Action on climate change

[socialistfuture]

what action are you doing to stop climate change?
Is there anything your community is doing?

Where I live there is the climate defense network, mainstream enviromental groups and university environmental groups, environment centres, campaigns against certain mines and mining companies and the green party and a climate group called climaction (climate action).


Here is a list of things rising tide in the Uk suggest.
and also some actions that were done on the international day of action against climate change recently:





FIFTY IDEAS FOR ACTIONS ON CLIMATE CHANGE

In May and June 2001, the Rising Tide Climate Chaos Tour visited 12 cities in Britain. Some 300 people came to the Tour. In the last session of each gig people broke into small groups and brainstormed ideas for action. This is a list taken from their ideas.

This list proves that no one can argue that there’s nothing we can do about climate change. Our only problem now is choosing what to do- and when has that ever been an excuse for not doing anything?!

1. Organise a Critical Mass with a climate chaos theme

2. Set up a climate change pirate radio station (there is a tape of material already prepared)

3. Find out the sea-level rise or flood level predictions for your area (Met Office, Environment Agency) and paint/chalk this level in blue around town, on council buildings, petrol stations, etc. Accompany with flyposters/leaflets explaining the line and forecasted impacts of extreme weather

4. Take action to reduce your own energy consumption- set yourself a target. Tell everyone about it- your family, friends, neighbours and get their support (like giving up smoking!)

5. Make an empowerment video focused on weather chaos and our responses to it and distribute it and show it.

6. Agit-crop! Planting or seed sowing to spell out a message, in council flowerbeds, railway embankments, open spaces

7. Target traffic jams with leaflets about greenhouse gas emissions

8. Produce local guide to help people buy ethical local produce

9. Declare a car share or green transport week, support with posters, leaflets, actions

10. Set up an info shop/ or a stall in a busy place

11. Produce posters, distribute them, flypost them all over town

12. Talk with your friends of neighbours about what you could do collectively, such as car share, setting personal targets, planning an action, organising school transport etc.

13. Grow at least some of your own food. Reclaim some space to do this with others, get an allotment, grow stuff in pots

14. Declare a car-free zone in your town and put up car-free road signs

15. Blockade or occupy a power station. Block plans for any new power stations.

16. Make "Wanted" posters in car parks for crimes against the biosphere with pictures of cars.

17. Find out council/local authority development plans, put in your own ideas, challenge anything that doesn’t take account of reducing emissions

18. Visit electricity/electrical goods retailers, note how much effort they put put energy efficiency. Set up an info shop outside (or inside!) for the day

19. Mobilise against incinerators, make the links about greenhouse gas emissions

20. Energy reduction - raise the issue in your workplace or school

21. Take your holidays in England.

22. Hassle everyone you know to change their lightbulbs

23. Subvertise-distort the messages on adverts for climate criminals, such as car adverts, all flights! (See www.subvertise.org.uk for some ideas)

24. React to events- when there the next unseasonal flooding, record drought, or unexpected storm, get out on the streets protesting and making the links for people. Prepare a local phone tree to pull people together at short notice to do this.

25. Guerilla Energy Reduction! Put a brick in the cistern, turn down heating, change heating timers to come on less, swap old lightbulbs for energy efficient ones

26. Get out there and start talking! We have detailed materials on how to structure talks and do speaker trainings. Better still, get on the road and do your own version of the Rising Tide Tour.

27. If it snows people with bad insulation have no snow on their roofs- put a leaflet through their doors about climate chaos and telling how much they can save with roof insulation (plus what grants are available)

28. Prepare materials for teachers, and do talks and activities in schools

29. Buy green electricity. For details on the best companies go to http://www.foe.co.uk

30. Start a solar water heating club

31. Shut down petrol stations and offer advice on how to kick the habit - offer alternatives to oil addiction, such as free bikes

32. Put up displays at events, public places (the library, public noticeboards), or flypost. Basic display packs from Rising Tide

33. Do a 90% for 90% action- leafleting the train.

34. Give out cartoon booklets everywhere! Photocopy and flypost them

35. Fix up some bikes (universities and stations good place to ask for leftovers) and set up a local free bike scheme, like they used to have in Amsterdam.

36. Nautical Critical Mass! Put cut-out fish in trees and on car windscreens with a message/website. (see fish in the resources section of this web site)

37. Talk with people in this country who have relatives abroad already being affected by weather chaos such as people from the Pakistan, Bangladeshi communities.

38. Create images of what future climate chaos could look like in your region/town and paste them up.

39. Paint cycle lanes, or Think Bike signs on the road.

40. Take infra-red photos of public buildings during winter and confront people with the picture of how much heat is going into the air (send photos to the newspapers)

41. Put up Climate Chaos Ahead road signs on all rush-hour approaches to town

42. Write a message on the top of your umbrella so everyone can see it when it rains

43. Hang banners from bridges over motoroways and busy roads during rush hours- thousands will see them (stay with the banner or the police will remove it and not give it back!)

44. Occupy the offices of companies not reducing emissions, or part of increasing emissions Organise benefit gigs to fund more Rising Tide resources, or to support people affected by extreme weather in the global south (survivors of last years Mozambique floods sent a donation to people whose homes were flooded in Malton, Yorkshire

45. Plough up a motorway and create a park!

46. Link up with other groups/campaigns with linked concerns - such as fuel poverty groups, local local refugee/asylum seekers support groups. Plan joint work around environmental refugees.

47. Campaign for not-for-profit public transport

48. Set hosepipes on offices of oil and airline companies and flood them!

49. Start a campaign against all air flights where people can take a train (eg England to Scotland, London to Paris)

AND.....

50. Get together with other people, work out what you want to achieve, plan your actions/campaign and DO IT!

START BY GOING TO THE RESOURCES PAGE, DOWNLOADING SOME OF THE MATERIALS AND GETTING THEM OUT
http://risingtide.org.uk/pages/resources/fifty.htm


G8 Day of Action Round-Up - 15 Actions in 4 Continents!

In brief ...

UK
London - Esso Blockade and Lastminute.com HQ targeted
Bristol - Critical Mass
Norwich - Jet petrol station blockade
Nottingham - Activists picket A453 exhibition

Germany
Evershagen - Shell garage blockade
Video 1 WMV 7.6M
Video 2 WMV 7.6M
(Video hosted on Indymedia. You may need to download it first by e.g. "right click, save target as".)

Portugal
Lisbon – Battle for Climate Justice
Porto – Carbon Trading Street Theater

New Zealand
Whanganui-a-Tara - Tour of EEEVil

Brazil
Sao Paulo - Critical Mass

North America
Asheville - Bank of America targeted
San Francisco - Critical Mass
Portland - Anti-dam action/ Anti-Borders Action
Florida - Critical Mass

in detail - http://risingtide.org.uk/node/217

[Jazzratt]

Originally posted by [email protected] 18, 2007 05:14 am
7. Target traffic jams with leaflets about greenhouse gas emissions
...I can't help but read this as "Piss off ordinary working people whilst they're already quite annoyed. Sounds like a good way to get 1) Less public support and 2) a fat lip.


8. Produce local guide to help people buy ethical local produce

And you thought shoving self righteous crap in the faces of people in traffic jams was annoying? Why not become known as a local pest at a shopping centre near you!


14. Declare a car-free zone in your town and put up car-free road signs

...watch as people ignore your busybody signs and drive right through. Either that or waste oil by driving around your irritating little pissant town.


15. Blockade or occupy a power station. Block plans for any new power stations.

Brilliant, how do you suggest that people use computers, lights, electric razors and the like?


17. Find out council/local authority development plans, put in your own ideas, challenge anything that doesn’t take account of reducing emissions

What if it's a good idea that could be beneficial to your community? Or one where reducing emissions is an irrelevance?


19. Mobilise against incinerators, make the links about greenhouse gas emissions

We have something like this where I live, the major problem I have with it is that the incinerator needs to exist (it generates energy and gets rid of landfill waste) but everyone is so prissy about it when it comes to putting it near them.


22. Hassle everyone you know to change their lightbulbs

Hassle would be the right word, I noticed a theme of this list seems to be "alienate your friends and relatives" and this is just the most bare-arsed, bold as brass example.


25. Guerilla Energy Reduction! Put a brick in the cistern, turn down heating, change heating timers to come on less, swap old lightbulbs for energy efficient ones

Putting "guerilla" in front of something doesn't make it exciting or subversive. Although this is a good way of saving money.


40. Take infra-red photos of public buildings during winter and confront people with the picture of how much heat is going into the air (send photos to the newspapers)

...have editors of newspapers tell you to get stuffed. Also I don't happen to have an infra-red camera lying around, do you?


45. Plough up a motorway and create a park!

What. The. Fuck? Even if you do manage this do you have any idea how much infuriating chaos you'll cause? This is the single worst idea on this list (and that says a lot)

Personally I think this kind of stuff (as well as, in some cases, being utterly insane) detracts from time that could be more profitably spent concentrating on spreading a message of communism and organising worker actions.

[Sentinel]

There's definitely nothing wrong with the idea of campaigns to raise individual awareness on climate issues and encourage people to do their part -- it's actually important grassroots work that can make a difference. I imagine that such campaigns would receive appropriate support and media attention in any post-revolutionary communist society, but under capitalism it's pretty much up to individual activists and organisations with limited funds.

Jazzratt does however raise a very good point -- what could be interpreted as extremism and/or piss off working class people who often have to rely on the cheapest/nearest/etc alternatives, regardless of their sustainability qualities, is in fact counterproductive to the environmentalist cause as it simply alienates people. Consideration and careful reflection is thus of uttermost importance.

And as always, we must keep in mind the fact that environmental struggle under capitalism in the end is futile, and should thus always be subordinate to class struggle. Ultimately, only the fight to overthrow capitalism can save the environment from a certain doom.

[socialistfuture]

you cant wait for capitalism to be overthrown before you look at environmental issues. Deforestations happening in Indonesia, Australia, the Amazon and all over the world right NOW. People water supplies are being polluted. Capitalism is failing the world and destroying the natural world in which we live.


17. Find out council/local authority development plans, put in your own ideas, challenge anything that doesn’t take account of reducing emissions


What if it's a good idea that could be beneficial to your community? Or one where reducing emissions is an irrelevance?

are you a climate skeptic?

the Rising Tide network is about taking action on the root causes. If the working class drove SUVs then there would need to be action against that. If the working class in the west was consuming too much and the result of that energy intensive life style was contributing to global warming from mass emissions then that lifestyle has to be modified.

In Britain, Australia, the US and countries all around the world the Govt and Big Business is failing to act so communities and individuals and groups (and NGOs) are.
I take it Jazzrat and Sentinel are unionists first and have not spent much time doing environmental work. You cant wait for the revolution before woman get rights, or blacks or people in the third world. neither can you wait for one for environmental issues to be sorted.

[socialistfuture]

also note that many of those actions are targetting industries like the fossil fuel industries (motorway and car lobbies - who are very rightwing and reactionairy - they funded and at times still do a lot of climate skeptics). Just as many coal companies work with oil companies to promote 'clean' (sic) coal.

[Sentinel]

I take it Jazzrat and Sentinel are unionists first and have not spent much time doing environmental work. You cant wait for the revolution before woman get rights, or blacks or people in the third world. neither can you wait for one for environmental issues to be sorted.

Wait a minute.. :rolleyes:

Obviously I support struggle and activism against racism, sexism, homophobia and, yes, of course environmental damage (which harms human beings) even under present circumstances -- I simply pointed out the fact that class struggle is the only permanent solution to these issues. As the capitalist drive for profit does not, and will not, take environmental (any more than social) issues into consideration, I'm convinced that if capitalism isn't overthrown the planet will become unhabitable in the future. Thus we have to concentrate our main efforts to that front.

Also, minority/womens rights issues and environmental ones aren't nearly always comparable in the way you do in my opinion. Remember here, that struggle for minority or womens rights does not lower the living standards of anyone, it can only potentially raise them (for the minorities and women).

However, as what really matters is people the main question is as always in these issues: anthropocentrism or biocentrism? Struggling and campaigning to protect the environment from an anthropocentric viewpoint can in a hypothetical situation indeed be argued to be important enough to risk losing popularity, alienating elements etc -- but as workers aren't mindless fools they tend to know what's best for them. It's just that we have capitalism now and the ones who make the decisions are the profiteers, not the working class.

But environmental extremism from a biocentric perspective, for nature's own sake, especially such that strives to lower the living standards of the working class, (the revolutionary class) is something a revolutionary with aspirations to succeed should definitely consider carefully before lending his support to.. It's counterproductive, and it's worthless.

I'm not sure of your perspective here, but I'm just pointing out that there's a difference. That's all.

[socialistfuture]

i'm glad to hear more of what you think. To me strip mining in certain ecologically sensitive areas is anti environmental extremism, and to be against that would be to be against the workers sometimes. just because someone works in a job does not mean that industry should be supported (ie arms manufactoring or landlines).

There is often debates with unionists and environmentalists over mining and forestry among other topics and industries. The rising tide network in Australia like the Greens has a policy of No New Mines (for coal). Many leftists support it from an environmental perspective and because of the effects of burning coal (co2 emissions). So the difficult part then is if the coal mining industry was phased out what jobs would those workers do instead. (another risingtide thing is just transition) and for global warming to be combated in a fair way. I can put sum details up.

for me Environment is of top importance, without resources we are dead. end of story. most of the world doesn't have clean drinking water - a lot of that is because of shoddy developments, corporations that do what they want and don't have to clean up, mega damn projects in India. China etc, mining waste, farm run off and so on. My father studies hydrology so I can go into more detail on this too. Capitalism is not sustainable as you and I think pretty much all of us agree on. What we need to go into is what is sustainable on a local, national and international level.

I still believe nature exists for its own sake and we are simply a part of that. But that is philosophy so it can be debated in there is anyone wants to.

[Jazzratt]

Originally posted by [email protected] 19, 2007 11:27 pm
you cant wait for capitalism to be overthrown before you look at environmental issues.
Who said anything about waiting? Environmental issues will not be "sorted out" under capitalism.


Deforestations happening in Indonesia, Australia, the Amazon and all over the world right NOW. People water supplies are being polluted. Capitalism is failing the world and destroying the natural world in which we live.

Yeah, those things happen because of capitalism and they won't stop no matter how many lights we turn off, kettles we use efficiently or commuters we harass.


are you a climate skeptic?

No I'm fairly certain we have a climate :P And no, I am aware that there is a certain amount of climate change (in fact there is a stickied thread entitled "anthropogenic climate change" which I made and in which I stated my views on the matter.).


the Rising Tide network is about taking action on the root causes.

So it's first and foremost an anti-capitalist organisation? Seems to me that it's mainly a green one, which makes me think you're telling porkies.


If the working class drove SUVs then there would need to be action against that.

What action are we talking about here? How far are you willing to go? Why does that SUV matter but the private jets of the rich don't? Is it because the worker's vehicles are a much easier target, perhaps?


If the working class in the west was consuming too much and the result of that energy intensive life style was contributing to global warming from mass emissions then that lifestyle has to be modified.

Modified how? Who are you to instruct others on how to live their lives?


In Britain, Australia, the US and countries all around the world the Govt and Big Business is failing to act so communities and individuals and groups (and NGOs) are.

Governments and big businesses are the ones with the power to change it, as much as you would love that not to be the case. It is after all big business, not the people, that account for a vast amount of the damage done to the environment.


I take it Jazzrat and Sentinel are unionists first and have not spent much time doing environmental work.

I don't know about sentinel but I have done very little in the way of environmental work.


You cant wait for the revolution before woman get rights, or blacks or people in the third world. neither can you wait for one for environmental issues to be sorted.

Bad comparison, I'm afraid to say. Under the capitalist mode of production it (theoretically at least) is possible for nonwhites, nonmales and queers to have the same footing as whites, males and straights but the capitalist mode of production precludes any serious environmental work. I don't know what that says to you but to me it says we should jettison it sharpish.

[socialistfuture]

Rising Tide uk has targeted SUV dealerships (so going for the boss not workers).

Read the RisingTide website (uk, us or Australia) is u want to know their politics.


If the working class in the west was consuming too much and the result of that energy intensive life style was contributing to global warming from mass emissions then that lifestyle has to be modified.


Modified how? Who are you to instruct others on how to live their lives?
because pacific island nations will sink (are sinking) because of the effects of climate change - the majority of emissions coming from the US and western developed nations. NZ will be accepting a lot of climate refugees - some in this country want to close borders to them. Bangladesh and the Nederlands are two countries that are at great risk with climate change as they are low lying and coastal.

Tropical countries will be the worst effected. The West will be the least. I have every right to tell people what I think about that.

I'm sorry but socialism hasn't always had the best environmental record (USSR - eastern europe... Vietnam was very good, Cuba is doing well - im not sure about waste wise but energy wise and food wise it is).
Big Buisness is who owns the coal mines and oil fields, they will invade more than Iraq and West Papua... (read - http://www.minesandcommunities.org/Company/freeport12.htm)

The only way to change things is to take on those corporations, empower workers and build sustainable communites. wether goverments stand in the way or help is their choice.

I'll write on the energy consumption and emissions of the west next soon.
In the meantime I suggest you read a little more on resource wars and maybe something by David Suzuki.

[socialistfuture]

So it's first and foremost an anti-capitalist organisation? Seems to me that it's mainly a green one, which makes me think you're telling porkies.
Rising tide Uk is linked to http://www.nadir.org/nadir/initiativ/agp/ Peoples Global Action which is an international anarchist network.

and also to schnews, and many other orgs and groups.
http://www.londonrisingtide.org.uk/

[Morello]

Here's 14 simple things you can do to help fight Global Warming. This is directed to older people who buy their own things and all that, but if you are young, you can encourage your parents to do these things. Everyone can help.


1. Light bulbs waste alot of energy, you know that. So here's two things to fix that. First, you can only have a light on in the area you are in, and turn off the light every time you leave the room. Second and more effective, switch to Compact Flourescent Lightbulbs. They use 60 percent less energy, sparing the Earth from 300 pounds of Carbon Dioxide per year. If you can't find Compact Flourescent Light Bulbs in stores, you can get 'em at efi.org. It is an enviornmentalist store that you will find very useful to " Go Green ".

2. Frozen foods, even though they're cheaper, they use 11 times more energy to produce then Fresh. So cook food whenever possible. Even better? If there is a Farmer's Market near or in your town, buy all your fruits and vegetables from there. It reduces the amount of energy required to grow and transport fruits and vegetables to supermarkets by one-fifth. Check out ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/map.htm to find one near you.

3. Switch to Cloth Napkins. You can use them again and again, and you can wash them right with your clothes. They reduce the amount of trees ( remember, trees absorb Carbon Dioxide ) cut down to produce the paper kind.

4. Tell me if this is weird: Cleaning with Toxic Chemicals. Yeah, I know. Don't use Windex and all the other Toxic Cleaners. There's plenty of eco-friendly cleaning lines out now. I use the Method line, sold at Target. It is non-toxic and includes all the liquid's you'll need to get your house squeaky-clean.

5. All those electronics that you can't live without? Your iPod, cell phone, camera, laptop? Keeping all their chargers plugged into regular outlets in your walls for days and days wastes MASSIVE amounts of energy. Try this. Plug all your chargers into a central power strip that only uses one plug. And when your not using the chargers, you can turn the strip off, which prevents any electic use while your not charging.

6. If you have a job where you know your co-workers, try this one. Carpooling is NOT only for soccer-moms. Sharing a ride to work just two times a week reduces Carbon Dioxide emmisions by 1,590 pounds a year. Multiply 1,590 by the number of people in the world, and you've got a whole crapload of environmentalism.

7. What's the difference between 68 and 70 degrees? Not much, in your terms of comfort. But almost half the energy used in your home goes to switching from heat to cool, heat to cool, vice versa. Here's a thermostat trick. Keep it at room temp. all year. In the hot seasons put it on 68, in the cold put it on 70. You're moderately comfortable and you just saved another crapload of energy.

8. Each year, the Forests of Canada, Finland, and Russia get destroyed so you can wipe your ass. Just use the toilet paper that says it was recycled on the label and you'll save alot of Forestation. For the RevLeft.Com people reading this, your a revolutionary, so you wanna kick the Corperation's ass. I do to, so listen to this. Who do you think cuts down the tree's? BIG ASS COMPANIES. So, this step will fight Capitalism the way we Revolutionaries like to.

9. If you have a large Tv ( I'll say 35 inches and higher ), and you leave it on for six hours, that wastes a half a ton of Greenhouse gas per year, so here's a simple fix. TURN IT THE HELL OFF, AND DON'T WATCH IT TOO MUCH. That'll save you from being overweight as well.

10. Get your car tuned up as much as you can. Not only will this keep it in good shape, and keep you from breaking down, it helps your fuel effiecency and therefore reduce emmissions. Listen to this shit. If only 1 PERCENT ( that's it, I swear) get tuned up alot, that keeps a FREAKIN' BILLION POUNDS of Carbon Dioxide out of our atmosphere.

11. With a couple clicks of your mouse you can switch from your regular, Capitalist, big ass corparation energy supplier to a Green Supplier. For a list of Green Suppliers in your state, go to eere.energy.gov/greenpower.

12. Bamboo plays a huge role in the reduction of tree-cutting because, unlike wood, it grows like a weed. Try it out on your bed. Bamboo linens are damn comfy, and they fight Capitalism and Global Warming- at the same time. Take that.

13. Replace your showerhead with a low-flow one, because it takes alot of energy to heat up all that water you use when you shower. So your clean- rhyme, wait for it- and Green.

14. And finally, you know that " Drip....drip....drip..." noise you hear all night? Besides being annoying, if that happens all night, 60 drops of water a minute, your leaky faucet is costing 2,700 gallons of water a year. Turn off the sink completely at night, and you save just that much.


Follow these, and you'll be a huge hero in saving the Earth.

[Janus]

Someone had already started a thread on this. Merged.

[Janus]

Since much of this thread is really about tactics, I'm moving this to DIY.

[socialistfuture]

i'm glad these discussions are advancing and getting beyond insult matches.

:P

[Sir_No_Sir]

Walk. Take public transportation. Not only is it better, it's just more convenient and you never know when youll meet someone cool.

[Delirium]

Use less energy, buy less shit