Foreign Policy Blogs

"Step It Up 2007"

A series of events took place yesterday all over the United States to indicate people’s concern about climate change. The Step It Up website said: “In all 50 states, at more than 1400 iconic places across the nation, we have united around a common call to action: “Step It Up Congress: Cut Carbon 80% by 2050.'” Bill McKibben, a writer whose The End of Nature was the first popular book written on global warming, was the leading light of Step It Up. Here’s coverage of the events and an interview with McKibben from “Democracy Now.”

In New York City, there were a number of events, including the Sea of People in Battery Park. I was there and had a fine time. McKibben was one of the speakers.

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There were a good number of other speakers including one of our leading urban environmentalists, Eric Goldstein from the Natural Resources Defense Council. I also talked to Charles Komanoff at the rally. Charles is one of the founders of the Carbon Tax Center and an energy economist who’s been around for a long time. He has been one of the leading analysts of the financial issues around nuclear power. (See this report from Greenpeace for instance.)

As I indicated, a good time was had by all, including by this polar bear and my daughter, Diana.

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Author

Bill Hewitt

Bill Hewitt has been an environmental activist and professional for nearly 25 years. He was deeply involved in the battle to curtail acid rain, and was also a Sierra Club leader in New York City. He spent 11 years in public affairs for the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation, and worked on environmental issues for two NYC mayoral campaigns and a presidential campaign. He is a writer and editor and is the principal of Hewitt Communications. He has an M.S. in international affairs, has taught political science at Pace University, and has graduate and continuing education classes on climate change, sustainability, and energy and the environment at The Center for Global Affairs at NYU. His book, "A Newer World - Politics, Money, Technology, and What’s Really Being Done to Solve the Climate Crisis," will be out from the University Press of New England in December.



Areas of Focus:
the policy, politics, science and economics of environmental protection, sustainability, energy and climate change

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