To hear audio excerpts from the Oct. 24th climate rally in Times Square and 350.org founder Bill McKibben's summary of the latest climate science go to the Sustenance special audio report (20 MB download)

Thousands of demonstrations took place throughout the U.S. and across the world October 24th calling for urgent action to stop climate change due to greenhouse gases. The actions, loosely coordinated by the group 350.org, demanded swift policy changes to halt and reverse the massive contamination of the atmosphere by greenhouse gases, such as the large volume of human-generated carbon dioxide caused by burning fossil fuels. These gases are now understood by climate scientists to be raising the earth's temperature and destabilizing the climate, leading to droughts, floods, severe storms, coastal and island erosion, and increasingly, loss of human life and deadly impact to other species.

Demonstrations, marches, events and actions took place in 181 countries at 5,200 locations, from Antarctica to Times Square in New York City, according to 350.org. Thousands of photos from the amazingly diverse communities that took part in the day of climate action are posted at 350.org's website. 350.org founder Bill McKibben asserts that October 24th's climate actions were "the most widespread day of political action in the planet's history." (Hear the Sustenance special audio report (20 MB download).)

The group 350.org takes its name from the maximum level of atmospheric carbon dioxide -- 350 parts per million (ppm) -- that many scientists believe must be achieved to avoid catastrophic climate change. In the past two decades, fossil fuel combustion and other sources pushed atmospheric carbon dioxide well past the 350 ppm mark. The group is demanding global action to get back below the 350 ppm carbon dioxide level.

In 1989, group founder McKibben authored The End of Nature, one of the first mass audience books warning of the dangers of global warming. Standing on the rally stage in Times Square, beneath giant jumbotrons announcing the need to get below the 350 ppm target, McKibben told the cheering crowd "I have waited 20 years to find out what the global warming movement was going to look like, and by God, it's beautiful."

What will it take to sustain our communities, our regions, our country over the long run?  That’s the question we tackle here at Sustenance, with news reports and analysis, links to important websites, articles and resources, and, coming soon, regular audio interviews. 

Over the long run, for Sustenance, we hope to help build a new politics of sustainability.  To that end, we will be sharing with you the new practical experiments and innovative thinking emerging in:

• local and organic agriculture,
• alternative energy and energy efficiency,
• sustainable economics, oriented towards the satisfaction of real human need, not the exponential expansion of desire and consumption,
• energy efficient housing,
• healthcare for all, with a focus on ideas like “single payer” healthcare that are not getting an adequate hearing,
• manufacturing, with a focus on green industry, a restoration of the American manufacturing economy, and the production of durable and recyclable goods,
• transportation, with a focus on public transit and low carbon-footprint vehicles, and
• water, keeping it a clean and publicly shared resource protected for generations to come.

But most of all we will be discussing what it might take to link these innovations in a new culture and politics of sustainability that can transform our communities, our regions and our country.

Sustenance is based in the Pioneer Valley region of western Massachusetts -- the towns of the Connecticut River valley in our state. We have a particular interest in the practice and politics of sustainability in this region, and in the Connecticut River valley to our north and south. But we won't confine our interest and reporting to this region or even to this country. If all politics is local, all politics is now global as well. Wherever you are, we'd like to hear from you.

To send a comment, or to subscribe to our email updates, email us at:  publisher@sustenancetoday.org.

-- Rudy Perkins, publisher

 

 

© 2009 by Rudy Perkins • Site first published 7/5/09 • Photo credits and copyright unless otherwise noted: Rudy Perkins. Sustenance opening percussion theme composed and performed by Hollie Marron and Deb Reed.

Site last modified 11/21/09

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