I went down across the street from the United Nations in New York a couple of Saturdays ago and took part in a medium-sized but interesting demonstration of concern about climate change. It was part of the “Moving Planet” series of demonstrations all over the world, organized by 350.org, that produced over 2,000 events in 175 countries. We heard in New York from a number of speakers including Jim Hansen, Laura Flanders, and a good number of others, representing various constituencies.
350.org has been a very busy hive of activity over the past couple of years. They were instrumental in organizing the demonstrations and civil disobedience in August and September at the White House over the issue of the Keystone XL pipeline. More than 1,250 were eventually arrested and the political profile of the issue was raised more than a few notches. As the Washington Post noted yesterday, the White House, finally, is sitting up and taking notice. As they bloody well should. I had a chance recently to give a tutorial on the Keystone XL project and the tar sands to an Obama fundraiser. I made it plain that the President can do the right thing – as he has so often and so well on clean energy and a myriad of other environmentally smart, sustainable and economic initiatives – and will have the full-throated appreciation of the millions of us who care about the planet and who vote. There is real cognitive dissonance, for me anyway, in the idea that President Obama could approve this debacle, giving his stamp of approval for the monstrously destructive tar sands development, while at the same time working so well and so hard on other smart, green programs. I argued precisely this at my two-part DeSmogBlog article a while back.
Meanwhile, I was downtown last week with a friend for an event hosted by Green America, an excellent, effective group. We stopped off to visit with the Occupy Wall Street folks. They’re doing, for my money, God’s Work. A voice as strong and important as Paul Krugman’s endorsed them yesterday. The 350 folks were down on Wall St. the other day as well. They have been linking the issue of climate, the Keystone XL and the tar sands, and the other concerns that are front and center on the environment with the abuses of too many of the bankers. See this from 350 for a taste of what’s being said and done. I don’t agree that capitalism is the enemy but I certainly accept that there have been breathtaking abuses that it is incumbent on us to force our governments to address.
On a lighter note, enjoy this video of the Moving Planet events from September 24th. It’s fun to be involved. I’ve been in the streets – and a few times in my jail – on and off for 40 years. Do yourself a favor. Put your shoulder to the wheel. Organize, protest, engage, vote with your pocketbook, learn the issues, get on board.
