Warner-Lieberman Climate Bill Annouced Today! Thanks but no thanks Senator Warner.

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Today is the big day. Senators Warner and Lieberman announced their climate bill (The Climate Security Act of 2007) which may be the only “passable” climate bill to come out Congress this year or next year for that matter. CCAN, as a key climate organization in Virginia, would like to thank Senator Warner for his efforts on drafting climate legislation and doing a 180 on this issue in Congress. HOWEVER, after assessing the meat of the bill, it is clear that there is no true LEADER in Congress pushing an AGGRESSIVE climate pollution reduction bill. We are staring in the face of a true climate crisis, and there is no movement on the only piece of climate legislation that will really make a difference (Sanders-Boxer Bill or the Safe Climate Act in the House). Here are our concerns and critiques of the Warner-Lieberman bill in a nutshell (with help from our friends at USPIRG and Friends of the Earth):

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VA Tech to help DC become Energy Smart

In a gala session at the National Building Museum, Virginia Tech and partners announced the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Greater Washington.

The goal is to “reduce greenhouse gas emissions 20 to 50% from existing buildings”, using financing for energy efficiency and have the energy efficiency savings provide more than enough money to pay back the loan.Sound familiar to anyone? (Reminder: Energize America’s Energy Smart Communities Act.)This is a great initiative. The type of project that can be replicated across the country and pushed aggressively to significantly cut existing buildings’ energy use and the associated greenhouse gas emissions. Continue reading

First 3 Presidential candidates commit to "Step It Up"

Today is “Blog Action Day,” a unique day where 15,000 blogs have signed up to write about something related to the environment. While that’s nothing different for CCAN, there will be lots of blogs that don’t normally focus on the environment who will be today, so keep your eyes peeled for some interesting and different environmental discussions on the web.

It seems quite appropriate that today, being “Blog Action Day” and all, there will be some BIG environmental news.

So here it is. Step It Up, which will take place on November 3rd and is going to be a day when Americans from coast to coast will rally in their communities and invite their politicians to join them. So far, 8 different members of Congress have committed to attending a Step It Up event, but no presidential candidates have, despite receiving 17 invites. No presidential candidates, that is, until now…

Over the weekend, three presidential candidates committed to coming to a Nov. 3rd Step It Up rally. Who are they? Democrats John Edwards and Dennis Kucinich and Republican John McCain.

This information hasn’t even been posted on their website yet but it comes for a very reliable source so stay tuned to the Step It Up blog throughout the day to learn more.

There are still plenty of candidates left to invite. Do so using this simple “invite tool:”

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The birth of the Maryland Student Climate Coalition!

Last year students in Maryland won significant clean energy victories at their universities as part of the first year of the Campus Climate Challenge. However, with all of their successes on their individual campuses the students were hitting some road blocks with institutional policy for the entire University System of Maryland (USM). So, empowered by their past victories they had a great idea: why not get all of the USM schools to band together in one big grassroots coalition and push for one big comprehensive policy? It just seemed crazy enough to work.

So, on October 5th-7th these students planned the first ever USM Student State Summit to address the climate crisis. Students from across Maryland converged at Towson University for this big event. Over 30 students from 8 of the 11 USM institutions came together to hold activist skills trainings, strategize, and plan their campaign.

All of their labor paid off when on Saturday October 6th at 8:48PM the Maryland Student Climate Coalition (MSCC) was born! From the very start the MSCC has some ambitious goals and they are asking the state of Maryland to rise to the challenge. Their inaugural campaign is to make the entire University System of Maryland carbon neutral. Which means they want to neutralize the USM’s impact on climate change by reducing all possible emissions through energy efficiency, LEED certified buildings, and have all remaining energy use provided by clean energy sources. Their catchy campaign slogan: “Invest in our future: Make carbon neutrality a Maryland reality” is already taking off.

MSCC-PC: Baltimore Examiner

To realize this impressive mission they have set ambitious goals to get all 15 institutions in the USM to send endorsement letters to the Board of Regents and collect a total of 13,000 petition signatures!

Their efforts are already gaining notoriety from the USM Chancellor Kirwin who said that he is “dazzled” by the dedication and coordination of the student campaign. On December 14th MSCC will make their big presentation to the Board of Regents to urge them to pass a policy for carbon neutrality. (The USM is the 13th largest university system in the world and if the policy passes it will be the second system in the nation, following California, to have such a comprehensive policy).

Last week, the Maryland Student Climate Coalition hit the ground running and launched their campaign in a joint press conference with the Sierra Club of Maryland. On an unnatural and blisteringly hot October day they gathered in Federal Hill Park in Baltimore and unveiled their newly formed coalition to the press and the public. Read the coverage in the Baltimore Examiner and the Baltimore Sun Blog. Congratulations MSCC!

"I am deeply honored"

Former vice president Al Gore and the United Nations Panel on Climate Change were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize today for their work educating the world about global warming and advocating for political action to control it.

“We face a true planetary emergency,” says Gore in a statement on his blog. “The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity. It is also our greatest opportunity to lift global consciousness to a higher level.”

In the spirit of activism, and because the absolutely necessary climate movement that Al Gore’s work has helped create is only in its infancy, I wanted to take this opportunity to encourage everyone to see “An Inconvenient Truth” briefing in person — if not by Gore then by someone he has trained.

Gore, via The Climate Project, has trained 1000+ people who, in turn, have given somewhere over 5000 presentations in less than a year’s time.

On the Climate Project site you can request a presentation or you can find out if any are already planned near you.

Al Gore has done some tremendous work educating the public about the defining issue of our time, and we wouldn’t be able to make the claim, as we so often do, that we have science on our side if not for the tireless work of the remarkable scientists that make up the IPCC. Congratulations to Al Gore, to the IPCC, and to everyone around the world working on climate change! This is a great day for the climate.

Something that I think best illustrates how important Al Gore’s work has been is this quote by film critic Roger Ebert:

“In 39 years, I have never written these words in a movie review, but here they are: ‘You owe it to yourself to see “An Inconvenient Truth”. If you do not, and you have grandchildren, you should explain to them why you decided not to.”

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Ducks in Chesapeake Bay threatened by global warming

Over the past quarter century, billions of dollars have been invested in restoring the Chesapeake Bay watershed. These major investments could be lost due to global warming.

The National Wildlife Federation, which has been doing some great work reaching out to non-traditional constituents such as hunters and anglers, just released a new report on how global warming is impacting–and will impact–the Chesapeake Bay. It focuses specifically on how global warming will affect duck and other wildlife populations in the Bay.

Chesapeake Bay ducks

The report comes as attention on global warming, and its local effects, reaches new heights. Only a week before the report’s release, a key Senate committee called a hearing with MD. Gov. O’Malley and VA. Gov. Kaine on how global warming is likely to impact the Bay. NWF’s report focuses on how continuing coastal development and global warming’s devastating effects have begun threatening the Bay and its wildlife at an unprecedented level.

Take action on NWF’s website and urge your representatives to protect the Chesapeake’s ducks by supporting strong global warming legislation.
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Bush: Wrong Way on Global Warming

On Sept 27th-28th, Bush called a meeting of the world’s biggest polluters to talk about voluntary caps on carbon emissions and "clean coal." CCAN supporters were on hand to proclaim our own message: “George Bush does not speak for us. We want clean energy now!“

Williamsburg CAN Helps Kick off VA Coal Campaign

On September 24th, WCAN (Williamsburg Climate Action Network) hosted the first in a series of CCAN events supporting the message of – No New Coal in Virginia! Invest in clean energy! The event was held on the campus of William and Mary and was attended by students, professors, and people in the community interested in learning how coal impacts their local environment.

Eric Blevins from Mountain Justice Summer presented a shocking slide show on mountaintop removal of coal and how it is devastating communities in Southwestern Virginia, particularly Wise County, Virginia.

Mike Tidwell talked about how coal is affecting climate change and the need for tougher legislative action NOW to shift to renewable energy sources. Continue reading

Earth to Bush… – Citizens Protest Sham Climate Conference

Just when you thought George Bush couldn’t possibly isolate himself any more on global warming, he goes and hosts an embarrassing charade of a climate conference, bringing together 17 leading emitters in order to preach the virtues of voluntary actions. It was a shameless ploy, as even the mainstream media were quick to point out.

Thankfully, hundreds of protestors were on hand to call him out.

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Folks from all over the DC region came together outside the State Department last Friday to remind Bush of the reality he so recklessly chooses to ignore; and I don’t just mean the reality of melting ice caps and threatened species, I also mean the reality that he’s out of touch with the American public. He doesn’t speak for us, pure and simple.

It was a great rally. There were speeches from local climate and social justice leaders such as Van Jones, Ted Glick, Jamie Henn and Mike Tidwell. Live music was provided by Luci Murphy. The media were there in force. A polar bear even showed up. Together, we sent Bush a strong message: that his criminal negligence on climate change is no longer acceptable.

Instead of useless voluntary measures, we were there to demand an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. We were there to demand a new direction. Most of all, we came out to represent all citizens who know that nothing short of mandatory reductions is good enough.

Our enormous carbon footprint – and what you can do about it.

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments has taken a stab at quantifying our region’s contribution to global warming, and the result is not pretty. A whopping 65.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide were emitted here in 2005. That was more than in all of Hungary, Finland, Sweden, Denmark or Switzerland, each of which has more people.

It’s not a surprise that we compete with entire countries in Scandinavia,” said Mike Tidwell. “What this data does is point out just how huge America’s contribution to climate change is…if our one capital region is emitting on par with other industrialized countries.

What’s to blame? According to the Washington Post, it’s our crawling traffic and our reliance on dirty coal-fired power plants.

So, as Arctic ice vanishes and scientists scream of a coming climate catastrophe, the DC region needs to step up up and address its spiraling carbon emissions.

First, there are things that you personally can do. There are a number of options for individuals–you can buy green power, either through Pepco Energy Services (where applicable) or from a group like Clean Currents. There are many ways to reduce carbon and save money. Use only compact fluorescent light bulbs, make sure any new appliances you buy are Energy Star certified and try to limit how much meat you eat. There are also incentives in your state to invest in renewable energy.

But — and I’m sorry to say this — voluntary personal actions just aren’t going to cut it. We’ll never solve the climate crisis one light bulb at a time. What we need, instead of the generic list of “ten things you can do,” are ten historic statutes that ban abusive and violent practices like the manufacture of gas-guzzling cars and inefficient light bulbs. That’s the kind of change we need. And we need it now.

So, after you’re done changing your light bulbs and switching over to wind energy, get involved in a CCAN campaign and demand that your state pass a law that will take a big chunk out of our runaway pollution.

In Virginia, we’re working to persuade the state to stop the construction of a new coal-fired power plant in Wise County and instead invest in clean, renewable energy. Learn more here.

In Maryland, we’re working to make sure that Gov. O’Malley commits to reducing Maryland’s global warming pollution 20% by 2020 and at least 80% by 2050. Get involved here.

And in D.C. we’re working hard to make sure the City Council passes a “Clean Cars Act,” which will strengthen the pollution controls on all new cars registered in the District. We aim to see the law passed in January and we need all the help we can get! Learn more here.