Organizing for Action: Tackling Climate Change

Posted on April 30, 2013 by bradleydibble

Organizing for Action (OFA) is the name of the nonprofit organization that supports President Obama and his efforts to make changes that most Americans want. Changes like gun control, sensible environmental policies to address climate change, and immigration reform. OFA encourages local chapters to form with grassroots support an important component for its success.

One of the many fights OFA is taking on is climate change. With so many politicians on the right side of the aisle refusing to accept the overwhelming evidence that scientists consider irrefutable, it’s time to point out this silliness. In 2011, a grand total of 240 members of Congress voted to rule climate change as a hoax. They publicly mock the science, spewing out comments that reveal how little they truly understand about the issue, and now OFA is calling them on it.

Here’s a video with clips of some of the most vocal politicians—hilarious and yet sad all at the same time.

The NY Times Advice to Obama RE: Keystone XL

Posted on March 13, 2013 by bradleydibble

“[President Obama] should say no, and for one overriding reason: A president who has repeatedly identified climate change as one of humanity’s most pressing dangers cannot in good conscience approve a project that—even by the State Department’s most cautious calculations—can only add to the problem.”
—NY TImes Editorial, March 11, 2013

Only days after the NY Times ditched its green blog, it has made a very bold statement in an editorial recommending that President Obama nix the Keystone XL pipeline.

Editorials in daily newspapers are generally a dime a dozen. Editors have their own opinions just like anyone else, and they typically use their editorials as a venue to reveal their perspectives.

But the NY Times isn’t your garden-variety daily newspaper. Established in 1851, it has been a continuous daily newspaper ever since, winning 108 Pulitzer Prizes. It’s the largest metropolitan newspaper in the US, and the third largest newspaper overall after the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. Its website is the most popular newspaper website with over 30 million unique visitors every month.

So it’s reasonable to assume that a newspaper of this calibre might have some clout. The editorial encourages the President to consider the long-term consequences of approving the Keystone XL pipeline. Continue reading →

40,000 in Washington Protest Keystone XL

Posted on February 19, 2013 by bradleydibble

“President Obama, you hold a pen with the executive power of hope in your hands. Write down these words: ‘I reject the Keystone XL pipeline.’ ”
—Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club

This past weekend saw the largest climate rally ever assembled in the United States. A total of around 40,000 people gathered from all over North Americe in Washington D.C. to demonstrate to President Barack Obama that not everyone is in love with the idea of linking Alberta’s tar sands with oil refineries in Texas in order to generate the dirtiest oil on the planet associated with the most greenhouse gas emissions by the time the final product is ready for prime time.

Even though the President wasn’t at the White House—he was celebrating the long weekend a little farther south—the message will have been heard loud and clear nonetheless. This is the first and best opportunity for Obama to be true to his message in his second inaugural address: that the time to act on climate change has come, that we have to listen to the world’s brightest scientists and what they’re telling us on the matter. If he means what he said, he’ll say no to Keystone XL. Continue reading →

Obama’s “State of the Union” and How We Will Tackle Climate Change

Posted on February 14, 2013 by bradleydibble

“…if Congress won’t act soon to protect future generations, I will.”
—President Barack Obama during this week’s State of the Union address

President Obama’s State of the Union address took place this week. In it he addressed energy and specifically the importance of making changes to combat climate change more than any previous Commander in Chief in any State of the Union address. I thought about posting some quotes but rather than take anythign out of context, I’ve reproduced everything he had to say on the matter in its entirety. I’ve highlighted in bold particularly key points that stood out to me, and I’ve included some of my own comments at the very end. I truly hope this is the beginning of the end of ignoring the threats to our planet from greenhouse gas emissions.

Continue reading →

US Emissions Lowest They’ve Been Since 1994

Posted on February 5, 2013 by bradleydibble

“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.”
—Henry Ford

A report compiled by Bloomberg New Energy Finance for the Business Council for Sustainable Energy indicates that US emissions of carbon dioxide have fallen by 13 percent over the last five years, down to the lowest levels they’ve been since 1994.

This is great news because this puts the US more than halfway toward President Obama’s pledge of cutting emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels over the next ten years. The means by which this has been accomplished have been due in part to improved efficiency with energy-saving technologies and increased use of renewable energy sources.

This accomplishment also helps to dispel the myth that emissions can’t be cut without harming the economy; the GDP in the US climbed during this same five-year period. Continue reading →