Big Think

Clean Energy Bill Can Be Better

The American Clean Energy and Security Act offers our country the most important opportunity in generations to jumpstart our economy, create millions of new jobs and set the stage for America to compete and win in a 21st century economy while reducing global warming pollution. This clean energy jobs bill could set us on the pathway back to economic prosperity. But in order for to usher in a new clean energy future, we need to speak out and tell Congress to stand up to the special interests that seek to weaken the bill at every turn. The Bush Administration had a virtual open-door policy to Big Oil for the last eight years. Meanwhile, the powerful interests of oil and coal have had a stranglehold on our energy policy, keeping our country hooked on dirty energy sources. At the same time, China and India have invested in clean energy technology development, recognizing that global economic leadership in the future is dependent on investments in clean energy infrastructure and technology now. America has a chance to lead in the global race if we pass a bill that truly levels the playing field for clean renewable energy and limits the entitlement to federal subsidies and the continued control of our energy economy of Big Oil and Coal. Long-established energy industries have received concessions during the House committee negotiation process that have damaged this bill's ability to deliver on the full promise of clean energy jobs, strong, inclusive and sustaining economy in the 21st century and reducing pollution. Many of the considerations granted the oil, coal, and electricity industries would preserve their market power and profits. We believe that industries should pay to clean up their emissions --not demand loopholes, bailouts, and giveaways from the federal government. The clean energy jobs bill will best serve America if we can strengthen its provisions to maximize job creation, invest in the skills of our workers and the long-term economic prosperity of our country, and significantly reduce the pollution that has been caused by fossil fuel industries for decades. We are calling on members of the House of Representatives to push for provisions that ensure more clean energy for America by increasing the Renewable Electricity Standard, hold polluters accountable by restoring the authority to the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate carbon emissions from power plans under the Clean Air Act, and create more clean energy jobs for America and build resiliency to climate change by reducing allocations to polluting industries. Given a chance, American innovation and ingenuity can lead us out to long-term and broadly shared clean economic prosperity. 1Sky has an easy 1-click mechanism enabling people to fax their member of Congress and ask them to support a strong clean energy jobs bill. Please take action now.

June 5, 2009, 3:38 PM

Coming Out of the Closet: My Climate Trauma (and Yours?)

I have spent my lifetime face to face with some of the most brutal and inhumane acts ever committed, but nothing has been as traumatizing for me as trying to get action to tackle the climate crisis. As a long time human rights defender and prior Executive Director at WITNESS, I helped produce and direct films on rape as a weapon of war and amputations in Sierra Leone's recent bloody conflict, I conducted an undercover investigation into the Russian mafia's involvement in trafficking women for forced prostitution, I investigated hit squads in apartheid South Africa, and I spent countless hours in editing rooms watching first hand images of death, destruction, and devastation. But spending my days and nights trying to get our country to tackle global warming is more emotionally demanding than any job I have ever done. When I was at WITNESS, people used to say "The work you do must be so difficult. How do you manage?" to which I would respond "Well, I can see the results. And it's not as bad as environmental work would be!" What I meant when I said that five years ago is that I felt overwhelmed by our inexorable march to "pave it all" -- parking lot by parking lot, McDonald's by Wal-Mart. But seeing former Vice President Al Gore give his now famous slide show at the TED conference in 2006 convinced me that nothing mattered more than tackling global warming, and that climate change had massive humanitarian and human rights consequences. There was no looking back, so in mid-2007 I leapt, knowing that I was headed straight towards my deepest fears and concerns. As I started to immerse myself in the science and early impacts of global warming, I became increasingly distraught. But I soldiered on, hoping against hope that I would be so busy in an ambitious new start up campaign at 1Sky, and so relieved to be trying to do something about it, that I would not be overwhelmed with existential angst and despair. Looking back on the last year and a half since I started as 1Sky's Campaign Director in the fall of 2007, my wish has generally come true. But since President Obama's inauguration and the 2009 clock started ticking on the countdown to Copenhagen, I feel myself slipping. And I know I am not alone. So when Dr. Lise Van Susteren, a psychiatrist and co-convenor of last month's conference at the National Wildlife Federation on the Psychological Aspects of Climate Change asked me to videotape an interview (part 1 | part 2) with her that would be played before the heads of the American Psychiatric Association and the Centers for Disease Control, I agreed. And in spite of the fact that I found myself weeping at several points during the conversation and know it never bodes well for a woman in leadership, I let her play it during the plenary session in conference. I did that because I believe that I and many other people around the world are suffering from "Climate Trauma." It's my own term. I am not a mental health professional, but I can identify plain as day the symptoms I recognize in myself and in my colleagues traumatized by our work to tackle climate change. And these symptoms are of course different from, but related to, the much deeper trauma of those who are already being directly impacted by climate change, whether through dislocation, drought, or the death of a loved one: 1. Anxiety and Stress. We know we are facing a looming catastrophe of unparalleled proportions -- a truly existential crisis in that scientists predict that if we do not take dramatic action now, human beings will not be able to continue living on Earth as we have come to know it. This is not the place to detail the reasons or predicted impacts of climate change, but it is to say that a central motivation in pushing for climate and energy policy is our knowledge of that existential threat. And there has never been more urgency or intensity to our wish and our call, with the looming international negotiations in Copenhagen in December 2009 and the critical need to have demonstrated US leadership before we get there. We in the US are literally dizzy with work, given the pace of the congressional calendar, regulatory action, and the Administration more broadly. Many of us are insomniacs and obsessive workaholics. 2. Fear and Hopelessness: We know we must be bold and visionary and imaginative and hopeful about all of the potential of a 21st century green economy built on wind, solar and geothermal. All the polls and marketing specialists tell us that people will tune us out if we shriek about the fact that the sky is falling and that people want to hear about solutions. We do see a path forward -- a way out of this mess we got ourselves into. But in our heart of hearts ,we are fearful that the powers that be in industrial America, the votes in Congress, and the ignorance or economic plight of voters all around us, will stand in our way and we may get nothing at all, or too little to late. Will we add up? We think about our children and their future, and we weep. We tear ourselves away from them for yet another day, another night, trying to preserve something left for them to live in. Even the children are traumatized: look at what 10 year old Nikos Spiridakis produced as a wake up call or what this young girl in Michigan says when her aunt asks her what global warming is. 3. A Parallel Universe: We often feel like we are living in a parallel universe. Don't people see that we are headed straight off a cliff? How could they possibly continue to argue that there is legitimate dispute about whether or not the planet is warming? How could the ones who know that it is warming leave all their incandescent bulbs on? Leave their SUV idling? Blast the heat and open the windows? Toss their water bottle in the trash? And sit out this fight of a lifetime, this fight for our lives? We are obsessed and alone and sometimes we or our loved ones literally have to ban the topic from conversation rather than repeat ourselves again. And again. And again. 4. Depression, Irritability and Anger: Flip sides of the same coin, we find ourselves alternately depressed, irritable, or angry. Who wouldn't under the circumstances? But these symptoms only get in our way, and diminish our power to be the leaders we must be to confront the greatest challenge of our generation, and perhaps of all time in life on this precious planet we call home. We need each other -- our colleagues, our teams and the people who love us -- to keep on keeping on. When Dr. Spencer Eth, a respected forensic psychiatrist, saw the interview I did with Dr. Van Susteren at the conference, he wrote a short article on "Climate Warriors and Emotional Burnout." He wrote: The mission of a 'climate warrior' is demanding and may become self-sacrificing. The activist must articulate terrible truths about the coming ecological catastrophes. Indeed, future scenarios may approximate what psychiatrist Robert Lifton described as a death imprint -- the indelible images of the grotesque that the person cannot assimilate. Dr. Van Susteren followed up with some advice on how to sustain ourselves. And so, we find ourselves "surfing the apocalypse," as my friend Gary Cohen from Health Care Without Harm would say. We know that this crisis is an opportunity to reinvent the way we are living our lives, and to steer this troubled ship called Earth towards safer harbor. In our despair, we must surface all our passion and commitment and power to ensure that we come together as an unstoppable force for change, turning the tide back in the right direction, and lifting all boats. CLIMATE TRAUMA SURVIVAL TIPS FROM DR LISE VAN SUSTEREN Take care of yourself physically and spiritually, through healthy living and maintaining a balance in your professional and personal life. Physical exercise is essential -- endorphins, the body's natural pain killers, are secreted in response to exercise. Endorphins help fight psychic pain, too. Exercise also boosts your immune system. If you are stressed out and getting sick a lot -- you need regular exercise. Swimming can be very soothing. Get out of doors as much as possible -- connect with the forces that drive you and give yourself up to the beauty of nature in the present. Your energy to continue the battle will be rejuvenated. Remember that you are not alone. There are lots of other people who may be just as traumatized as you are -- they just aren't talking about it. Some people are distracted by jobs that don't constantly expose them to the realities. Unlike you, they can get away from it for a while. Diversify your work and your life: force yourself to participate in activities not related to climate. Reinforce boundaries between professional work and personal life. It is very hard to switch from the riveting force of apocalyptic predictions at work to home where the problems are petty by comparison. If you haven't found another solution: Take 10 mins, close your eyes, shut your brain down. If you don't know how, Google "How to meditate." Connect with your fellow climate warriors: Gather -- Play games, dance, tell jokes. There is nothing like a laugh. Don't talk about climate! Your fears are realistic. But what you can do, or what you expect you can do, may not be. Personal therapy can help. You wouldn't be the first person to conflate some personal problems with what is happening to the planet. Although "we" are working on it, many professionals may not yet "get" the problem with climate. The Don'ts Overwork Having trouble sleeping? Avoid climate related work at night. Make sure to cut off the computer at least 2 hours before bedtime. The blue light emitted by computers suppresses a hormone that triggers sleep more than light from other parts of the spectrum. Additionally, turning out lights is not only good for the planet -- the resulting incremental darkness sets the body up to sleep. Also, did you know that it can take as many as 9 hours for your body to completely break down caffeine? Believe that you are invulnerable. In fact, admitting what you are going through makes you more resilient. Ignore signs & symptoms of burnout. Like an overused muscle -- without some kind of rest or intervention burnout will only get worse. Forget that understanding the material does not require that you actually experience what is being spoken about. Lose focus on the essential tasks. Don't give up! Despite the forecast -- we are working together like never before.

May 5, 2009, 12:34 PM

Lisa Jackson Is Leading Where We Want to Go: To a Clean Energy Future

I love Lisa Jackson. Yes, I love the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) administrator. It's not just that she came to PowerShift`09 and rallied the crowd like a rock star, or that she was real with me back stage about what needs to be done. It's also that she has every intention of doing what the law requires her to do to protect the environment and our public health, and that she is ratcheting up the pressure on Congress to pass the clean energy legislation the President has requested this year. That's a considerable change of pace from last year's EPA and the White House that hobbled them. On April 17, 2009, the EPA declared its authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, which means, for starters, that the EPA will detail the threats posed by global warming to both public health and welfare. This move is a green light for the EPA to take action to dramatically reduce pollution from the dinosaur dirty fuels of the past that are a clear and present danger to our public health and welfare. This decision means EPA will be able to regulate entities that generate large amounts of greenhouse gas pollution, including new cars and power plants. This global warming review -- also called an "endangerment finding" -- stems from an April 2007 Supreme Court decision that ordered the EPA (under the Bush administration) to reconsider whether greenhouse gas emissions are pollutants subject to regulation under the Clean Air Act. Regulations will not be put in place immediately, but the threat of regulatory action intensifies pressure on Congress to pre-empt EPA action by passing legislation to curb pollution. Big oil and dirty coal hate regulation. 1Sky and its allies are doing our part by sending a powerful message of grassroots support for strong energy legislation to lay the groundwork for a robust new economy through constituent meetings with Members of Congress and Senators nationwide. We need you to call your member of Congress now! While we are working on the ground to spread the gospel of clean energy, it is nice to know Lisa Jackson is taking the law into her own hands and heading us in the right direction. Jackson is clearly throwing down the gauntlet: Congress should act now if they want a say in how pollution is regulated. Polluters should change their ways, or "this Jersey girl" (as she is known to call herself) will do it for them. EPA is scheduling two national hearings on its proposed "endangerment finding" for global warming pollution in and in Arlington, Virginia on May 18th and in Seattle on May 21. We are working with a number of other organizations to make sure that we have strong testimony from a variety of perspectives on the dangers of global warming and the economic benefits from actions to reduce our dependence on big oil and king coal. We would love to have testimony from progressive and clean tech businesses and our partner, Climate Solutions, tells us that we have already confirmed that several companies will be participating in the Seattle meeting, including Nike and Starbucks. Since EPA is handling the registration for the conference on-line, please ask any interested companies to sign up here. You can find more information or register online here. May 18, 2009, at the EPA Potomac Yard Conference Center, Arlington, VA; and May 21, 2009, at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center in Seattle, WA.

April 29, 2009, 2:34 PM

The House Must Act Now on Cap-and-Trade Legislation

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said this week that she has enough votes to pass cap-and-trade legislation aimed at curbing the effects of global warming, but would not commit to holding a vote in 2009. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Pelosi said she has backing in the Democratic-controlled House to move a cap-and-trade bill, but will not force the issue. When Congressman Ed Markey, since identified as the new Chairman of the new Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment in the Energy and Commerce Committee, was approached on timing, he said "to be determined." People close to Pelosi and Markey told me not to read too much into the remarks -- they said the stimulus is the priority now, and Congress is waiting for the nod from the incoming President on timing. But as Speaker Pelosi and Representative Markey know better than most, we need leadership now! It will never be easy. If we wait, passing legislation that will solve our climate and energy problems will only get harder. Solving the greatest threat to the planet must be the priority. The time is now. We need to push bold solutions and cannot compromise before Congress has even started doing anything to try to repower, refuel and rebuild. We have a committed president-elect with brilliant climate advisors. We have a House leader with a history of commitment to this issue from a district that is well educated on global warming's dangers. In addition to bold action by Speaker Pelosi, we are urging House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) to take the lead in 2009 on a climate bill. 1Sky has over 350 organizational allies nationwide, will be funding 25 organizers spanning twenty states this year, and has already recruited voluntary Climate Precinct Captains in over 150 Congressional districts. We are amassing ground troops. We're ready. We need Congress to lead. This is never going to be an easy lift. But it needs to be done now. We have decades of polluting to make up for and no time to lose -- with catastrophic impacts looming and a clean, green economy to embrace in the face of our worst recession in decades. Meanwhile, Energy and Commerce Committee ranking member and fossil fuel fan Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.) was quoted on Monday as saying that the folks who want us dependent on oil and coal forever think the momentum is on their side. Let's prove them wrong. Sign up to become a Climate Precinct Captain now!

January 9, 2009, 5:50 PM

Tennessee Coal Sludge Disaster: Think This Could Not Happen to You? Think Again.

On December 22 (2 weeks ago), over 1 billion gallons of toxic coal sludge came cascading through Eastern Tennessee. The tidal wave of sludge toppled houses and dirtied rivers and streams. This toxic coal ash has been stored in an open 40-acre pond next to the 50-year-old power plant. According to State authorities, after the spill there are 54,000 people with contaminated water in Roane County alone, and many more outside the county may also have tainted drinking water. If you think this could not happen to you, think again. More than 50 percent of Americans live within 30 miles of a coal-fired power plant. Coal plants leave behind scarred landscapes, poor and exploited communities, and even if you are lucky enough not to live near a coal plant you are still affected by dirty coal because it is the number one source of global warming pollution in the United States. The Tennessee coal ash spill was a man-made disaster that is directly tied to our reliance on fossil fuels. In the face of this tragedy, the coal industry still wants to build more pollution-belching coal plants, and we cannot let that happen. This just proves that in Reality, there is no such thing as clean coal. The coal industry spent more than $45 million last year trying to convince Americans that the dirtiest fuel on the planet is in fact "clean". Congress has the power to stop the construction of any new dirty coal plants. We're asking you to contact your Member of Congress because it is the most effective way to guarantee action. Tell them that America is ready for clean energy -- not more dirty coal. Investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency would result in more jobs for the same amount of power -- with no toxic sludge. Send a letter to your Member of Congress Now! We know Congress is already beginning to pay attention because on January 8, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is holding an oversight hearing on the Tennessee Valley Authority and the recent major coal ash spill. 1Sky steering committee member Steve Smith, the Executive Director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE), will be testifying. We'll let you know what happens at that hearing, but it will mean more if letters from frustrated citizens come at the same time. So, thanks for your help on this and let's work together to stop building any new coal plants.

January 7, 2009, 4:21 PM