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?
On 10 October 2010 (10/10/10), mobilized due to 
the energy of the 350.org team, people around the world will gather to show their support for climate action by leaders, nation, and people around the world.
In making a statement about public support and engagement, globally, for serious action, the focus is on gaining people to take action to tangibly demonstrate elements for change: planting gardens, painting roofs white, installing CFLs, biking rather than driving a car, and ever so many other steps.
Even as most of the world is already experiencing 10/10/10 and 100,000s of people have participated in actions, you still have the chance to join an existing action or — well — determine an action for the day (Ideas for work party action) and sign up to have your voice counted as part of those calling on our political leadership (at all levels) for serious action.
In light of the failure to move (even inadequate climate legislation), Bill McKibben (350.org) has a strong call for a new approach to the situation.
While thanking the Green Groups “because they did everything the way you’re supposed to: they wore nice clothes, lobbied tirelessly, and compromised at every turn”, Bill is calling for a movement to make the Lindsey Grahams of the U.S. political system see acting to deal with the reality of climate change aligns with political reality: inaction will come at a cost.
now we know what we didn’t before: making nice doesn’t work. It was worth a try, and I’m completely serious when I say I’m grateful they made the effort, but it didn’t even come close to working. So we better try something else.
Bill lays out three steps:
1. Talk about global warming. Don’t sugar coat things and fail to speak about the fundamental issue at hand.
2. Speak to what we need, not what we think is going to eek through Congress in a pre-digested deal with serial polluters.
3. Create a movement to move the agenda.
Bill has been at the core of creating what just might be that movement which is built around a rather esoteric number: 350. 350 parts per million might (might) be a safe level of CO2 in the atmosphere for supporting modern human civilization. We were at about 270 ppm prior to the modern era and are about 390 ppm today, growing several ppm per year. We need to do better than simply stopping growth in emissions, but turn the tide backwards.
350.org has managed to put 100,000s around the world into demonstrations demanding climate action. The Senate’s inaction demands that they do even better in the future.
10/10/10/10/10/10 should be on your calendar: the 10th second of the 10th minute of the 10th hour of the 10th day of the 10th year of the 21st century could be a pivotal moment in the movement that McKibben calls for.
a Global Work Party. All around the country and the world people [are] putting up solar panels and digging community gardens and laying out bike paths. Not because we can stop climate change one bike path at a time, but because we need to make a sharp political point to our leaders: we’re getting to work, what about you?
But, the point is not that Obama should put solar on the White House (which, as you are likely aware, was announced last week) to have solar there or that it really matters whether Senator Jim Webb has solar hot water, the point is is that it is their work is to develop national policy to deal with climate change (energy efficiency regulation, fees on polluters, investment in deploying clean energy, research (and deployment) of carbon mitigation approaches like agro-/bio-char, ending financial assistance to fossil fuel pollution (domestic and foreign), etc …). And, the point is — no matter who they wish to point fingers to — they have failed to do so yet. They are failing at their job.
Now, as typical, Bill is far more articulate than I and I highly recommend his piece, which ends:
Mostly, we need to tell the truth, resolutely and constantly. Fossil fuel is wrecking the one earth we’ve got. It’s not going to go away because we ask politely. If we want a world that works, we’re going to have to raise our voices.
So …
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?
Will you be taking action to have your voice heard?
Will you be asking your political leadership a simple question:
I can take action, why can’t you?
“The biggest movement in history is only just blooming.” So said 350.org’s Joe Solomon as the sun rose in on sun rose on Wellington, New Zealand’s Solar Panel Boogie.