Friday, December 18, 2009

McKibben: The numbers add up to hell on earth, Urgent Actions

Today is the final day of of the summit and its most perceptive, honest
and informative radio and tv broadcast, on Democracy Now. Perhaps
its most critical as it deals with President Obama's presence.
Look up Democracy Now, if you don't know where to watch/hear it.
Ed

From: earthactionnetwork@earthlink.net

Copenhagen's last-ditch summit to stop catastrophic global warming is
failing; world leaders are appealing for massive public pressure to save it.
Sign the giant petition below - it may be the largest in history:

Dear friends,
With just 2 days left, the historic Copenhagen climate summit is failing.

World leaders have begun the final hours of direct negotiations. The UK
Prime Minister has directly appealed to Avaaz to build the tidal wave of
public pressure needed to reach a deal that stops catastrophic global
warming of 2 degrees.

Click below to sign the petition for a real deal -- the campaign already has
a staggering 11 million supporters -- over the next 48 hours let's make it
the largest petition in history! The name of every signer is being read out
right now in the summit hall -- sign on at the link below and forward this
email to everyone!

http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_copenhagen

We are making history in Copenhagen. A group of young people have sat down
in the middle of the summit and begun reading the names of every person who
signs the petition for a real deal. Another group is doing the same
'petition reading sit-in' in the Canadian Prime Minister's office, and
rumours are that more such actions will happen today. On an emergency
conference call with 3000 Avaaz members today, UK Prime Minister Gordon
Brown said:

"What you're doing through the internet around the world is absolutely
crucial to setting the agenda. In the next 48 hours, don't underestimate
your effect on the leaders here in Copenhagen"

Earlier, millions watched the Avaaz vigil inside the summit on TV, where
Archbishop Desmond Tutu told hundreds of delegates and assembled children:

"We marched in Berlin, and the wall fell.
"We marched for South Africa, and apartheid fell.
"We marched at Copenhagen -- and we WILL get a Real Deal."
Copenhagen is seeking the biggest mandate in history to stop the greatest
threat humanity has ever faced. History will be made in the next 48 hours.
How will our children remember this moment? Let's tell them we did all we
could.

http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_copenhagen

With hope and determination,
Ricken, Alice, Ben, Paul, Luis, Iain, Veronique, Graziela, Pascal, Paula,
Benjamin, Raj, Raluca, Taren, David, Josh and the whole Avaaz team.

-----------------------

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/cif-green/2009/dec/15/bill-mckibben

Copenhagen: Only the numbers count - and they add up to hell on earth

Climate Interactive's software speaks numbers, not spin - which is where the
true understanding of the Copenhagen summit lies

By Bill McKibben
The Guardian/UK: Dec. 17, 2009

The Bella centre is a swirl of chatter, the streets of Copenhagen are a
swirl of protest. Depending on what hour you listen to the news bulletin,
the UN climate negotiations have "come off the rails" or are "back on track"
or have "stalled" or are "moving swiftly". Which is why the only people who
really understand what's going on may be a small crew of folks from a group
of computer jockeys called Climate Interactive. Their software speaks
numbers, not spin - and in the end it's the numbers that count.

First number to know: 350. It's what scientists have been saying for two
years is the maximum amount of carbon dioxide we can safely have in the
atmosphere, measured in parts per million. Those scientists have been joined
by an unprecedented outpouring from civil society: in late October,
activists put on what CNN called "the most widespread day of political
action in the planet's history," with 5,200 demonstrations in 181 countries,
all rallying around that number. Three thousand vigils last weekend across
the planet spelled out the number in candles. Thousands of churches rang
their bells 350 times on Sunday, and yesterday the World Parliament of
Religions, meeting in Melbourne and representing the "largest interreligious
gathering on earth" sent an emergency 350 declaration here to Copenhagen.

The second number: 100. That's (roughly) how many countries are backing a
350 target here at Copenhagen. That's more than half the nations in
attendance - unfortunately, they're the small, poor ones. But it's amazing
to see them, in the face of enormous pressure, keeping the idea of real
action alive. Yesterday Mohamed Nasheed, president of the Maldives, spoke to
a roaring crowd of thousands: "We know what the laws of physics say: the
most important number in the world is 350."

The third number: 4%. That's how much the US is offering to cut its
emissions from their 1990 levels by 2020. Scientists tell us that the
developed world would need to reduce by at least 40% to get us back on a 350
track, so the American offer is exactly an order or magnitude off. And
they're not alone. All the rich countries, not to mention China, are looking
to do as little as possible and still escape here with some kind of
agreement they can hide behind.

The fourth number - and the most important one. When the folks at Climate
Interactive plug in every promise made at these talks (the American offer on
the table, the Chinese promise to reduce "energy intensity", the EU pledges,
and so on) their software tells them almost instantly how much carbon they
would eventually produce. When they hit the button last night, the program
showed that by 2100 the world's CO2 concentrations (currently 390) would
be - drumroll please - 770. That is, we would live in hell, or at least a
place with a similar temperature.

So that's the scorecard. You may hear a lot of happy talk from world leaders
over the next few days as they "reach a historic agreement". But that's how
it all adds up.

. Bill McKibben is the coordinator of 350.org
--

This was from Mha Atma's Earth Action Network email list. To subscribe:
earthactionnetwork@earthlink.net. More info: www.earthactionnetwork.org


"The most alarming sign of the state of our society now is that the
leaders have to courage to sacrifice the lives of young people in war but
have not the courage to tell us that we must be less greedy and less
wasteful."


--Wendell Berry

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