Only dramatic and immediate reductions in greenhouse gas emissions -- including 10% emission reductions by 2010 and protecting all old forests -- offer any real hope of maintaining a livable climate and Earth. It is up to the climate and rainforest movements to rally the world's citizens to support bold, ecologically sufficient actions required to reduce emissions NOW including: 1) personal and societal cutting of emissions by 10% in the next 18 months, 2) using REDD carbon finance to pay only for full protection and restoration of old forests, 3) and striking a "grand deal" at Copenhagen that achieves both,
while acknowledging past carbon debt as well as developing nation's cataclysmic rise in emissions.
Sadly yet predictably, the emphasis in the lead up to Copenhagen has been upon political haggling, casting blame upon others, and long-term, vague pledges to cut emissions by 80% by 2050. Other climate advocacy campaigns justifiably work for eventual 350 parts-per-million of carbon (even as we are well past). These long-term goals are valid -- yet their focus upon long-term targets in the face of global ecological collapse happening now is too little, too late. The Earth and her humanity are already in ecological overshoot -- our cumulative impacts upon climate and ecosystems have already exceeded their life-giving capacity, and are causing them to collapse. Humanity needs to begin dramatic emissions reductions immediately just to survive.
This global affinity campaign to world climate leaders partly builds upon the idea behind a national campaign at 10:10UK.org -- which recently launched only in the UK. The 10:10 campaign notes most people want to do something simple yet meaningful about climate change. Together we can demonstrate that fast, deep cuts in GHG emissions can be made internationally one household and organization as a time. Every person should be able to cut their emissions by 10% in a relatively straight-forward manner such as shorter showers, walking and biking more, eating less or no meat, driving less or none, and many other easy and otherwise healthy measures. And let's make this personal statement, political as well
Please call upon every Copenhagen climate negotiator and government to embrace this 10:10 pledge and other short-term, ecologically sufficient climate policy. Note that humans have hit the limits of a finite planet, and there is absolutely no way current and predicted energy use can be produced from agrofuels or more drilling without destroying the atmosphere. If existing political systems are unable to deal with the climate change as economic growth slows, then new political structures will be necessary. Let governments know failure at Copenhagen means they have abdicated, and an Earth Revolution is the only possible way to sustain and restore healthy climate and other ecosystems as the basis of human civilization and all life.
http://steetsblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/american-dream-and-earths-ecosystems_12.html
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