Join us for a Global Work Party in October, on 10-10-10

Join us for a Global Work Party in October, on 10-10-10. "A Day to Celebrate Climate Solutions”

Last fall Bill McKibben and the folks at 350.org organized what Foreign Policy called “the largest ever coordinated global rally of any kind”. 350.org was set up to create a rally against global climate change. There were 5,200 demonstrations in 181 countries with 2000 in the United States. These demonstrations were meant to let the world leaders meeting in Copenhagen know that people around the globe want to take action to lower our carbon emissions and get to 350 parts per million carbon dioxide. This is what NASA’s James Hansen and his colleagues have demonstrated is the most we can have in the atmosphere if we want a planet “similar to the one on which civilization developed and to which life on earth is adapted.” There was a resounding lack of response from all of the leading industrialized nations in Copenhagen, particularly the United States. Our government representatives were unwilling to take a stand on this most important issue.

Locally, Transition Town Manchester joined the global rally. Our small contribution to the global effort was selling 350 fruit trees and then planting them in the spring. It was a very successful community action and a small movement towards our community being able to feed ourselves and stop our dependency on oil consumption.

Now it is almost a year later and McKibben noted in a recent commentary that, “According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the planet has just come through the warmest decade, the warmest 12 months, the warmest six months, and the warmest April, May, and June on record...” He states other staggering statistics. “Nine nations have so far set their all-time temperature records in 2010, including Russia (111 degrees), Niger (118), Sudan (121), Saudi Arabia and Iraq (126 apiece), and Pakistan, which also set the new all-time Asia record in May: a hair under 130 degrees. I can turn my oven to 130 degrees... And then, in late July, the U.S. Senate decided to do exactly nothing about climate change... “

So what are we to do? McKibben suggests we do three things; 1) we need to talk about the reality of global warming and make sure our politicians and news media do not skirt the issue, 2) we need to stop compromising and ask for what we need, not what we think we can get. No more making deals that support the already subsidized fossil fuel industry. (He suggests a stiff carbon tax with the money being returned directly to American pockets). And 3) we need to start a movement.

Which is where we come in. In order to jump start this movement McKibben and friends at 350.org are coordinating a Global Work Party in October, on 10-10-10. They are calling it "A Day to Celebrate Climate Solutions"—The plan is to get together and work on projects that cut carbon and build the clean energy future. Then we will use that day to pressure our leaders to also get to work and pass strong legislation that promotes clean energy and reduces emissions. “All around the country and the world people will be putting up solar panels and digging community gardens and laying out bike paths. Not because we can stop climate change one bike path at a time, but because we need to make a sharp political point to our leaders: we’re getting to work, what about you?”

We can’t wait for our leaders. We CAN act at a local level. Transition Town Manchester is planning on getting to work and we hope you will join in. Maybe we can get to work on that bike path that everyone wants….

For more information visit www.transitiontownmanchester.org or check out 350.org. at http://www.350.org/campaigns/1010.