Photo by Ecolabs.

Two headlines in USA Today and Reuters last week were very sobering: “Study: Global temperatures could rise 5 degrees by 2050,” and, even worse, “Global warming close to becoming irreversible.”

It’s not that I was surprised. I have known for years how urgent things are as far as our heated-up climate. Since I decided in 2003 that I needed to do more personally on this overarching survival issue, the world has seen a dramatic rise in the number and intensity of weather disasters, just as predicted by climate scientists years ago, though they've come sooner than most scientists expected.

What are the main points of these two articles?

Water makes its way, through fields, hills, and mountains Water makes its way, it has its ups and downs Water makes its way, it ends up in the oceans Water makes its way, it really gets around. I must make my way, no matter what life throws me I must make my way, must do the best I can I must make my way, my faith and hope they guide me I must make my way, together we all must stand. We must make our way, together up the mountain We must make our way, rememb'ring those before We must …

When I go out and feel nature’s wonders Wind, water, sun, the earth, the moon, the stars I feel such joy, love and appreciation I thank my God, the Force of Truth You are.   Chorus: Then sings my soul, the best I know within How great thou art, how great thou art Then sings my soul, the best I know within How great thou art, how great thou art.   And yet I know the world is full of suffering From greed and hate which often have their way Children dying, oppression much too normal, The environment itself in …

Eight years ago I decided that I needed to change my life. The reason? The late summer heat wave which hit Western Europe in August, 2003, leading to 30,000 or more deaths.   I knew about the issue of global warming before 2003. Indeed, in 2002, during a Green Party of New Jersey campaign for the U.S. Senate, it was one of my major issues. Prominent in my basic brochure was this statement: “Move towards energy independence, reverse global warming and create jobs through a crash program to get energy from the sun, the wind and other renewable fuels.”   …

“But eventually, the greater danger to the movement is that it may dovetail into the presidential election campaign that's coming up. I've seen that happen before in the antiwar movement here, and I see it happening all the time in India. Eventually, all the energy goes into trying to campaign for the "better guy," in this case Barack Obama, who's actually expanding wars all over the world. Election campaigns seem to siphon away political anger and even basic political intelligence into this great vaudeville, after which we all end up in exactly the same place.”      -Arundhati Roy,  http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/30/arundhati-roy-interview   …

Amazing, just amazing. We win one a week ago on the tar-sands pipeline -- not a final victory but a big one -- and then yesterday, the young (and older) people of Occupy Wall Street pull off a tremendously powerful day-long series of actions in response to the Bloomberg/police, middle-of-the-night Tuesday eviction at Liberty Park. It began with nonviolent disruption of Wall Street, continued with organized outreach, education and movement-building on the NYC subways and concluded with a massive march and rally of tens of thousands across the Brooklyn Bridge and into Brooklyn. But not just this. Yesterday was also …

Two days ago, I was convinced that the amazing Keystone XL pipeline victory won by the North American climate movement on Nov. 10 was going to be, without question, a pivotal turning point. Today, having thought more about it, I'd say it's more like somewhere between "maybe" and "probably." I'm reminded of another "victory" that many in the climate and broader progressive movement were feeling just about three years ago: Obama's election. That one didn't exactly turn out the way many of us thought it would. Obama does deserve credit and thanks for the decision he made to put off …

About noon, as the organizers of yesterday's encirclement of the White House to stop the tar-sands pipeline were setting up, someone said, "the flag is flying over the White House, that means President Obama is home." Said a U.S. Park Police person standing next to me, "it's not true, sorry to disappoint, but he's not home." But lo and behold, at 5:15 p.m., as the light was rapidly fading and a beautiful three-quarters moon appeared in the sky over Lafayette Park, as Bill McKibben was wrapping up, speaking about the wonder and power of the day's event and this movement, …

On Monday, Oct. 31, speaking about a possible permit for the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, President Obama's press secretary Jay Carney told the press that "this is a decision that will be made by the State Department." On Tuesday, Nov. 1, speaking during an interview at the White House with a reporter from Omaha, Nebraska-based TV station KETV, President Obama himself said that he will be making the decision. More than that, Obama gave the rhetorical back of his hand to the false argument of pipeline supporters that it is a big jobs creator: "I think folks in Nebraska, …

November 6 at the White House is a big day and an important place. That afternoon, one year before the 2012 elections, thousands of people from around the country will be doing something that has never been done before. We will be surrounding the White House, a mile or more in circumference, in a Circle of Hope.   We will call upon President Obama to reject the dirty-oil, Keystone XL pipeline Big Oil wants built across the middle of the USA, from the Canadian tar sands in Alberta province to the Texas Gulf Coast refineries (http://tarsandaction.org).   We will be doing …