GreenPeace, the number 350 and the massive Suncor "bridge to climate hell"!
Joseph Raglione
October 12, 2009
Gentle readers within this American Chronicle, if you do not understand what the number 350 means, here is your chance to find out...>
Key Numbers
8 weeks to United Nations climate change meeting in Copenhagen.
65,000 petitions signed so far.
Out of 308 MPs in Ottawa, 143 have signed the KYOTOplus pledge.
Take Action
Sign the KYOTOplus Petition
Make a Donation to support our work on Climate Change
Talk to Members of Parliament, ask them to sign the KYOTOplus pledge for politicians.
No Conservatives have signed.
Join Us Online
Greenpeace Responds:
Our Executive Director, Bruce Cox, responds to some of the more frequent comments we receive about our Stop the Tar Sands actions:
Youīre trying to take away our livelihoods.
Canadaīs economy is healthy because of the tar sands and you want to endanger it by shutting them down.
Why aren't you going after the US/China?
Greenpeace activists are tourists from other countries telling Albertans how to exploit their resources.
Read the full post
Support Us
Petropolis
Greenpeace Canada's film, Petropolis: Aerial Perspectives on the Alberta Tar Sands, made a successful North American debut at the Toronto International Film Festival this month. The film, directed by Peter Mettler, earned praise among reviewers and audiences and will be screened in Montreal and Vancouver in October.
For more information, please visit www.petropolis-film.com
What is KYOTOplus?
In Canada, our campaign to channel the voices of individuals concerned about climate change is called KYOTOplus, and it's designed around a United Nations climate change meeting taking place this December in Copenhagen, Denmark. At this meeting, world leaders will negotiate the next phase of the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, the only existing binding international agreement on greenhouse gas emissions. The goal of KYOTOplus is to send Canadian delegates to Copenhagen with one strong, clear message: Canadian residents want meaningful action on climate change.
Upcoming
Climate Justice Tour - featuring Rahul Bose and Christina Ora
More Climate Action Network Events
KYOTOplus News - October 2009
In this issue: Our Executive Director Bruce Cox discusses the recent Greenpeace actions in Alberta, we hear from a concerned Climate Defender, and we prepare to take to the streets and act on climate change, October 23 & 24.
Why Civil Disobedience & Why Now
By Bruce Cox, Executive Director of Greenpeace Canada
Why in the world would a group of global citizens from Alberta to Berlin to Rio, drop everything and leave their comfy homes (and lives) to come to the tar sands and volunteer to put themselves on the line? Why would I do it?
This past weekend I returned from Canada's own Mordor, the tar sands: a cold, dark, otherworldly place full of fire and brimstone indeed, we dubbed the bridge spanning the massive Suncor Millennium site the "bridge to climate hell".
Alongside over 20 other activists I took part in a peaceful non-violent direct action at Suncorīs major mine site and upgrading facility in the tar sands. This was the second of three recent actions at tar sands facilities resulting in nearly 40 people arrested to date. Charged with "mischief" I spent 32 hours in jail at the Fort McMurray police station. Released on condition that I "behave" myself and stay out of the Wood Buffalo jurisdiction (the centre of tar sands destruction and an area about the size of southern Europe!) I am scheduled to appear in court in early November. Suffice to say, jail was not pleasant but itīs not supposed be.
So why would volunteers give up their warm beds and risk the elements, arrest and a police record? Why would Greenpeace want them to? And why do these peaceful acts of civil disobedience elicit such heated commentary on the web and in Tim Hortons?
Read More...
Profile of a Climate Defender
A Guest blog post by Climate Defender Sharon Howarth
I consider myself a politically active person, always working on social and environmental issues close to my heart. For the last few years Iīve grown more and more concerned about the threat of climate change, and now itīs my number one issue. It' connected to everything: food justice, healthcare, environment, water issues, social inequality and, yes, the economy on which it has, and will continue to have, a huge negative impact on.
Positive change comes about by the power of people - people participating in campaigns, raising awareness and even starting their own campaigns to compliment existing ones. Iīve adopted KYOTOplus as my issue; I 'm working hard to raise awareness around it - getting petitions signed and encouraging people to contact their elected government officials to demand action to halt climate change. Iīve heard back from some whoīve been contacting their MPs, and the news is not good enough...
Read More...
KYOTOplus and the International Day of Climate Action
Mark October 23rd and 24th on your calendar, and get ready to join the international movement to fight climate change.
We have over 65,000 signatures on the KYOTOplus Petition! But we need to triple that number and we need your help to do it. On October 23rd, all of us at Greenpeace Canada will be taking to the streets and asking everyone we see to sign the petition. Please join us, and the thousands of concerned Canadians already united under the KYOTOplus banner.
Download the PDF of the petition here - then ask ten, twenty or a hundred people to sign on! Take someone with you to make it more fun and donīt forget to ask your family and friends to sign too!
Saturday, October 24th is our partner 350.org's International Day of Climate Action, and it will see individuals, groups and communities gather to highlight this crucial number at some of the world's most iconic sites, in some of the most creative ways ever seen.
From the Great Barrier Reef to the Great Wall of China, the Pyramids to the Maldives, at over 1,800 events in more than 141 countries (and counting!), university students, athletes, musicians, artists, children, people of every colour, creed and persuasion will remind climate negotiators of the sheer breadth and depth of the movement, and what is possible when mankind comes together to act.
We invite you to organize a gathering highlighting the number '350' at an iconic place in your community, or check out 350's Map of Actions and attend one of the many exciting events already planned. Make sure you take a few hard-copy KYOTOplus Petitions to get signed while you're out there.
Read More at Tck Tck Tck
Take action | Support Greenpeace
Greenpeace Canada - 33 Cecil Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 1N1
(416) 597-8408 or 1-800-320-7183
Subscribe | Unsubscribe | Privacy policy
Key Numbers
8 weeks to United Nations climate change meeting in Copenhagen.
65,000 petitions signed so far.
Out of 308 MPs in Ottawa, 143 have signed the KYOTOplus pledge.
Take Action
Sign the KYOTOplus Petition
Make a Donation to support our work on Climate Change
Talk to Members of Parliament, ask them to sign the KYOTOplus pledge for politicians.
No Conservatives have signed.
Join Us Online
Greenpeace Responds:
Our Executive Director, Bruce Cox, responds to some of the more frequent comments we receive about our Stop the Tar Sands actions:
Youīre trying to take away our livelihoods.
Canadaīs economy is healthy because of the tar sands and you want to endanger it by shutting them down.
Why aren't you going after the US/China?
Greenpeace activists are tourists from other countries telling Albertans how to exploit their resources.
Read the full post
Support Us
Petropolis
Greenpeace Canada's film, Petropolis: Aerial Perspectives on the Alberta Tar Sands, made a successful North American debut at the Toronto International Film Festival this month. The film, directed by Peter Mettler, earned praise among reviewers and audiences and will be screened in Montreal and Vancouver in October.
For more information, please visit www.petropolis-film.com
What is KYOTOplus?
In Canada, our campaign to channel the voices of individuals concerned about climate change is called KYOTOplus, and it's designed around a United Nations climate change meeting taking place this December in Copenhagen, Denmark. At this meeting, world leaders will negotiate the next phase of the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, the only existing binding international agreement on greenhouse gas emissions. The goal of KYOTOplus is to send Canadian delegates to Copenhagen with one strong, clear message: Canadian residents want meaningful action on climate change.
Upcoming
Climate Justice Tour - featuring Rahul Bose and Christina Ora
More Climate Action Network Events
KYOTOplus News - October 2009
In this issue: Our Executive Director Bruce Cox discusses the recent Greenpeace actions in Alberta, we hear from a concerned Climate Defender, and we prepare to take to the streets and act on climate change, October 23 & 24.
Why Civil Disobedience & Why Now
By Bruce Cox, Executive Director of Greenpeace Canada
Why in the world would a group of global citizens from Alberta to Berlin to Rio, drop everything and leave their comfy homes (and lives) to come to the tar sands and volunteer to put themselves on the line? Why would I do it?
This past weekend I returned from Canada's own Mordor, the tar sands: a cold, dark, otherworldly place full of fire and brimstone indeed, we dubbed the bridge spanning the massive Suncor Millennium site the "bridge to climate hell".
Alongside over 20 other activists I took part in a peaceful non-violent direct action at Suncorīs major mine site and upgrading facility in the tar sands. This was the second of three recent actions at tar sands facilities resulting in nearly 40 people arrested to date. Charged with "mischief" I spent 32 hours in jail at the Fort McMurray police station. Released on condition that I "behave" myself and stay out of the Wood Buffalo jurisdiction (the centre of tar sands destruction and an area about the size of southern Europe!) I am scheduled to appear in court in early November. Suffice to say, jail was not pleasant but itīs not supposed be.
So why would volunteers give up their warm beds and risk the elements, arrest and a police record? Why would Greenpeace want them to? And why do these peaceful acts of civil disobedience elicit such heated commentary on the web and in Tim Hortons?
Read More...
Profile of a Climate Defender
A Guest blog post by Climate Defender Sharon Howarth
I consider myself a politically active person, always working on social and environmental issues close to my heart. For the last few years Iīve grown more and more concerned about the threat of climate change, and now itīs my number one issue. It' connected to everything: food justice, healthcare, environment, water issues, social inequality and, yes, the economy on which it has, and will continue to have, a huge negative impact on.
Positive change comes about by the power of people - people participating in campaigns, raising awareness and even starting their own campaigns to compliment existing ones. Iīve adopted KYOTOplus as my issue; I 'm working hard to raise awareness around it - getting petitions signed and encouraging people to contact their elected government officials to demand action to halt climate change. Iīve heard back from some whoīve been contacting their MPs, and the news is not good enough...
Read More...
KYOTOplus and the International Day of Climate Action
Mark October 23rd and 24th on your calendar, and get ready to join the international movement to fight climate change.
We have over 65,000 signatures on the KYOTOplus Petition! But we need to triple that number and we need your help to do it. On October 23rd, all of us at Greenpeace Canada will be taking to the streets and asking everyone we see to sign the petition. Please join us, and the thousands of concerned Canadians already united under the KYOTOplus banner.
Download the PDF of the petition here - then ask ten, twenty or a hundred people to sign on! Take someone with you to make it more fun and donīt forget to ask your family and friends to sign too!
Saturday, October 24th is our partner 350.org's International Day of Climate Action, and it will see individuals, groups and communities gather to highlight this crucial number at some of the world's most iconic sites, in some of the most creative ways ever seen.
From the Great Barrier Reef to the Great Wall of China, the Pyramids to the Maldives, at over 1,800 events in more than 141 countries (and counting!), university students, athletes, musicians, artists, children, people of every colour, creed and persuasion will remind climate negotiators of the sheer breadth and depth of the movement, and what is possible when mankind comes together to act.
We invite you to organize a gathering highlighting the number '350' at an iconic place in your community, or check out 350's Map of Actions and attend one of the many exciting events already planned. Make sure you take a few hard-copy KYOTOplus Petitions to get signed while you're out there.
Read More at Tck Tck Tck
Take action | Support Greenpeace
Greenpeace Canada - 33 Cecil Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 1N1
(416) 597-8408 or 1-800-320-7183
Subscribe | Unsubscribe | Privacy policy