US Plays the Big Tease at Global Climate Talks

by Bill McKibben

We're staying at the youth hostel in downtown Cancun, away from the strip of beach hotels that draw $3 billion in tourist trade each year. But I went down there this morning for a meeting, and found myself in a little outpost of the United States: Starbucks, KFC. Chili's (Are you kidding me? Chili's in Mexico?)

And here's the thing--as usual, the conference center is an outpost of the U.S. too. From the very beginning of this process, 16 long Conferences of the Parties ago, it's U.S. politics that have set the tone and pace. And every time with the same message: be less ambitious, so Congress won't nix the deal. That's why we ended up with a Kyoto pact that was a babystep at best. That's why the treaty that was supposed to result from Copenhagen ended up an empty Obama-written 'pledge.' We're very, very mindful of the importance of our domestic legislation," his chief negotiator Todd Stern said at the time. "That's a core principle for me and everyone else working on this. You can't jeopardize that."

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Weekly Mulch: For Cancun Climate Summit, Activists Consider the Long View

by The Media Consortium

by Sarah Laskow, Media Consortium Blogger

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10/10/10/10/10/10: Where will you be?

by A Siegel

A simple question:  Where will you be at the

• 10th second of the
• 10th minute of the
• 10th hour of the
• 10th day of the
• 10th month of the
• 10th year?

As for me, in a little more than 10 hours, I will be in an attic, adding insulation to cut down power demands.  And, a few hours later, I will be with my children 1000s of others in front of the White House.

My action will be among the smallest of the Global Work Party.

A day to take action to reduce carbon emissions to make a simple statement to our political leadership -- around the world: we can do it, why can't you?

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Rare Chance to ? WH on Climate--in a Few Hours

by Bill McKibben

It’s been a long year for people who care about global warming: the failures in Copenhagen and in Congress were great blows.

But it’s been a pretty good week: the announcement  on Tuesday that the Obamas would put up solar panels on the WH roof, the pictures the next day of Maldivian president Mohammed Nasheed doing that very thing, the announcement yesterday that Illinois governor Pat Quinn is going solar too. Oh, and the mayor of Mexico City announcing that they’ll cut carbon emissions in the world’s third largest city by 10%.

All of this leads in to 350.org’s huge Global Work Party on 10/10/10.—which, with 7000 events in 188 countries will be the largest day of environmental action in the planet’s history. Hell, it will be the most widespread day of political action on any issue ever.

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Big Win: White House Goes Solar!

by Bill McKibben

Just in time to give the Global Work Party a White House-sized boost, the Obama administration announced this morning that they are going to put solar panels on the First Family's living quarters, returning to a tradition begun by president Jimmy Carter and abandoned by Ronald Reagan.

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Help Obama put solar (back) on the White House

by Bill McKibben

Amid the heated rhetoric about the administration that’s dominating the site at the moment, here’s a potential chance to help with a very concrete project.

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My White House is Solar Cool. Barack, why isn't yours?

by A Siegel

Sometimes, your kids tell you great things.

We have the coolest house on the street.

Wow.  We're cool -- according to the kids.  Certainly isn't the non-existent slide for the pool that isn't there.  Our lack of a huge media room and the glaring absence of a gym didn't contribute.  And, while I've always thought it cool that we live on the white house of the street, that isn't it either.  Why is it cool? According to my soon-to-be fourth-grader son:

Because we know where our electricity comes from.

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I just sent this email to Bill McKibben and Joe Romm

by texas dem

To Joe Romm and Bill McKibben:

Climate legislation has been pronounced dead.  Those who have worked hardest to pass it have given up.

And yet, this is the only time in the near future in which a bill can pass.  We must not miss the moment.

I write to suggest that a jolt from outside could still revive the patient.  The best efforts of senators, activists, environmental groups, and the climate community have all been put forward.  I salute them and all their work.  It was not enough.  And there is one resource that was not used, that even at this late date could be put in play, and possibly revive the bill.  I think we should use the base.

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Gulf Recovery: Feature or Bug?

by Meteor Blades

By Bill McKibben

[I am posting this diary because Bill McKibben is right now giving a speech and unable to post it himself - MB.]

The question to ask about the spill in the Gulf is: are we dealing with a one-off accident, a mistake, a bug? Or is it environmental destruction really the essential business model of the fossil fuel industry?

If the answer is bug, then we need to concentrate on one kind of solution: better regulations to make sure oil wells don’t leak, and that if they do companies pay for the damage. And we surely need to do that—it’s a no-brainer (which unfortunately doesn’t preclude the fact that the Congress may not do it. We need a new word for something any other human institution would automatically do, but the Senate will punt). It’s basically straightforward, the kind of thing technologically sophisticated societies are good at.

But what if the BP spill is just one tiny part of the daily ongoing destruction that comes from the fossil fuel business? That’s my contention.

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Republican Sen. candidates push policies to end the Holocene

by Lefty Coaster

Republicans would despoil our country in pursuit of the oil and coal that are so profitable for their corporate sponsors, and so bad for our planetary climate. They are pushing energy policies that are hastening the end of the Holocene epoch, and the start of the Anthropocene epoch.

This comes from Bill McKibben writing at HuffPo:

We're Hot as Hell and We're Not Going to Take It Anymore

If we’re going to get any of this done, we’re going to need a movement, the one thing we haven’t had. For 20 years environmentalists have operated on the notion that we’d get action if we simply had scientists explain to politicians and CEOs that our current ways were ending the Holocene, the current geological epoch. That turns out, quite conclusively, not to work. We need to be able to explain that their current ways will end something they actually care about, i.e. their careers. And since we’ll never have the cash to compete with Exxon, we better work in the currencies we can muster: bodies, spirit, passion.

We need to shame them, starting now. And we need everyone working together.

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Put Solar On It

by LaughingPlanet

Put solar on what?

How about everything.

Yes, Put Solar on the White House. That is a great symbolic gesture to get the ball rolling.

This achievement will be an important symbol to the world that the United States is committed to realizing the environmental and economic benefits of clean energy.

(Click the pic) ============>

Sign the petition to pressure President Obama to replace the solar panels removed by Reagan 3 decades ago.

Get involved with the campaign to make our solar voices louder & brighter!

Like their Facebook page.

But that should be but the tip of the melting iceberg.

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