Tag: #Climate

As We, The People of the World Rise, for Better Balance!

Although many of us have held the vision for many years to play to transform the world, and we carry forward legacies from past generations, at this moment we each have a choice.  How to use each moment to live in better balance with nature?  Can we learn from the past, take action in the present, and move towards living into a powerful vision for our future?

Get ready, ACTION!  And the action is becoming more coordinated now, and streams of events and activities role out publicly around the world, will you join in? The activities are vast, and actually, give us all a chance to take action and there are big things happening with the global climate movement. Your gift to choose to do what you can, whatever that is for you, where you are, thinking of us all, like a great big “World Team,” is key.  A World Team that is focused on the goals, the global goals for transformation with 2020 vision beyond, 2030.

Do you want to give of T.ime, E.nergy, A.ction or M.oney for future generations? Will you give a present of your presence, or consciously choose how to give in your life now? 

 There are events taking place with and for people to gather at a village, community, town, city, state government, and beyond national levels. We probably can agree that change needs to happen at all levels, in a myriad of ways,  every voice matters, and each step of action counts.  You can get involved with these daily, weekly as we begin the season for change with these events;

Thursday, September  6 Rise for Climate, Jobs, and Justice: Now is the Time for Action!!
https://actionnetwork.org/events/climate-jobs-and-justice-now-is-the-time-for-action

Saturday, September 8th Rise for Climate, Jobs, and Justice
https://peoplesclimate.org/ &
September 8th  Rise for Climate
https://riseforclimate.org

September 8th 10 AM Rise for Climate, Jobs & Justice in San Francisco
Four Embarcadero Plaza, San Francisco, CA 94105
https://ca.riseforclimate.org/

September 8-14th Solidarity to Solutions Week
Climate Justice Alliance
https://climatejusticealliance.org/solidarity-to-solutions-week/
http://ittakesroots.org/sol2sol/rsvp/

Sunday 9th 9:00 am: Intertribal Prayer, Teach-In and Direct Action Training
The event will be followed by a non-violent direct action training. Directions and details here.

Sunday 9th 12:00 noon: Expansion and Resistance: The Fossil Fuel Industry in the Bay Area
Soil not Oil panel featuring Amazon Watch campaigner Zoë Cina-Sklar and other local activists discussing the impacts of oil refineries and other fossil fuel infrastructure in the Bay Area. Tickets available here.

 Sunday 9th  4:30 pm: Aerial Mandala for Climate Justice
Join Dancing without Borders and Spectral Q at Crissy Field to co-create a visual message in support of climate justice. This iconic image will be captured from the sky and will send a message to world leaders about the need to join with us in creating a more just and equitable future. RSVP here.

Monday-Tuesday September  10 & 11: Ocean Hack
Salesforce headquarters, 415 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94105 San Francisco
As part of the build-up to Global Climate Action Summit and in pursuit of Global Goals 14, Life Below Water, Sustainable Ocean Alliance has partnered with One Ocean Collab and Salesforce to host a 48-hour pop-up innovation lab for the ocean.
http://globalclimateactionsummit.org/events/ocean-hack/
https://www.cognitoforms.com/SustainableOceanAlliance1/OceanHack

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 10TH 8:00 am: Rise Against Climate Capitalism
You are invited to join us in a non-violent action that will include prayer, a teach-in, painting a street mural and direct action at one of the places where climate profiteers will be meeting prior to the Global Climate Action Summit. Details here.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 10TH 12:55 pm: Keep it in the Ground: Building Movements for Climate Justice
Soil not Oil panel featuring Amazon Watch Executive Director Leila Salazar-López, a leader from Sarayaku, and and other organizers about inspirational campaigns to keep fossil fuels in the ground. Tickets available here.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11TH 10:00 am to 8:00 pm: Solutions to Solidarity Summit
This day-long assembly will highlight frontline communities’ solutions that address the interlinked crises of climate, economic, and racial injustice through interactive workshops, art, and music. More info here.

 TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11TH 1:00 pm to 8:30 pm: Women’s Assembly for Climate Justice
Join the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) International for “Women’s Assembly for Climate Justice: Women Leading Solutions on the Frontlines of Climate Change” – a gathering of extraordinary women leaders from across the United States and around the world joined in solidarity to speak out against environmental and social injustice, draw attention to root causes of the climate crisis, and present the diverse array of visions and strategies with which they are working to shape a healthy and equitable world. Amazon Watch and indigenous leaders will speak at the following panels:

  • 1:30 pm: Women Speak from the Frontlines of Climate Change: Nina Gualinga, Kichwa from Sarayaku and co-founder of Hakhu Amazon Design
  • 5:55 pm: Keynote address by Mirian Cisneros, President of the Kichwa people of Sarayaku and Leila Salazar-López, Executive Director of Amazon Watch

More info here.

 

Tuesday SEP 11 6:30-11PM Ocean Solutions Gala
California Academy of Sciences 55 Music Concourse Drive San Francisco, CA 94118
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2018-ocean-solutions-gala-tickets-48003146704

Wednesday-Friday Sept 12-14 Global Climate Action Summit
https://globalclimateactionsummit.org/
http://globalclimateactionsummit.org/program/

September 12, 2018 San Francisco City Hall Cities4Climate: The Future is Us 1PM-4:35PM
Co-hosted by C40 Cities, The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, and the City of San Francisco https://www.c40.org/events/cities4climate-the-future-is-us

Wednesday, September 12TH 4:00 pm: Grassroots Climate Leadership 
From California residents working to create a just transition off fossil fuels by solarizing their neighborhoods to Indigenous peoples protecting their territories from oil extraction in the Amazon, many of the most innovative solutions to climate change come from those most impacted by climate change and fossil fuel extraction. Come hear an Indigenous leader from Ecuadorian Amazon, a community organizer from California, and a First Nations activist from Canada speak to their experiences defending their lands from fossil fuel development and finding innovative ways to accelerate a just transition to renewable energy. RSVP here.

Wednesday, September 12TH 5:00 pm: Following the Money: Holding Big Banks Accountable for Financing the Climate Crisis
Join a panel grassroots climate leaders to learn about the growing international movement holding financial institutions like JPMorgan Chase accountable for their central role in perpetuating the global climate crisis by financing big oil and gas. RSVP here.

Thursday, September 13TH  7:00 am: Stand with Communities, Not Corporations
Jerry Brown’s promotion of continued fossil fuel production, carbon trading markets and other incentives to oil, gas and other polluting corporations, perpetuates climate change and decimates Indigenous communities, communities of color and other working class peoples throughout California and around the world. Join us for a family-friendly direct action to demand that the Governor and other politicians stand with people not polluters. More info here.

Thursday, September 13TH 7:30 pm: The Eagle and the Condor (Closing Night of the San Francisco Green Film Festival)
Four Indigenous leaders embark on an extraordinary trans-continental adventure from the Canadian plains to deep into the heart of the Amazonian jungle to unite the peoples of North and South America and deepen the meaning of “Climate Justice”. This film documents the stories of these four well-known Native environmental spokespeople who are at the forefront of a perspective shift in the identity of their people, from forgotten voices to strong shared communities with the power to bring change to the entire world. Their path through the jungle takes them on an unexpectedly challenging and liberating journey, which will forever change their attachment to the Earth and one another. RSVP here.

 Friday, September 14TH 1:30 pm: Primary Forests: Key to Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation
Primary forests, particularly intact tropical forests, serve a critical role in regulating global weather patterns and sequestering carbon dioxide, house about half of the world’s biodiversity and are home to hundreds of indigenous peoples and traditional communities. These peoples have been stewards of their lands for millennia, but their forest territories face increasing pressure from industrial development and agribusiness. Tune in to our live stream: of a panel featuring indigenous leaders, journalists, and advocates discussing these issues and their work to protect forests. More info here.

Friday, September 14TH 3:00 pm: The Tortoise and the Tapir

Haunted by images of empty water reservoirs in the Brazilian southwest, filmmaker Eliza Capai tries to understand the gigantic constructions being built in the middle of the Amazon forest, including the imposing Belo Monte dam. Upstream, she finds spirited victory against hydro dam: projects in neighboring Peru led by Goldman Environmental Prize Winner Ruth Buendia. Tickets available here for this screening, part of the San Francisco Green Film Festival.

This just the beginning stay tuned for much more to come.

The Climate Movement’s Moment ©

By Suzanne Maxx

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Outside COP21 with the flags of the United Nations.

LE BOURGET, FRANCE.   Fortunately here at COP21 there is no longer the question of if climate change is happening, check out this slide show.  It now is a question of how quickly we all can act to meet the challenge, and when we will have strong global policy. COP21 was supposed to end yesterday, but true to the history and form of the complexity of these agreements, it is still in process.

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Photo of Suzanne Maxx by Albert Boulanger for World Team Now at Climate Generations Area

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) holds annual meetings of the delegates Conference of the Parties (COP) and each year it grows older, left without a process to manage the world’s actions, climate change’s impact on our world increases.  COP has come of age at 21 here in Paris, now it is truly like a 21 year old— legal but not yet quite responsible— perhaps an appropriate metaphor for the upcoming results of the much-anticipated Paris Convention/Accord.

The bottom-up approach to each country choosing what they are capable of contributing seems to be working with the “Intended Nationally Determined Contributions” (INDCs) all countries submissions are public here. COP21 had a jump start, and with the delivery of so many INDCs, COP21 was set on a fast track to global transformation, which lit the fire of possibility to “dream the impossible dream.”

On the opening day of the COP21 when the family photo of world leaders was taken, and Mission Innovation was announced, all eyes saw the possibility of transformational global policy. Clean Energy Innovation R & D will be doubled by 20 major economies with the help of the private sector.  Billionaire Bill Gates at the helm of an impressive Breakthrough Energy Coalition that reads like a “who’s who” of game changers helps Mission Innovation.With so many world leaders in Paris for the beginning of

With so many world leaders in Paris for the beginning of COP21 the stage of this conference was set to change the game. In 2015, there were multiple preparatory conferences all producing a draft of the policy. The regular meetings increased the chance that all could agree here in Paris, and we would have global environmental policy.  Historically, the leaders would arrive at the end of the COPs after a few weeks where their representatives would try to negotiate a deal.  This year’s COP was different, not just because all world leaders agreed to come at the beginning of the COP, having worked out what they are able to contribute on their own, but were standing for the success of finally attaining climate policy. To have these world leaders in the same place after the vulnerable attacks here in Paris demonstrates a commitment to the statement: “There is no darkness that can overcome the light.”

Photo Credit: Photo by Yann Arthus-Bertrand / Spectra

A Message of Freedom and 100% Renewable Energy from Paris. Eiffel Tower Peace Symbol © Yann Arthus-Bertrand  / Spectral Q

The people, NGOs, and corporations also set up a powerful approaches to action, including a massive march planned for the Global Climate Movement. However, many Paris events were canceled, including the climate marches after the terrorist attacks, and subsequent state of emergency.  Fortunately, the Global Climate Movement adapted with action around the world. We used our bodies as a font in the Eiffel Tower aerial art piece,  that 300  of us or so took part in, led by artist John Quigley and Dancing without Boarders,  This event miraculously prevailed and has become the iconic image of COP21, gracing the cover of many  publications. Other powerful events in Paris for this COP21 time frame were pulled off successfully augmenting the action over at Le Bourget’s COP21 conferences like “Earth to Paris,” and the “Energy for Tomorrow Conference’’ hosted by the International New York Times.  The Green Zone public “Climate Generation Area” allowed all people to be involved in the action, and there were some solid panels like “Energy Matters,” sponsored by the International Energy Agency.

Global Emissions Target of 1.5 degrees Celsius is what’s needed by at least 2020— it was needed yesterday — so ideally with a pre-2020 five year review and calibration. The target date may end up being 2050; this is one of the points of conflict in the negotiation.  Will this be a realistic target that sets us on a trajectory that honors what we know to be true about climate change, and how it affects not only human health, but also the balance of all species on earth? The other sensitive point is: when will the energy transition occur?  We would like to see 100% renewable energy by at least 2050. A firm date of when to phase out of fossil fuel is at the root of this controversial debate.  The majority of countries now agree that 100% cut of fossil fuel will happen, but by when— is the question.

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Courtesy of Climate Generations Area COP21

The forests and oceans breathe for our planet— they are more than our lungs.  Together they are teeming with the bio-diversity— the flora, fauna, and all necessary for our human species. survival.  We are waiting for the text of the final document to have language about the commitment to zero de-forestation globally.  Our oceans need protection from acidification, and warming temperatures—this is imperative to take into account, and have specific measurable results in mind, along with global emission targets.  We need to have goals for our oceans, islands, and responsibly embrace policy that is accountable for not only our air, but also the land, waters, and people. Global policy that allows all people to belong to the earth is needed, especially when whole nations, island states like Tuvalu are being annihilated by our collective use of resources. Justice is needed to balance the poor Small Islands and Least Developed Countries who are most affected by the results of climate change, with richer nations sourcing the problem.

Fossil Fuel subsidies are going to be phased out globally— much to both the dismay and celebration of many people and industries.  Why subsidize the most profitable global industry anyway?  Old paradigms can be hard for some to let go, yet our future depends on embracing this renewable energy transition, and also how fast we can move on a large scale. More than a trillion dollars a year— just think of how quickly we could change the energy game with those same subsidies going to renewable energy or into the Green Climate Fund. The 100 billion annual contribution to the Green Climate Fund would become a reality.

Naturally, it will be better to have an ambitious framework with a big enough vision for growth and change.  There needs to be checks and balances in place — most likely discussed in more detail next year at Morocco COP22.  An independent agency will need to be formed organically to both check and enforce agreed upon targets, much like the International Atomic Energy Agency reports to the Security Council.

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Wind energy captured by these faux trees –outside COP21 Paris–sustainable device for biodiversity

The long term key will be the enforceable, critical language added, and systems put in place to realize the outcome of the global goals. It will take time to work out the logistics of how we live into these objectives collectively.  That is why this is a convention with the goals to have a framework to build out over time, so it reflects the truth of what we are collectively committed to achieving. Transparent, enforceable global policy with mechanisms, systems, and a structure that we all— all nations and all people— can live into after COP21.  This will take more time than allotted at COP21— that is why this is a process.  This process can direct global markets, as well as steer the re-prioritization of our collective values— this is where change can take root. Here is a copy of the yesterday’s draft doc, and some of the key sticking points . It may take years to realize the “how,” but at this point, what is important is that we agree to common global goals and objectives that will set us in a direction to live into our future.

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