Isn’t it time us folks in the sustainability movement here in the Lehigh Valley were getting our heads — and our act — together on bringing about the needed actions to address the Climate-System Crisis head on?
You are hereby invited to help get the ball rolling by helping to plan, sponsor, shape, put on a Community Dialogue (Series?) on the climate crisis, focusing on what we need to do to make the needed changes to the climate-system. The first (?!) Community Dialogue in the series (?!) would be held in March 2014.
Needed: people to plan the event, work on the event, figure out what the event format should be, get speakers, if necessary, get a venue, get a sizable turnout, start us on the road to taking the needed action.
Such a community dialogue (or series of dialogues?) might address:
1) Elements of the climate-system:
- from Richard Smith: political-economy-climate connections — capitalist production pressures and the market vs. democratic social institutions and direct economic planning (Peter Crownfield’s been sending us links to Richard Smith’s writings — “Capitalism and the Destruction of Life on Earth: Six Theses on Saving Humans” and “Green Capitalism- The God that Failed“);
- from Al Gore & James Hansen: energy-climate connections — burning of fossil fuels vs. renewable energy;
- from Allan Savory (Monica McAghon provided a link to Savory’s Ted talk): agriculture-climate connections — ecologically-destructive industrial agriculture vs. the use of herd animals to mimic nature
2) What is to be done? Going beyond the highly commendable individual outrage (the IMAHAINGTIA Declaration: I’m-Mad-As-Hell-And-I’m-Not-Gonna-Take-It-Anymore).
What are the benefits, limits, power of:
- pointing to successful practices (the Yes! magazine approach)
- participation in international conferences (like Diane Husic/Moravian College’s observer role at the COP conferences)
- taking it to the streets — people-power: direct action efforts, like the Green Shadow Cabinet’s Global Climate Convergence kicking off on Earth Day or 350.org global climate days
- lobbying (the Citizen’s Climate Lobby, e.g.)
- congress-watching (from Ralph Nader — the Beyond Capitalism Study Group/Community watched his interviews)
- party politics (like Karen Feridun’s pressure on the Democratic Party)
- third political parties
- Committees of 100/green shadow governments (like the Green Shadow Cabinet)
- community empowerment efforts, like the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund’s community bill of rights approach that’s making news in Upper Mount Bethel Township these days.
- sustainable community building — the Transition Town model
What am I leaving out?
3) Toward a Lehigh Valley Green Shadow Government/Committee of 100:
What kinds of climate-system decisions and actions are to be expected from democratic social institutions and direct economic planning?
Suggested speaker: Cheri Honkala, of the national Green Shadow Cabinet.
Add your comments and/or contact martin@sustainlv.org