms in Brown Summit, Crouse Farms in Burlington and Rudd Farm in Greensboro, signed a petition to deliver to Congressman Brad Miller's office in Greensboro in October.
The petition asked for Congress to pass legislation that would:
* Create 5 million "green jobs" in order to conserve 20 percent of energy by 2015 and create pathways out of poverty for people;
* Freeze climate pollution levels and then cut by 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050; and
* End development of new coal plants that emit global warming pollution, and pivot boldly away from fossil fuel dependence and toward a clean energy future with strong standards and incentives for energy efficiency and renewable energy.
Watch below as Daniel Woodham of NIMBY Gardens in Greensboro and Jory Frogatt talk about the petition.
I am just completing a book by Oberlin College Professor David Orr called "The Nature of Design." In it Orr compares the procrastination of limiting global greenhouse emissions to the resistance among many in early American history to abolish slavery. His comparison:
Arguments for slavery:
* It is justified because the advancement of human culture and freedom has always depended on slavery;
* Slaves have a better quality of life on U.S. plantations than at home in Africa;
* The southern economy depends on slavery;
* The federal government's rights stop at state borders
Arguments for procrastinating on limiting greenhouse gas emissions:
* Energy consumption is necessary for economic growth;
* A carbon-enriched world will be better for agriculture;
* Costs of energy efficiency are too great to bear; let's wait for better technology;
* The rights of present generation carbon emitters trump those of all others
Orr writes:
"How are future generations likely to regard various positions in the debate about climatic change? Will they applaud the precision of our economic calculations that discounted their prospects to the vanishing point? Will they think us prudent for delaying action until the last-minute scientific doubts were quenched? Will they admire our heroic devotion to inefficient cars and sport utility vehicles, urban sprawl, and consumption? Hardly. They are more likely, I think, to judge us as much as we now judge the parties in the debate on slavery prior to the Civil War...."... we must be clear that the issue of climatic change is not, first and foremost, a matter of economics, technology, or science, but rather a matter of principal that is best seen from the vantage point of our descendants. The same historical period that gave us slavery also gave us the principals necessary to abolish it. What Thomas Jefferson called "remote tyranny" was not merely tyranny remote in space, but in time as well -- what has been termed "intergenerational remote tyranny." In a letter to James Madison written in 1789, Jefferson argued that no generation had the right to impose debt on its descendants, for were it to do so the future would be ruled by the dead, not the living."
Something to think about.
Comments (2)
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Right now, it's so important for the US to send a strong message to the international community that we are ready to take action to stop global warming.
Here in Greensboro, farmers have dealt with severe droughts, homeowners suffered a disastrous tornado in May, and people are concerned about the future for their kids and grandkids.
Keep letting your elected officials know that we need action now!
Posted on December 5, 2008 1:33 PM
yes! yes! yes! yes!
Posted on December 5, 2008 2:23 PM