Pioneer Valley Climate - What is the campaign

The Climate 350 Campaign is a coalition of groups and individuals in the Pioneer Valley who are launching an ongoing citizen lobbying campaign to convince our four federal elected officials -- Senator Kerry, Senator-Elect Brown and Reps. Olver and Neal -- to make getting back to 350 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide -- as quickly as possible -- their priority for the climate/energy crisis.

Together we urge and support our leaders to commit to a science-based goal of 350 parts per million. We take turns meeting with them, weekly and bi-weekly, building this coalition of voter support and feeding information to their staff, until they can commit to the 350 goal, work to pass laws and funding to implement that goal, and take leadership to educate their colleagues. (See www.350.org)

We support our federal representatives in critically evaluating the policies and programs that are needed to reach the goal within this century. Current estimates are that we need to replace coal with efficient technologies and clean, safe, renewable energy as quickly as possible -- and no later than 2030. We need to negotiate a global treaty to end coal use and to also stop global large-scale forest cutting by 2015.

To secure climate stability at and below 350 parts per million of CO2, we must cut "greenhouse gas emissions" by 80% below 1990 levels by the year 2050. We must move very quickly -- perhaps reducing fossil fuels, forest clear-cutting, and other greenhouse gas-producing activities by somewhere around 5-9% per year to reach the 2050 goal.

CO2 and other greenhouse gases take many years to show up in the climate as drought, floods, sea level rise, hurricanes, tornados, ice storms, heat waves, and other devastation. We are now beginning to experience the kinds of warming impacts from fossil fuels, deforestation and other activities from 30+ years ago. The longer we wait to take strong action, the more severe the crisis will become.

We need our elected officials to publicly commit to the 350 parts per million CO2 goal. We need them to make the climate crisis a priority and that they take leadership and ask their colleagues to also commit to the 350 goal.

Recent climate and earth science has shown that when the earth's atmosphere has more than 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide, it becomes a very different climate than the one human civilization has thrived in. The amount of carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere has not been above about 280 parts per million for the entire 10,000 years of human civilization. See the Sustainability Institute: (www.ourclimateourselves.org)

To stay above 350 ppm means that we are in the process of fundamentally changing the conditions for life on earth. We may be nearing a "tipping point" of no return where "runaway warming" will dramatically and quickly change the capacity of ecosystems to sustain themselves, food to be produced in large scale, and water supplies continue to sustain communities. Sea level rise and storms will barage many of the world's largest cities. Katrina will happen again and again, and cities and communities around the world will be devastated.

We've just experienced the warmest decade on record; visible effects in loss of arctic ise, loss of permafrost in Alaska, towns in Alaska are underwater, and pine beetle infestation is wiping out western forests and endangering eastern forests.

We are now at 388 parts per million CO2 and climbing rapidly due to burning coal, fossil fuels, cutting down forests, generating methane from large livestock production, and other human activities.

Many solutions exist. Many of them will improve our lives. Recent economics analysis suggests that achieving 350 parts per million of CO2 in the atmosphere will improve our economy in the short run as well as the long run. (SEE: Solving the Climate Crisis Will Help Our Economy) The Efficiency Revolution is already underway. Homes will be more comfortable and affordable if we put people to work sealing air leaks and insulating them, and installing solar hot water and solar electricity panels on rooftops. Wind power is far cheaper than nuclear and cost-competitive with coal, and Standford University scientists calculated that about 800 wind farms could provide electricty to the world. Meanwhile, Swiss technologists calculated that the Efficiency Revolution could reduce energy needs to one-third current European levels. We have only begun to make the Transition.

We can only achieve it if governments around the world commit to 350 parts per million and start realigning funding, policies, laws, regulations and incentives to help our communities, businesses, families and local governments make the transition.

Climate 350 Campaign invites everyone to join in advocating with our elected representatives to urge them to commit to 350 parts per million as the measurable, science-based goal for all federal energy policy, programs, funding and diplomacy abroad. We take turns meeting with them to ask them to make the 350 commitment and to prioritize the hard work of putting our national policies and funding in alignment with the 350 goal. (See the global initiative of Bill McKibben and colleagues: www.350.org)

Groups in the Campaign each take a week where they communicate with our federal elected officials on behalf of the whole campaign. Most groups send a representative to D.C. to meet with policy staff for each of our federal elected officials. Some groups simply write letters showing support from voters and communities in the district. Other groups meet with our Members of Congress in the district during holiday breaks and vacation recesses. Some individuals support the effort by reaching out to invite groups to join, by writing to their local newspaper, and by helping groups learn about the climate/energy crisis and the many solutions.

Together we show powerful support from voters/constituents for government to take quick, strong action before the window of opportunity closes and we are all locked in to runaway, catastrophic warming and climate instability.

Contact us: General questions (carl@pvclimate.org) or to schedule us to give a presentation to your organization (katie@pvclimate.org)

	Coordinating grassroots lobbying efforts for a science-based climate policy
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Coordinating grassroots lobbying efforts for a science-based climate policy

Climate 350 Campaign