World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth
Climate Newsfeed
The Bottom Line
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations in the atmosphere now stand at 385 parts per million (ppm), 67% above the average of the past 800,000 years, and 29% above the maximum of the same period.
- The rate of increase of CO2 is 2.2 ppm/year and getting faster.
- When atmospheric CO2 was above 450 ppm in the earth's history, the planet was completely ice-free, and sea level was 75 meters higher than today.
- The safe upper limit of atmospheric CO2 that we should aim to stay below is probably between 300-350 ppm. We have already overshot it and the longer we stay above that the more likely we will have set in motion long-term climate changes that will proceed beyond human control through powerful geophysical positive feedback mechanisms.
- Sudden warmings of a few degrees in the past have triggered mass extinctions. Current species extinction rate is estimated at 100 to 1000 times the average extinction rates in the evolutionary time scale of planet Earth. A mass extinction is underway and we have to reverse course quickly enough to prevent the worst.
Write your Congressperson! (Sample letter)
FIND YOUR REPRESENTATIVES:
Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121. Find out who's your House rep by zip code here (upper left corner of linked page). Email House reps from here. Email US senators from here.
Dear Representative ____________,
In the interest of enacting meaningful climate legislation before it's too late, I am writing to urge you to throw out the Waxman-Markey ACES Act (H.R. 2454) and start from scratch. It is essential to focus on what's necessary to avert climate catastrophe as opposed to what's politically palatable to the profit-hungry fossil fuel lobby.
Waxman-Markey is a fake climate bill and must be withdrawn or voted down. It aims for a greenhouse gas reduction target that is at best 20 times weaker than a 450 parts-per-million stabilization target, which itself only gives us a 50/50 shot for avoiding catastrophic global warming! Our children's future deserves better odds! Please come up with a real climate solution that:
- Cuts greenhouse gas pollution quickly to return to a safe level - below 350 parts-per-million.
- Includes, as part of the emissions-reduction measures, a switch to 100% renewable electricity in 10 years.
- Preserves the ability of the Clean Air Act to set scientifically-based pollution standards.
- Does not allow unreliable, fraud-prone offsets in place of real emission reductions
- Phases out coal, and prohibits the use/extraction of tar sand and oil shale -- all the worst culprits of global warming.
This will produce millions of jobs as we create sustainable, healthy, vibrant, local and resilient low-carbon economies. Anything less is simply unacceptable.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
_______________
Full Address
Phone #
PS: To learn more about why this bill is unsalvageable, see http://securegreenfuture.org/
SGF Mission Statement
The Secure Green Future (SGF) project educates, activates and empowers Massachusetts residents to effectively address the converging threats of climate change, resource depletion, and economic meltdown. We work to guide communities toward an essential economic transformation that will make possible a sustainable and just post-carbon future. SGF seeks to break the shackles of what is “politically feasible” and inspire change that addresses the magnitude and urgency of the dangers we are facing. We are committed to the principle of democratic empowerment as the most appropriate means for securing the just and sustainable future that we all deserve, and that is within our reach.
Landslide victories for the Secure Green Future ballot initiative!
Thanks to an incredible grassroots effort, the Secure Green Future ballot question has won in EVERY SINGLE DISTRICT it appeared, and by a total landslide margin! At least 153,252 voters said YES to a Secure Green Future on November 4th, netting the ballot question an astounding 81.44% of the vote!!!
Thanks to all of you who helped get these questions on the ballot and helped to spread the word to voters. Your efforts have paid off big time, and we now have clear evidence that the people of Massachusetts are READY for decisive action to fight climate change and energy uncertainty by transitioning to a secure, green economy NOW.
