Time For Action

You may remember in the last column that I was saying that building a local economy and becoming more resourceful and resilient will not protect us from the ravages of climate change that we can expect from the present course of global activity.
 
In the past, I said that the kind of fundamental changes we need to make require a change of lifestyle, our view of the world, and our place in it. I’ve pointed out that these kinds of changes are difficult and evolve slowly. All the more reason why we should all be feeling a sense of urgency with the short time we have to make the required changes. To stay within 2 degrees C global warming, it is conservatively estimated that by 2020 we will have had to demonstrate a 5% drop in carbon emissions. We will need to begin decreasing our emissions by 2015 at the latest if we are to have any chance of meeting the 2020 deadline. So far, global warming has been proceeding even faster than the pessimistic estimates. At the outside, we have seven years to reduce our carbon emissions by an historically unprecedented amount. Such comprehensive changes usually take societies 30 years. We might have had a very reasonable chance of meeting our goal had we started about 20 years ago. As it is, we have a very slim chance and the time for idle speculation is definitely over.
 
When I started my work with Transition Vashon about 5 years ago, I had made a conscious choice to prioritize deep change at the community level over political change at the higher levels. I never quit signing the petitions or making the calls to influence our reps in government, but I recognized that the likehood for seeing real progress lay at the community level, ours and those others all over the country and the world. After all, we have been putting out the call to action on climate change for 30 years with virtually no response.
 
So, although I abandoned political action as the best way to approach climate change, I find myself forced to believe that it is now the only option that could effect change on the scale necessary in the time we have left. It is a long shot, but one we can’t afford to neglect. That is not to say that we should abandon our efforts to use energy more efficiently and more wisely, to become as self sufficient as possible in food, shelter, and all the things we really need, or to learn to live more simply within the constraints of the real world we live in. But, for the moment, we must apply a laser-like focus on getting the rest of our citizenry and our governments onto a sustainable path as soon as possible.
 
Let’s assess our situation. Our government will not act on climate change until it is also good for big business (want to buy a bridge?), and the media, also funded by business, shuns alarming climate news or evidence of popular support for climate action.
 
That leaves us with one crucial right in which we have the advantage. We have the vote and we have the numbers. I suggest a two-pronged approach: we need to make our elected officials accountable to us, and we need to make them pass laws that will dramatically change our course to one of sustainability. Of Course, the Backbone Campaign has been trying for years to do just that. If there is any difference now it is that we can hope the shower is now cold enough to rouse us to action. Some suggestions: of coming events in our area.
First prong: Make Government Accountable
-Eliminate corporate personhood
-Enact strict campaign reform – no business donations, no donations over $250, no non-constituent donations
-Make public campaign financing available
-Make candidate access to media a free public service
-Make election day a national holiday
 
Second prong: Dramatic Shift to Sustainability
-Enact a Carbon tax
-Shut down all coal plants or convert to natural gas until sustainable replacements can be built or their need eliminated
-Eliminate subsidies to any fossil fuel and heavily fossil fuel dependent industries
-Heavily subsidize renewable energy and other sustainable industries
-Enact national fuel rationing – the only fair way to dramatically lower our fuel consumption in a short time. We did it in World War ll and this crisis is more serious than that.
-Recognize that the developed world, whose wealth was created by the carbon glut, has the responsibility to finance transition for the developing world.
We do this by getting our bodies out in the streets or actively supporting those that do. (That doesn’t include cheering from the couch in front of your TV set,) Are we citizens or just consumers? I will keep you informed of coming events in our area.
 
On June 18th, 6 pm, at the Vashon Theater, Community Cinema will be showing Do The Math: The Movie, a documentary about the recent cross-country Do The Math Tour by Bill McKibbon and 350.org to call us to extraordinary action to fight climate change. There will be a discussion afterwards and information you can use to inform and to act. We need you there!
 
Comments? terry@vashonloop.com