Climate Politics

The basic approach of the Bright Lines project

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After a decade of brutal political trench warfare, the surreal debate in the U.S. on the reality of climate change is over. A Democratic Congress looking to put climate in play in 2008, serious buy-in for federal regulation from a band of corporate heavyweights, and a rash of climate conversions from the likes of Pat Robertson and Frank Luntz (author of the infamous strategy memo advising Bush administration operatives how to muddle the climate change debate) demonstrate that a significant and probably permanent shift in climate change political gravity has taken place within the last year.

U.S. environmentalists have a very brief opportunity to reshape our climate agenda in order to meet the demands and seize the opportunities of new circumstances, and the stakes could not be higher. It is likely that the actions of U.S. environmentalists in the next two or three years –- more so than any other group of people on the planet -– will determine whether a functional global response to abrupt climate change is advanced.

Maybe the Pentagon can persuade red-staters

The military -- which tends to insist on operating in a reality-based world, as a matter of self-preservation -- thinks global heating is a big threat.

A bit from the story:

Today, 11 retired senior generals issued a report drawing attention to the ability of climate change to act as a "threat multiplier" in unstable parts of the world. The Army's former chief of staff, Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, who is one of the authors, noted he had been "a little bit of a skeptic" when the study group began meeting in September. But after being briefed by top climate scientists and observing changes in his native New England, Sullivan said he is now convinced that global warming presents a grave challenge to the country's military preparedness.

"The trends are not good, and if I just sat around in my former life as a soldier, if I just waited around for someone to walk in and say, 'This is with a hundred percent certainty,' I'd be waiting forever," he said.

The Err Up There

EPA relaxes clean-air requirements for ethanol-fuel plants Before last week, plants turning corn into liquor (yes, please) were allowed to emit 250 tons of emissions per year before triggering clean-air regulations, while those processing corn into ethanol fuel could emit only 100 tons annually. Just doesn’t seem fair, does it? So the U.S. EPA did […]

In Washington state

Ooh, boy! It looks like the state of Washington is one step closer to having a sane climate policy. The state House of Representatives just passed a climate policy that looks like it's got some teeth:

Local and federal leaders step it up

As reported by KING5.com (video), more than 1,000 people took part in Step It Up Seattle, which began at Occidental Park in downtown Seattle and ended in Myrtle Edwards Park where a rally and solutions fair commenced. Many Grist staff members were present, and took pictures and chatted with local Grist readers. My job was to record brief audio interviews with some of the participants. Early in the week, we plan to share these photos and recordings with you.

For now, here is just a taste of the day's events, the unedited audio recordings (Windows Media) of the rally's speakers:

KC Golden, Policy Director for Climate Solutions -- Listen (7:22)

Jiji Jally, Marshall Islands representative -- Listen (4:36)

Jay Inslee, U.S. Congressman; Greg Nickels, Mayor of Seattle; Ron Sims, King County Executive -- Listen (26:00)

Dave Freiboth, MLK Jr. County Labor Council; Emily Duncanson, Western Washington University student and founder of Kyoto in the classroom; Rev. Lisa Domke -- Listen (13:22)

More to come.

Update [2007-4-16 17:13:1 by Chris Schults]: Check out today's podcast to hear from some of the Seattle marchers.

Update [2007-4-20 12:44:12 by Chris Schults]: Check out Grist's audio slideshow.

Mostly in the local papers

I’m moving this to a separate thread. I’m trying to track news coverage of SIU events — most of which is popping up in local and regional newspapers. If you know of a story I haven’t got here, leave it in comments — I’ll be updating. Forthwith: Coverage of Step It Up events in Annapolis, […]

Get out there on the street!

Today is the day! Across the United States, in more than 1,300 communities, citizens are gathering together at local grassroots events to send a clear message to Congress: Step it up. Pass legislation that will insure an 80% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The world’s eyes are upon us. Go here to find […]

Don’t forget to Step It Up tomorrow

This was posted by my colleague Madeline Ostrander at our mothership blog, but I thought it belonged on Gristmill as well.

What do Washington Congressional Rep. Jay Inslee, the AFL-CIO, a car-sharing company, and a radio DJ have in common? What about swimmers doing a polar bear dip in the Willamette River, a Unitarian Church, and Portland Commissioner Eric Sten? They and thousands of others are, for the first time in history, united on climate change.

Founded by writer Bill McKibben, Step It Up is the largest and most diverse citizen day of action on climate change the U.S. has ever seen. With 1,300 gatherings in cities and small towns across the U.S., could Step It Up be the climate movement's turning point, its "Selma" or "bus boycott" as one activist suggested in yesterday's Oregonian? Step It Up organizers hope so, as the events catch a wide net of supporters -- companies, churches, national labor associations, peace groups, local governments, conservation organizations, and thousands of citizens collectively urging Congress to take action on climate.

In Seattle, nearly 50 partner groups -- including Grist; the AFL-CIO and United Steelworkers; coalitions of peace activists and churches; Sightline Institute; the League of Women Voters; and the Sierra Club and other environmental organizations -- are bringing Rep. Jay Inslee together onstage with Presbyterian minister Lisa Domke, student activist Emily Duncanson, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, and King County Executive Ron Sims. Organizers are expecting thousands from the Puget Sound area to turn out for one-mile march ending in a rally and sustainability fair.

But Now What?

Bush withdraws controversial EPA nominations Earlier this month, we reported that President Bush was re-dangling three controversial names for key environmental positions in his administration, suggesting that he might appoint them while Congress was on a break. While he did manage to push one such recess appointment through last week — Susan Dudley as White […]

Latter-Day Paints

EPA says racism isn’t a factor in Ford Superfund saga A strange environmental-justice saga is unfolding in New Jersey, pitting Ford Motor Co. against a community of Ramapough Indians and their allies. Decades ago, Ford dumped thousands of tons of toxic paint sludge at a former mining area. The dump was declared a Superfund site, […]