Stacy Feldman at SolveClimate writes:
Climate Activism Soars Planetwide Ahead of Copenhagen Climate Talks
Millions of people worldwide are pressing their governments to curb greenhouse gas emissions ahead of next month's Copenhagen climate talks, and the volume of protests has increased as world leaders downplay the significance of securing a global warming agreement this year.
A case in point is the TckTckTck campaign, a global alliance of roughly 250 organizations, ranging from green groups to religious organizations to trade unions.
In the span of three months, nearly 10 million people have signed on to TckTckTck to tell leaders they're concerned about the future and ready for global climate action. ...
While TckTckTck and similar online campaigns have been giving people worldwide a public voice on climate change, activists have increasingly been taking their climate concerns to the streets, with protests and other direct actions aimed at getting their governments to take stronger positions in Copenhagen. ...
When the climate summit opens in Copenhagen 10 days from now, up to 30,000 activists are expected to converge on the city, and they are already warning world leaders that they have no intention to sit idle. ...
The most disruptive protests are expected on Dec. 16, when Climate Justice Action holds its "Reclaim Power!" march. The group is already warning that it plans to storm the conference and "transform it into a People’s Summit for Climate Justice."
"Using only the force of our bodies to achieve our goal, our Reclaim Power! march will ... disrupt the sessions and use the space to talk about 'our' agenda, an agenda from below, an agenda of climate justice, of real solutions against their false ones," the group writes.
"Our action is one of civil disobedience: We will overcome any physical barriers that stand in our way, but we will not respond with violence if the police try to escalate the situation."
To handle the activist camp, Denmark's parliament on Thursday approved new and controversial anti-riot measures. The policy will allow "preventive arresting," which grants Danish police the power to detain anyone they believe may commit a crime in the future for up to 12 hours, no charges needed. Police will also be able to jail for up to 40 days protesters who obstruct officers. |
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Green Diary Rescues appear on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The diary rescue begins below and continues in the jump. Inclusion of a particular diary does not necessarily indicate my agreement with it.
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Josh Nelson told us what he said we needed to know about the scandal he said is misnamed in The SwiftHack (ClimateGate): "First of all, this story should never have been called ClimateGate. Given the similarities between this smear job and the Swift Boat attacks on Senator John Kerry, SwiftHack is a far more appropriate name. ... The scientific consensus that humans are responsible for climate change -- and that we must stabilize concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gases at 350 parts per million -- remains overwhelming. This latest cybercrime and the private emails it revealed do nothing whatsoever to change that."
Eddie C posted An Early Thanksgiving Sunset photo diary.
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Oke has posted the Overnight News Digest.
Eclectablog explained that he would be Celebrating "Buy Nothing Day": "I'm on strike. I absolutely refuse to go shopping today unless it's for life-sustaining food or drink. Today is Buy Nothing Day. It's "sponsored" (promoted?) by Adbusters.org, the organization founded by Kalle Lasn, author of "Culture Jam: How to Reverse America's Suicidal Consumer Binge--And Why We Must." There are events all around the globe. I participated this morning."
rossl also joined in observing Buy Nothing Day: "The strong link between these two things - our society's consumerism and the terrible political, social, environmental, and economic situations we're in - demands action. By buying things from these corporations and feeding into this model of an economy, we only encourage it. So I'm asking you: please join me in buying nothing tomorrow."
Ellinorianne took a different approach in "Forget Black Friday or Buy Nothing Day, it should be Jdimytai Damour Day": "So here are some ideas for gifts this year that you can give instead of the junk that was made in China. I know that these are not gifts for everyone on your lists, you know your friends and family, you make the choice. Or you can give this list to those people you know that love to give and ask them gently to do this for you this year, that this is what your heart wants the most. Here are some things I would love this year but haven't had the money to give to or purchase from, some are non-profits and some are very cool eco friendly products."
In her weekly Frugal Fridays series, sarahnity suggested some gift-giving in the holiday season with some tips on Spending Online: "Shopping online can be a stress free way to find the perfect gift for someone special on your list. What's not to like? You sit in the comfort of your home, and with a few clicks, you can find an unusual and meaningful gift and have it delivered right to your recipient's doorstep. When it goes right, it's a breeze, but when it goes wrong, it can be an unimaginable headache. Here are some ideas to help you avoid some of the potential pitfalls."
KingofSpades had some good things to say about the possible 'Cash for Clunkers'.... for appliances: "After the famous 3 billion dollar "Cash for Clunkers" (officially called CARS) program that rocked the auto market and contributed significantly to the 2.8% increase in GDP last quarter, the government is getting into gear for ‘Cash for Appliances.’ It will not be as big and sweeping, but if it turns out to be a huge success, Congress can always funnel more money into it."
Muskegon Critic asked us to Help Create Jobs Fast, and Drop America's Energy Use: "For those of you not engaged in early morning mortal combat with fellow shoppers to get that underwater fish viewer for your favorite fisherman for 50% off, or a $10 door buster blue ray player, I need your help coming up with ways that an energy efficiency bill can create jobs in 12 months."
newpapyrus reviewed The Road: A Storm Warning for Humanity: " ‘It is important for the human race to spread out into space for the survival of the species,’ (Stephen Hawking). There is no film that illustrates the foolishness of confining human civilization solely to our planet of evolutionary origin than John Hillcoat's brilliant motion picture The Road based on the Pulitzer prize-winning book of the same title by Cormac McCarthy."
OmnipotentEntity wrote about Thorium as a clean, efficient nuclear power source: "Chances are you've already heard of this, but I wanted to bring it to you attention if you haven't. It seems that Thorium has the following advantages and disadvantages over our current Uranium-235 process."
There was turkey sharistuff ’s house. Dead Turkey Day-An Organic Thanksgiving-Drako for Dinner: "I am part of a local organic grow program. This year they were offering Organic Free Range Turkey for your Thanksgiving meal. The turkey was delivered in a cooler full of ice, 3 days before Thanksgiving. I didn't want to mess with it much, so I would only open the cooler to empty the water and fill it with more ice. The first thing I noticed was the turkey was spread eagled in the box, and it has huge leg, giant drumsticks and thighs. I was pretty impressed, like take a look at those gams!"
theran had some harsh words for Urban planning: Hartford edition: "It's a bit odd that I'm typing this from the Jersey Turnpike, which I suppose is a kind of parking structure today, but the Courant has an interesting piece about Hartford's extreme complicity in its destruction by car-suburbia. One would have thought that New London would be the champ of the car-centric, pointless, and failed development league's Conn. division, but Hartford seems to have topped it through sheer perseverance."
Sand Hill Crane told us the infuriating story of Whooping Crane Migration Equipment Vandalized!: "Every fall a new flock of yearling Whooping cranes is escorted south by a small lightweight aircraft operated by the nonprofit Operation Migration. Bad weather has delayed this year's ‘assisted’ Whooping Crane migration and the birds have only traveled 239 miles of the 1,285 mile trip. More devastating than the weather, is the fact that Operation Migration's aircraft hanger was recently burglarized and the equipment that was too big to steal was vandalized beyond repair."
Bruce Nilles announced a project in What do Coal and Dirty Dorm Rooms Have in Common?: "Know a college student with a dirty room? If you're nodding your head 'yes' right now, send them this link so they can be part of our quest to find the dirtiest room in the nation (or you – the friends or parents - can take a photo and enter them yourself!). We're betting the dirtiest room we find, no matter how filthy, is still not as dirty as the coal that powers many of our nation's campuses."
raines announced a restaurant in LocaVore Restaurant Builds Community: "In these tough economic times, the last thing you'd think you'd see someone doing would be to open a new restaurant, especially a fancy one. If you heard someone was doing this, in a new, untested location, and had spent a million bucks on tenant improvements to a newly-constructed ultra-green office building over the past year, you might start to question their sanity. But then, you'd have to come and experience the vision and nearly-ready-to-open reality of Gather, an organic cafe and restaurant providing access for all to the sustainable food movement, ’Seasonal farm food among friends... where people can always find something healthy, reasonably priced and deeply satisfying to eat.’"
Unenergy gave us the rundown on Oz Solar Technologies: "Throughout 2009 I have visited a few Solar companies in Australia and in August I visited the United States and did likewise. My intent was to stop at a number of solar company installations, preferably unannounced, to see whether what they were telling people was going on with their business, did actually reflect the reality on the ground. This is what I saw, and my interpretation of where solar technology could be headed."
rktect had some not-good news from way Down Under in East Antarctica, long stable, now losing ice: "One reason Obama may be going to Copenhagen is that the preliminary reports now being peer reviewed for the IPCC's fifth report due out in 2014 indicate scientists are increasingly using terms like ‘surprising acceleration’ to describe the relation of actual observed data relative to the projected scenarios adopted by the IPCC. We can see that the more recent the data the more alarming the images and the recent flood of icebergs from East Antarctica which most of us thought was stable into the South Atlantic threatening shipping off the coasts of Tasmania, Australia and New Zealand is a case in point. ... On Nov. 16 the iceberg in the photo from East Antarctica reached Macquarie Island, 930 miles southeast of Tasmania, Australia."
And billlaurelMD had the latest not-good news on Greenland in News from the Arctic: The NOAA 2009 Report Card II: "The particularly warm summer 2008 season in Greenland lead to a continuation of ice sheet mass loss. The trend since 2000 can be seen below. Basically, the rate of loss of ice sheet area has run 106 square kilometers over the 9-year span, with all but 2% of the variance in ice area explained by the linear trend."
Crypsis had some not-good news from Hawaii in Mauna Loa Observatory Records Highest CO2 Levels in a MILLION Years: "In 1958, climatologist Charles David Keeling set up a monitoring station on summit of Mauna Loa, the second highest of the Big Island of Hawai‘i's two volcanoes, because it accessed some of the cleanest, most pollution-free air on Earth. Twice a day since, the Mauna Loa Observatory (MLO) has recorded the levels of atmospheric CO2 at the summit. At first, the data seemed inconclusive; CO2 went up and down seasonally. But over time, the general upward trend was irrefutable, and the "Keeling Curve" has since become the single most compelling piece of evidence tying human industry to climate change. Al Gore used it in An Inconvenient Truth to persuade audiences that the burning of fossil fuels is indeed implicated in the warming of the planet. Despite the seasonal fluctuations, over the 41 years since the MLO first collected data, the curve has steadily and inexorably risen. Now, it's at a million-year high."
RLMiller wrote that she thought President Obama’s short visit to Copenhagen next month would be a good thing in US, China, and India at Copenhagen: a lot like Waxman-Markey: "Many Americans might have noticed, and been thankful for, Wednesday's announcement that President Obama would go to Copenhagen and would put a hard emissions cap number ‘in the range of 17%’ on the table. Fewer Americans might have noticed China's similar announcement on Thursday during our turkey feasts. Obama's presence alone makes the conference more interesting for Americans. He'll attend on December 9, the day before picking up his Peace Prize on December 10. The Copenhagen conference runs December 7 - 18. Europeans were quick to complain that showing up at the beginning rather than the end was better for setting the tone than sealing a deal; others, such as Kate Sheppard, have pointed out that it's been clear for months that there would be no legally binding deal to seal anyway, and setting the tone is important. But what of China, and what do the numbers mean?"
A Siegel was cheerful that Americans overwhelmingly rejecting massive disinformation campaign: "Despite the $100s of millions (and likely more accurately, $billions) of resources expended on disinformation, mediocre reporting by the mass media, and the active embrace of falsehoods as part of political manipulation by many of a political party's leadership, the vast majority of Americans adhere themselves to the basic facts that the globe is warming and that we have a responsibility to do something about it. Today, The Washington Post published an article drawing from their most recent national poll. According to their work, some 72 percent of Americans understand that the globe is warming and 55 percent support taking action to deal with climate change: even if other countries (like India and China) aren't taking action."
Vikingkingq urged some historical digging in order to make for better Democratic Planning – in the Climate Change Bill: "One of the curious elements of the history of the environmental movement is that, even though it emerged onto the political stage at the same time that the Keynesian consensus was crumbling and the very idea of economic planning was under assault from monetarists, supply-siders, rational-choicers, and all the other neoclassical sects, the environmental movement was from the outset a hotbed of economic planning."
Eclectablog was not too happy about some legislative players in Lieberman & Graham writing climate change bills??? Oh, crap...: "Meanwhile, before the ink was even dried on the Kerry-Boxer bill in the Senate, Senator Kerry himself announced on November 4th that he was working with Senators Lindsay Graham and Joe Lieberman (I know, I KNOW!), to develop ‘a new "track" of negotiations over climate policy that makes his original bill look somewhat irrelevant.’"
oregonj took a look at SwiftHack: Who is Behind the Criminal Campaign to Discredit Climate Scientists?: "As has been diaried significantly on Kos, some criminals hacked into emails of climate scientists working at research institutions in the United Kingdom. They created a splash for awhile, and the right-wing noise machine went into high gear, including Beck, Limbaugh and Inhoffe. But now that the dust is starting to settle, the significant questions about SwiftHack are about the criminal acts themselves, and their connections and support from the broader anti-science community who are orchestrating a worldwide campaign to hinder the Copenhagen climate talks."
In deeply thoughtful and photo-rich diary, matching mole Climate Change and The Face of Extinction: "Probably the best way to conserve as much of this diversity as possible is to conserve as much habitat as possible. Large areas of intact ecosystems will be better able to withstand the impact of a changing climate. They will also give species with limited mobility the best chance to find a place where they can survive. Intact ecosystems have the added advantage of buffering the effects of climate change for us as well. Coastal marshes and mangrove forests and protect the shoreline from damaging storms. Forest can sequester carbon and maintain watersheds. Climate change is going to be rough on us and on everything else on the planet. But the better shape we can leave our neighbors in to face what is coming, the better off we will all be. So on the eve of Thanksgiving I am thankful that I get to share the planet with so many amazing organisms that haven't gone extinct."
mem from somerville thought the timing of a release of peer-reviewed papers could have been better planned in Global warming and public health: "In a colossally poorly timed release, the NIEHS (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, a division of the NIH) announced an important series of papers. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving--are you kidding me??? Way to bury the news....25 Nov 2009: NIH Teams Up With The Lancet and Leading International Organizations to Address Public Health Impacts of Climate Change: New Strategies Promote Health and Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions Strategies to reduce greenhouse gases also benefit human health, according to studies published today in the medical journal The Lancet. The Lancet series highlights case studies on four climate change topics — household energy, transportation, electricity generation, and agricultural food production. Researchers say cost savings realized from improving health will offset the cost of addressing climate change and, therefore, should be considered as part of all policy discussions related to climate change...."
Our Carbon Footprint: The Elephant In the Room was rhetoricus’s lament: "Suffice to say, we're in a much bigger world of hurt than even the Chicken Little predictions of a few years ago imagined. Most of us here took the early warnings seriously, and have been working hard on recycling, weatherproofing, fuel-efficient woodstoves, changing lightbulbs, driving less, capturing solar and wind energy, and eating less or no meat. Good on us. Really. But unfortunately, it's not enough. Not nearly."
Keith Pickering voice similar sentiments in Can we stop climate change? The physics of civilization itself: "Now from a different quarter, another scientist has applied thermodynamic concepts to the economy. And not just to one part of the economy, but to human civilization as a whole. Tim Garrett's goal was to reduce the large uncertainties of the IPCC's climate change projections, which must rely on guesswork regarding the future state of the world economy and future carbon emissions. Garrett's surprising results: We may be in even bigger trouble than we thought. And we may be pushing the wrong strategies to get out of it."
And henry porter capped it all off with Newsflash: Global warming could stop photosynthesis: "Here's something you may not have known about photosynthesis: it only works over a limited temperature range. You are probably not surprised to learn photosynthesis doesn't work well at temperatures where water freezes. You are also probably not surprised to learn photosynthesis doesn't work well at temperatures where water boils. You might be surprised to learn that photosynthesis stops at a temperature well below the boiling point of water. The magic number? 104 degrees Fahrenheit, or 40 degrees Centrigrade. It turns out that is a number that is not compatible with a lot of life forms."
certainot warned that Americans cannot ignore Limbaugh on climate: "Environmental groups thinking of protesting anywhere to support action on climate change should consider picketing the Limbaugh and Hannity superstations. There may be no better place to get Obama's back and show support for global warming action during the Copenhagen climate summit Limbaugh and Hannity both have been giving "Climate-gate" full attention, complete with guest denial 'experts', claiming it is proof that global warming is a hoax. Environmentalists, Americans, will be making a huge mistake to let "Climate-gate" play out on TV and print and blogs, expecting this to be hashed out in the MSM between flat earther denialists and rational informed environmentalists."
Roger Lamb was bummed because the Liberal Party in Australia is in disarray over climate: "The illiberal Liberal Party of Australia has been busy destroying itself over the last 4 or 5 days. In a fair nutshell, the issue has been the attempted passage through Senate of the Labor government's Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) - which is an emission trading scheme (ETS) - in time for Copenhagen.The Labor Party is, of course, attempting the passage of its own legislation. After much negotiation with the Libs in which many changes sought by them were accepted by Labor, the Liberal Party had joined in the effort to get it through. Or so its leader, Malcolm Turnbull, had thought. But on the virtual eve of passage, the Liberal Party has erupted into dissonance, cacophony, one attempt at a leadership spill, and general mayhem, the like of which - according to all commentators from whichever perspective - has not been seen since the DLP split off from the ALP."
Black Max sought some folks to Write for Us About Global Warming: "If you're one of those Kossacks who write informed, research-laden posts and comments about global warming, I'm asking that you consider expanding your audience by writing for the History Commons on the topic. I'm an administrator for HC, and I want our coverage to be much more in-depth and comprehensive than it currently stands."
Included among the other green diaries:
Simple Solar 7: Solar and Dynamo Power by gmoke.
Still More Fluff, Lies & Radiation from TMI & the New Nuke Media Machine by
harveywasserman.
A real, bold, diplomatic global-warming breakthrough: on Thanksgiving! by Kevvboy.
ClimateGate? Or how the GOP is attacking environmental policy by aaraujo.
GOOD NEWS! Obama IS Going to Copenhagen for the Climate Change Meeting! by Muzikal203.
A Rebuttal to the Climate Skeptics by ask.
Make our Food Safe - Send a Message to Congress - With Poll by Eat Cleaner.
Global warming polls’ hidden meanings by John Russonello.
"Climate-gate", the NONtroversy of the Moment by deepthought.
Mexican Drought News by mieprowan.
Report says nuclear power will not stop climate change by Friendlystranger.