Climate Justice and Stupid White Men

BPSDB

Parse that carefully because it can be too easy to become focused on the “Stupid” part. It’s S-t-u-p-i-d W-h-i-t-e M-e-n.

For completeness we should add “Old”, and “Rich” (and probably some other adjectives as well) because of course in addition to being a race and gender issue climate change is a class and generational one. Having said that, it is a very particular brand of ‘Stupid’ that we are dealing with and it deserves dissection.

Nowhere is this clearer than the recent U.S. Congressional House Energy and Commerce Committee vote that denied the existence of climate change. As has been noted elsewhere, they may as well have voted to deny the existence of gravity. While I have been known to compare climate change Denier‘s intelligence to that of lobotomized rodents it is still breathtaking to see them literally taking it to that level.

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Albert the Knowledge Penguin

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Darryl Cunningham Investigates

If you haven’t seen it yet, head over to “Darryl Cunningham Investigates” and check out his climate change comic.

Maybe a “comic” is not your preferred way of learning, but for some it is far more effective, so this is a great tool to have at hand and share. Cunningham is still working on clarifying some of the science and providing all of his sources, but that will just turn ‘good’ into ‘excellent.’

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CJF Hunger Strike day 42, Incipit

YouTube – Day 42 Message to fasters BPSDB

Bringing Moral Force to COP15

by Anna Keenan

DEC 17 – Copenhagen

1000 people will join fasters who have reached the 42nd day of a hunger strike for climate justice, in a Candlelight Vigil for Survival.

We will gather in the Øksnehallen space for a solemn and powerful event recognising the urgency and gravity of the moment–and urging leaders to rise to the world’s call to action.

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CJF Day 40, Hunger for Survival

Humanity is Hungry for Survival

BPSDB The Climate Justice Fast activists have been on hunger strike for 40 days in support of climate justice. Now in the closing days of the Copenhagen Conference they are calling on all of us to Fast for one day …

Dear Friends,

by Anna Keenan

This week an unprecedented 115 world leaders will converge in Copenhagen to forge a global agreement on climate change. It is thanks to the efforts everyone concerned about climate change that these decision makers will all be in the same room. However we, together as a global community, need to ensure they make the right decisions.

The bad news is that with only one week left, the international climate negotiations are still deadlocked. The good news is that this is our opportunity to step things up.

The science is clear, and the technological and social tools to reduce carbon pollution are ready and waiting.  Our movement has the moral high ground.  Now, we must unite and make the moral declaration that nothing short of an equitable science-based treaty is acceptable. Humanity is hungry for survival.

We are therefore calling for all people across the world, to join a single global day of fasting – voluntarily going without food, drinking only water – on Thursday 17th December.

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CJF hunger strike day 37, streets of Copenhagen

BPSDB CJF Press Conference in Copenhagen – Tuesday 8th Dec

Only Day 6 for me and I am shocked at how lethargic and dull I have become. Is this a passing phase in the bodies response? or does it reflect underlying health conditions? (there is some diabetes in the family history, so maybe?).  Regardless, Anna and Sara seem a lot more energetic and sharp than I currently feel, which I am very glad to see (Sara struggles with her English a bit, but that was true a month ago).

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CJF Hunger strike day 33, days of hardship and discipline

COP 15 Begins BPSDB

Call to action for the 12th

by Anna Keenan

It has now reached the end of my 28th day of fasting. Four complete weeks without food.

It is perhaps the hardest thing that I have ever done in my life, but then, it has also been incredibly rewarding and eye-opening. A grand test of my self-discipline.

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CJF, climate change hunger strike day 27

BPSDBDiane discusses the power of hunger strikes and the impact they have on people.

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CJF, climate change, food and equity

by Anna Keenan (CJF Hunger Strike, Day 21) BPSDB

It’s been a little while since I’ve written – been very busy preparing for COP, moving houses in Copenhagen, and so on. But with all this ‘not eating’, it’s encouraged me to reflect on diets and their contribution to the climate problem.

In truth, the indulgent eating habits of many in the over-developed, over-consuming world are amongst our most inequitable daily habits. They are probably also amongst the easiest of our habits to change.

Unlike those other low-carbon lifestyle changes, like ‘stop driving your car and catch the bus instead’ – where the alternatives simply may not exist, or may be really really inconvenient, due to poor government services (get to work lobbying them, people!) – the alternatives to our high-impact western diet are very readily available: just choose the vegetarian option!

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CJF Hunger Strike, Day 20

Michael, Day 20 BPSDB

Michael talks about various aspects of the Fast, such as

• the stages he has been experiencing
• the risks involved
• where the determination comes from (the “why”)

Very useful if you are planning to fast for Copenhagen Dec 6th – 18th.

If you don’t know about the Climate Justice Fast hunger strike you can learn all about it here and in these posts (most recent first):

• Hunger Strike Day 13, retrospectives and reflections
• Days of doubts and fears
• The Climate Justice Fast Six
• Climate Justice Fast, ripples and waves
• Climate Justice Fast – Change is now!
• Climate Justice Fast is to be … indefinite
• Climate Justice Fast begins Nov 6th, how will you be helping?

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Die Mauer (Berlin Wall), the CJF and climate action

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What does the fall of the ‘die Berliner Mauer‘ (the Berlin Wall) on Nov 9, 1989 and the end of the Cold War got to do with the Climate Justice Fast (CJF)?

What can the Wall teach us about the effectiveness of political action in general, and a hunger strike in particular?

Everything!

The reason lies in the intersection between these quotes:

“What experience and history teaches us is that people and governments have never learned anything from history, or acted on principles deduced from it”

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

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Climate Justice Fast – Change is now!

Change is now, change is now BPSDB
Things that seemed to be solid are not
All is now, all is now
The time that we have to live

Williams College Joins Worldwide Climate Hunger Strike

“At Williams College we have 45 students signed up for a relay fast.”

Jen Rowe

Canberra, Day 3

Truth is real, truth is real
That which is not real does not exist
In and out roundabout
Dance to the day when fear it is gone

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Climate Justice Fast is to be … indefinite

BPSDB This morning two amazing women, Anna Keenan and Sara Svensson, gave a press conference in Barcelona about the Climate Justice Fast. Nothing I might say could compare to their words and actions. I can’t embed the webcast, so please click the link below and hear why they are putting their health and lives on the line, as well as the statement by Agnes who puts the Fast in it’s proper context.

Climate Justice Fast! Barcelona Link –
taking climate activism to the next level

Here is Paul Connor again, talking about Day 1.

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Climate Justice Fast begins Nov 6th, how will you be helping?

BPSDB

True morality consists not in following the beaten track, but in finding out the true path for ourselves and in fearlessly following it.

Gandhi

.

On Nov 6th activists will be beginning a 40 day fast for climate justice, including people in India, the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Bhutan, The Philippines, Germany, France, Honduras and inside the Copenhagen conference itself.

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Climate lying and fraud moves from science to politics

BPSDBOK, climate change denial has always been about politics, not science, but the climate change Deniers are expanding the scope of their lying and frauds.

Now they are forging letters allegedly from groups representing marginalized populations in an attempt to prevent any meaningful action on climate change. The letters to members of the U.S. Congress actually came from a Washington lobby firm.

“They stole our name. They stole our logo. They created a position title and made up the name of someone to fill it. They forged a letter and sent it to our congressman without our authorization,” said Tim Freilich, who sits on the executive committee of Creciendo Juntos, a nonprofit network that tackles issues related to Charlottesville’s Hispanic community. “It’s this type of activity that undermines Americans’ faith in democracy.”

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