In Barcelona: Calling Out Obama

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Monday November 02, 2009 · 4:52 PM PST

2009/11/02 · 16:52

"The US should come with a proposal," said Danish Climate and Energy Minister, Connie Hedegaard, in Barcelona, in the final regularly scheduled UN climate meeting before COP15, the top climate meeting in the Danish capital next month. And Barack Obama needs to come to Copenhagen, she pointed out.

"I have a hard time picturing an American president receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, a few hundred kilometers from Copenhagen, precisely for his ability to generate a new sense of hope, and simultaneously sending an empty-handed delegation to the top climate meeting."

"I know the Senate is hard at work negotiating. But the US is not the only nation that has to grapple with these things domestically."

trykindness

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Saturday October 31, 2009 · 7:01 PM PDT

2009/10/31 · 19:01

US President Barack Obama is likely to attend the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December, former US Vice President Al Gore has told SPIEGEL in an interview. Gore said he is optimistic the US Congress will agree an outline of climate legislation before the conference, allowing Obama to head to the Danish capital with "a more substantive position."

trykindness

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Thursday October 15, 2009 · 8:36 PM PDT

2009/10/15 · 20:36

October 24 is the International Day of Climate Action. Thousands of events all over the world will bring the global community together around a single number, the upper limit for carbon dioxide in our atmosphere: 350 ppm.

As of earlier today, there are actions signed up in over 158 nations!

The pre-party's been going on for close to two years...

trykindness

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Sunday October 11, 2009 · 5:43 PM PDT

2009/10/11 · 17:43

In December this year, Copenhagen will host the top UN climate meeting, at which a new international agreement needs to be reached. This past Friday, the Danish press reported that the driving force behind "Copenhagen," climate minister Connie Hedegaard's "right-hand man," has left his post as Denmark's chief negotiator, effective immediately.

Friday's Danish headlines suggested he left in protest and in rage over internal disagreements, and that Becker is the victim of a power struggle between the prime minister's office and the climate ministry.

Becker and Hedegaard, Jyllands Posten

trykindness

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Wednesday September 30, 2009 · 8:11 PM PDT

2009/09/30 · 20:11

When Barack Obama visits Copenhagen this Friday to support Chicago's bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics, he will also talk climate with the Danish Prime Minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, at Christiansborg.

Christiansborg Palace CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

According to Berlingske Tidene, Rasmussen has climate at the top of the meeting agenda, as part of his work toward securing a global climate deal at the UN COP15 later this year, also in Copenhagen.

trykindness

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Tuesday September 29, 2009 · 8:40 AM PDT

2009/09/29 · 08:40

In December, the Danish capital will host COP15, the fifteenth annual Conference of Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

How is the Danish press covering climate, on the road to Copenhagen?

Whether you're an activist, educator, organizer, new to climate, or a total wonk, join me below the fold to find out stuff I'll guarantee* you didn't already know.

http://www.flickr.com/... CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

trykindness

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Wednesday December 03, 2008 · 6:57 AM PST

2008/12/03 · 06:57

Speaking in Poznan, Poland, in conjunction with the UN climate talks there--the last big round before the follow-up to the Kyoto Protocol needs to be finalized in Copenhagen, Denmark at the end of next year--Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the Nobel-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said "It seems very strange, what has happened in the past two or three months."

"It defies any kind of logic, if you look at the type of money that the world has spent on these [financial] bailouts, 2.7 trillion dollars (2.13 trillion euros) is the estimate, and it's been done so quickly and without questioning."

Pachauri recalled that when the Millennium Development Goals for attacking poverty and sickness were being drawn up, a panel chaired by Ernesto Zedillo, the former president of Mexico, suggested "a fairly modest estimate" of 50 billion dollars a year in help for poor countries.

"But everyone scoffed at it. Nobody did a damn thing," Pachauri said in the interview on Monday.

trykindness

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Monday September 22, 2008 · 6:04 PM PDT

2008/09/22 · 18:04

...I would work to organize a day of action across the nation highlighting the connection Al Gore and others have pointed out between the economic crisis, the national security crisis, and the climate crisis. Solving our energy crisis is the key to solving all of these and more, and the day of action I would organize would focus on this.

If I were a community organizer, I would dream of Gore’s own We Campaign working with other like-minded groups, including 1Sky, Green for All, and the international grassroots climate justice movement 350.org, to come together on the National Day of Service, September 27, to create the most powerful display--and celebration--of the real responsibilities of community organizers, including helping all citizens be the informed public on which our democracy depends.
I would call this day: Green Jobs Now!

trykindness

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Wednesday September 17, 2008 · 8:17 PM PDT

2008/09/17 · 20:17

Climate Progress reports that McCain will be opening the Clinton Global Initiative session on Water, Food and Energy.

Will CGI also have Senator Inhofe keynote on climate science, Karl Rove on ethics, and President Bush on openness in government?

CGI explains:

"C.G.I. isn’t about politics," said Matt McKenna, a spokesman for Mr. Clinton. "It’s about improving lives and solving some of the world’s most pressing problems."

Didn't one of those Nobel Prize winners on the CGI VIP list once say something about the role of functioning democracies in improving people's lives and solving problems?

trykindness

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Friday August 08, 2008 · 2:43 PM PDT

2008/08/08 · 14:43

In March, 2007, Al Gore testified to Congress and presented a ten-point plan for climate and energy policy. Point five of ten:

5.) Impose a moratorium on construction of any new coal-fired power plant not compatible with carbon capture and sequestration. (emphasis mine)

Dave Roberts at Grist provides commentary on each point, offering "Wowzer," in response to point five. But what does "compatible with" mean? Just six months later, he takes John Edwards to task for only requiring that plants be "compatible" in this way.

Edwards would [only] require that all new coal plants be compatible with sequestration....but he would not require them to actually sequester their emissions. (emphasis in original)

Ooops.

trykindness

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Monday April 03, 2006 · 7:39 AM PDT

2006/04/03 · 07:39

Are you proud to be an American these days? Some Americans consider moving out, renouncing their citizenship, seceding, or not voting, in protest. This is what we call symbolic protest.

The positive value of symbolic protest, beyond the self-expression of the individual, is hard to measure. But the impact on the vote is easy to figure: one Democratic vote lost equals one Republican vote gained. I'd like to focus on an analogous group of protesters. Most of us know people in this group, I'm guessing. And they may be more open to rational argument than the non-voters above.

I have in mind those who are eligible for citizenship but are not busy becoming citizens. More... Read More

Topics in the Ethics of Activism

trykindness

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Wednesday March 29, 2006 · 7:24 AM PST

2006/03/29 · 07:24

Media Matters' mission is to monitor, analyze, and correct conservative misinformation in the U.S. media. While what counts as "correcting" misinformation is worthy of discussion, Media Matters seem to suggest that they want us to help. We are urged to "Take Action" by contacting the offending outlet or network. I think four improvements can be made to this "contacting" effort.

First, I can see no good reason (except those below...) why Media Matters should not broadcast more specific contact information to ensure that all protest calls on a given item reach one specific individual person with the authority to address the problem. I'm not talking about the general switchboard, and I'm not talking about a general "complaint line" or, worse, complaint address. See below for more improvements and what this has to do with the ethics of activism... Read More

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In Barcelona: Calling Out Obama

Gore says Obama likely to go to Copenhagen

October 24 is the International Day of Climate Action: 350 ppm

On the Road to Copenhagen: Part 3: Architect of COP15 leaves chief negotiator post

On the Road to Copenhagen: Coverage of Climate News in Danish Press. Part 2. Obama to Copenhagen.

On the Road to Copenhagen: Coverage of Climate News in Danish Press. Part 1

Pachauri: Give me 10 minutes with Obama!

If I were a community organizer...

Bill Clinton collaborates with McCain in War on Democracy

The coal moratorium: "Ask publicly and broadcast the response"

Got Citizenship?

Topics in the Ethics of Activism