Category: Blog

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments has taken a stab at quantifying our region’s contribution to global warming, and the result is not pretty. A whopping 65.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide were emitted here in 2005. That was more than in all of Hungary, Finland, Sweden, Denmark or Switzerland, each of which has more people.

It’s not a surprise that we compete with entire countries in Scandinavia,” said Mike Tidwell. “What this data does is point out just how huge America’s contribution to climate change is…if our one capital region is emitting on par with other industrialized countries.

What’s to blame? According to the Washington Post, it’s our crawling traffic and our reliance on dirty coal-fired power plants.

So, as Arctic ice vanishes and scientists scream of a coming climate catastrophe, the DC region needs to step up up and address its spiraling carbon emissions.

First, there are things that you personally can do. There are a number of options for individuals–you can buy green power, either through Pepco Energy Services (where applicable) or from a group like Clean Currents. There are many ways to reduce carbon and save money. Use only compact fluorescent light bulbs, make sure any new appliances you buy are Energy Star certified and try to limit how much meat you eat. There are also incentives in your state to invest in renewable energy.

But — and I’m sorry to say this — voluntary personal actions just aren’t going to cut it. We’ll never solve the climate crisis one light bulb at a time. What we need, instead of the generic list of “ten things you can do,” are ten historic statutes that ban abusive and violent practices like the manufacture of gas-guzzling cars and inefficient light bulbs. That’s the kind of change we need. And we need it now.

So, after you’re done changing your light bulbs and switching over to wind energy, get involved in a CCAN campaign and demand that your state pass a law that will take a big chunk out of our runaway pollution.

In Virginia, we’re working to persuade the state to stop the construction of a new coal-fired power plant in Wise County and instead invest in clean, renewable energy. Learn more here.

In Maryland, we’re working to make sure that Gov. O’Malley commits to reducing Maryland’s global warming pollution 20% by 2020 and at least 80% by 2050. Get involved here.

And in D.C. we’re working hard to make sure the City Council passes a “Clean Cars Act,” which will strengthen the pollution controls on all new cars registered in the District. We aim to see the law passed in January and we need all the help we can get! Learn more here.

“Forget the Petraeus report — what historians will note about September 2007 is that the Northwest Passage was free of ice for the first time since humans started keeping track.” — Bill McKibben, Washington Post, Sept 29, 2007

If there is one good thing that came out of the administration’s “Climate Summit” this week it was that it solidified, for those who needed further proof anyway, that President Bush will do anything he can to avoid providing any leadership on climate change. This week’s solution to the mounting public pressure accumulating in Washington was to create a parallel reality, one where mock conferences are more important than international negotiations, and false solutions take precedent over real action.

Even the Washington Post seems to be picking up on this:

President Bust assured the rest of the world yesterday that he takes the threat of climate change seriously and vowed that the United States “will do its part” to reduce the greenhouse gases that are warming the planet, but he proposed no concrete new initiatives to reach that goal.

As if that’s a surprise.

In a seeming rebuttal to this embarrassing turn of events, the Post also published a powerful op-ed by Bill McKibben — who chooses in dramatic fashion to not only confront the reality that Washington ignores, but highlight the competing realities between science and politics that has placed us in our current predicament.

Consider the news from the real world, the one where change is measured with satellites and thermometers, not focus groups: Arctic ice is melting on an unbelievable scale — an area the size of Britain disappeared each week in late summer as the record for minimum ice cover, set in 2005, was shattered by more than 400,000 square miles, meaning about a 27 percent loss.

Historically this tactic is not always a popular one. People don’t like to hear scary stories about what tomorrow may bring, and this reality is part of the reason why our politicians and even some of our fellow citizens have been so slow to acknowledge what civilization is facing.

But McKibben isn’t looking for a message that resonates, he — like many of us — is begging for an inkling of leadership, a shred of bravery from someone who isn’t discouraged by seemingly insurmountable obstacles, but willing to believe that we can confront and defeat our adversary. We’ve had such leaders before.

What we need to know, and soon, is: What does reality look like to you? Can you close the gap between science and politics? Who will lead on the great issue of our day?

After 20 years of inaction the race is finally underway. Global warming has a huge head start; the sprint to catch up is the story of our time.

Story of our time indeed Mr. McKibben. Sounds to me like our search for a “leader” is over. Now we simply must convince those in Washington to follow.

It is easy to get bogged down when you fight global warming — be it from new bad news about the Greenland Ice Sheet melting faster than expected or from the staggeringly slow pace at which many of our local, state, and federal governments are working to achieve real global warming solutions. There are days when it would be easy to say that, “we can’t do it,” “i think we have waited to long,” and “the opposition is too strong.”

The feeling of disempowerment, like you can’t ever make a difference no matter how hard you try, over your effect on global warming is our movements biggest enemy because disempowered people are inactive and complicit to the ‘business as usual’ mentality.

Last Wednesday, the Chesapeake Climate Action Network held its first in a series of five activist trainings designed to empower and educate citizens so they can not only be effective in their efforts to fight global warming, but also be leaders for others in the movement. The Climate Organizing Leadership Development (COLD) training series first session attracted about 15 activists to the Friends of the Earth Office in downtown DC to learn about the history of social movements and how our fight to stop global warming is part of a long line of successful and powerful social movements.

Attendees of the first COLD training were very impressed with quality of the presentation and the straightforward and well-informed training. The training featured a lecture and interactive breakout sessions.

There are four more COLD training sessions left that anyone can sign up for. Get Active. Get Organized. Get COLD!