Social Justice Committee

Green Sanctuary/Climate Change Group

   Contents:
   Talks
   Other Proposals
   Personal Actions We Can Take
   The Green Sanctuary Group

Talks

The 2008 UUA General-Assembly Ware Lecture by Van Jones called for us to invent and invest our way out of our addiction to carbon-based fuels.  He pointed to many ways in which a response could help bring energy use down while adding millions of jobs.  He called for a Green New Deal.

"If we stand together now, insist that we build a green economy, strong enough to lift people out of poverty, strong enough to end forever the need for oil wars and resource wars, and bring this country together, we will do more than the politicians talk about when they say 'we got to take America back.'  If we do our work right and well, we will do more than take America back.  For the first time in 40 years, we are going to take America forward!"

On July 17th Al Gore gave A Generational Challenge to Repower America speech at George Washington University's Constitution Hall in Washington D.C.  The speech outlines his vision of how the United States needs another 'moon shot' to solve the intertwined problems of climate change and energy independence.

"We're borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in ways that destroy the planet.  Every bit of that's got to change. ... Today I challenge our nation to commit to producing 100 percent of our electricity from renewable energy and truly clean carbon-free sources within 10 years."

Many of us now have copies of Lester Brown's book, Plan B 3.0:  Mobilizing to Save Civilization.  On February 24, 2008, Lester Brown gave a compelling talk at Cary Hall in Lexington about his book.  He was introduced by our own Representative Ed Markey, Congress' leading voice on addressing global warming, and by Kevin Knoblock, President of the Union of Concerned Scientists.  To hear this important topic explained by the author himself, watch Lester Brown's talk!

You can also watch Dr. James Hansen, of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies at Columbia University, speak about his latest findings.  On June 1, 2008, at Cary Hall in Lexington he explained the pressing need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within the next couple of years or face the consequences of a very different climate.  He wrote recently, "If humanity wishes to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted, paleoclimate evidence and ongoing climate change suggest that CO2 will need to be reduced from its current 385 ppm to at most 350 ppm."

Dr. Mark Bowen also spoke about his book on how Hansen's efforts to speak openly about the importance of reducing greenhouse gases was impeded by political appointees at NASA, who attempted to censor or alter Hansen's reports and writings.

Other Proposals

As Dr. James Hansen explained, 350 is the red line for human beings, the most important number on the planet.  The most recent science tells us that unless we can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million, we will cause huge and irreversible damage to the earth.  See 350.org for ways to follow this important international campaign to unite the world around the number 350.

A Solar Grand Plan from January 2008 Scientific American Magazine:

"High prices for gasoline and home heating oil are here to stay.  The U.S. is at war in the Middle East at least in part to protect its foreign oil interests.  And as China, India and other nations rapidly increase their demand for fossil fuels, future fighting over energy looms large. In the meantime, power plants that burn coal, oil and natural gas, as well as vehicles everywhere, continue to pour millions of tons of pollutants and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere annually, threatening the planet.

Well-meaning scientists, engineers, economists and politicians have proposed various steps that could slightly reduce fossil-fuel use and emissions.  These steps are not enough.  The U.S. needs a bold plan to free itself from fossil fuels.  Our analysis convinces us that a massive switch to solar power is the logical answer."

Personal Actions We Can Take

For finding personal ways to start saving carbon now, we recommend the Consumer Reports Global Warming Solutions Center.  There you will find solutions for improving energy efficiency at home and on the road.

The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority guide to reducing the use of hazardous household products also helps you improve our environment.  Read this booklet to learn about less toxic alternatives and proper disposal of hazardous household products.

The Green Sanctuary Group

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The Green Sanctuary Group is exploring what it would take to become a "Green Sanctuary."  More information on the Green Sanctuaries movement can be found at UU Ministry for Earth.

Please stop by the social justice table at coffee/friendship hour if you have an interest in working on issues concerning global climate change or email gogreen@firstparish.info . 

— David Landskov