Rising Wave

It's time to reincarnate. I'm probably talking to myself at this point. (Who would be following a blog that's been inactive for 2 years???) But, to all you imaginary readers... Watch This Space. Cosbey Green is reincarnating with a broader interpretation, including greening of the mind and spirit, and greening of our socio-economic relations, as well as continued reflections on embracing what life we have not yet doomed to extinction, and thoughts and information on the green political process.

A light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not overcome it. (Non-denominational wisdom from John.)

The Leader Debates: A Win for Grass-Roots Democracy

"Green Leader Elizabeth May will be allowed into the federal leaders' debates, Canada's main broadcasters confirmed late Wednesday afternoon."
-- http://www.cbc.ca/news/canadavotes/story/2008/09/10/elxn-may-debates.html

"Green party Leader Elizabeth May is hailing people power after winning her battle to be included in the federal election leaders debates. ... 'It's grassroots power of the people,' she said."
-- http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jCM6fFTx0JCQk8J3eAhnw-Js0Vew

The Leader Debates: Action Guide

We won this one! Grass-roots public pressure forced the other leaders to reverse their stand. Congratulations! See links to news stories at http://cosbeygreen.blogspot.com/2008/09/leader-debates-win-for-grass-roots.html.

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What You Can Do - Summary

Sign a petition to pressure the Broadcast consortium to include Elizabeth May in the debates. Go to http://demanddemocraticdebates.ca/ to sign the petition.

Donate $10 TODAY to the Green Party at https://greenparty.ca/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=1&source=Main_Donate_Button Or $20, or whatever you can afford. The Green Party "will spend the money on the legal bills [they] will incur to mount [a] court challenge".

Phone, fax or email the party leaders who kept Elizabeth May out of the debate. See contact information in this blog entry.

Contact Jason MacDonald, Spokesperson for the Network Consortium. at: T (416) 482-1357, C (647) 205-4744, macdonald@veritascanada.com.

Tell your friends! Tell ALL your friends! Send them links to my blog entry: go to http://cosbeygreen.blogspot.com/2008/09/leader-debates-canadian-democracy-in.html and click the email icon at the bottom, or just copy the URL out of the address window. And/or: send links to whatever sites/pages you think will be most meaningful and informative to your friends.

Check out the action on Facebook: Join a group, check for other activity, organize events, share the information. Post the information in a comment to this blog entry, as well as elsewhere. Here are the largest 4 groups I found when I searched "Elizabeth May debates":

• Let The Green Party Debate! (784+ members)
• Allow The Green Party To Participate In The Canadian Election Debates (290+ members)
• Allow The Green Party of Canada A Voice In The Debates! (144+ members)
• LET THE GREEN PARTY DEBATE (140+ members)

The Green Voter's Dilemma: Pros & Cons of "Strategic Voting"

The Canadian Green Voter's Dilemma is this:

• If you vote for the party with the best policies and the surest to stand behind those policies after the election, (clearly, the Green Party of Canada), you'll be throwing your vote away, because their chances of winning the seat are slim, and their chances of forming the next government are nil.
• If you vote for the party that is most likely to defeat the Conservatives, on the basis that they've got to be an improvement, you'll be throwing your vote away, because you'll be settling for the best of several evils, and it may just be wishful thinking on your part that the party you vote for will actually be a substantial improvement.

The former option could be called voting on principle. The latter option is often called "strategic voting".

This choice is of major importance! We should all think about it very seriously before 14 October.

The case for strategic voting is very well presented on the Vote for Climate web site. (Thanks to the folks at Voters Taking Action on Climate Change for bringing the Vote for Climate site to my attention.) Please read this stuff! If you decide strategic voting is the way to go, work for it, by trying to get as many people and organization in your riding to rally behind a single "green" alternative candidate. Don't just vote for whomever you think is the most likely to beat out the Conservative candidate, and leave it at that. That would be the worst of both worlds: fragmenting the "green" vote without actually voting for what you believe! Use the suggestions and materials at the Vote for Climate site to help with your organizing efforts.

Here are the beginnings of a case for voting on principle, i.e. voting Green:

• Strategic Voting track record: For five decades I've been watching people vote strategically, because there's always an overwhelmingly urgent issue. But in the 2007 Saskatchewan election, strategic votes for the NDP were a waste of time because the NDP got crushed anyhow. And in the 1964 US presidential election, it was urgent to defeat Barry Goldwater, but when Lyndon Johnson got in, he implemented just about all of Goldwater's campaign promises. It never actually seems to work!
• Differentiation of "Mainstream" Parties: Are the so-called mainstream parties as different from one another as they would like you to believe? I don't think so. Time and again we've seen parties get in power because they say they're different, but their track record shows that we just continue down essentially the same path, regardless of which group we put in power. Oh, yes, there are some differences, and even some fairly important ones, but I personally believe they're more the same than they are different.
  
• Steering into the wind: Basically, if you want to go north, but the Conservatives want to go south, does it make sense to choose a party that wants to go south-by-southwest? Sure, it's a bit closer to where you want to go, but you're still in a position where you, the voting public, have to bring continuous massive pressure to bear for every compass point's worth of steering in the direction you actually want to go. It won't happen. You need a government that wants to go more or less northward!
• Credibility / Consistency: If some parties are talking green, in terms that really seem to make sense to you, what's their track record? Not just on green issues, but on actually sticking to their policies and promises once they get elected? Remember the Chrétien/Martin red book? And how little of it they delivered on? What about the NDP, once synonymous with social justice and support for the common (working) people? In Saskatchewan, at any rate, the NDP had gone so far over to the neo-conservative agenda before the 2007 election, that the ultra-right Sask Party's first budget was basically business as now usual.
  
• Voting for Democracy: Yes, climate change is an overwhelmingly urgent issue, and a majority of Canadians is really concerned about it, but our electoral system lets a minority of the voters elect a government that goes against the will of the people with impunity. We need the people to have a real voice if we're going to be able to deal with climate change. Only the Green Party has electoral reform and proportional representation as a credible, major plank in its policy platform. The NDP in particular has just shown itself to be massively antidemocratic, in its refusal to allow Elizabeth May into the leader debates. (See Leader Debates: Canadian Democracy in Crisis.)
• Voting for Social Justice: If the people that shape our economic directions (and the parties that represent them in Ottawa and Washington D.C.) do actually get moving in the right direction before the fabric of civilization is irrevocably torn asunder by climate change, it will still be with them at the helm, and we'll still have an economic and political system that's concentrating power and wealth in the hands of the few at an exponential rate, and deepening the gulf between rich and poor. The Greens are not socialists, and maybe aren't deep thinkers about class struggle or the contradictions of capitalism; but they do stand strongly and credibly for social justice, empowerment of the community, self-defence and negotiation rather than military aggression, and governing for the common good, rather than in the interests of the few.
• Influencing the "Mainstream" (i.e. co-opted?) Parties: The more votes go to the Greens, the more we'll scare the so-called mainstream parties into adopting green policies, even if we still don't elect any MPs. If, as suggested above, the differences among the mainstream parties are minor, then when Mainstream Party A loses votes to Mainstream Party B, neither party is actually motivated to change direction. But if they are losing votes to a real alternative, like the Green Party, then all the mainstream parties have to take note.
  

Please comment! Add points on either side! Email this post to your friends, and get some real discussion going!

The Leader Debates: Green Party Email

Here's an email I received from the Green Party of Canada on the Leader Debates issue:
Letter to Green Party Friends and Supporters,

Today's decision by the broadcasting consortium is an inexcusable mistake and a slap in the face to all those who care about democracy and freedom of speech in this country. They have bowed to crass partisan politics from three other federal parties. Elizabeth May deserves to be in the included in the nationally-televised leaders' debates. She has jumped through every hoop that has barred her way and she still is being kept from presenting the Green platform to a national audience by the Conservatives, NDP and Bloc.

The Green party is a truly national party that has run candidates across the country for the past two elections. We have a sitting MP. We had the support of nearly 700,000 Canadians in the last elections and are polling at over one million votes in this election. There is no logical reason why Elizabeth May and the Green Party should be kept out of this important national forum.

No other party has been as successful as the Green Party and still be blocked from public national debates. In 1993 the Reform and Bloc Parties were included in the debates with only one MP and no official party status. Neither ran candidates across the country. There is no precedent for this private decision to exclude the Green party from the leader's public debate. In fact, all the precedents support our inclusion in this public forum. . Partisan politics has kept her out, this is an insult to the Green party and called the fairness of the election into question.

It is so important for Elizabeth May to be present at the debates. The majority of Canadians make their voting decisions based on them. The Green party needs your help to remedy this situation. We need you to write, call and contact the Broadcasting Consortium and tell them they are wrong. Tell them that Canadians deserve to hear the voices of all national leaders.

Most importantly, you should phone, fax or email the party leaders who kept Elizabeth May out of the debate. Make them accountable for this outrageous, antidemocratic act.

Stephen Harper: Conservative Party of Canada Election Headquarters #1204 - 130 Albert Street Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 5G4 Toll free: (866) 808-8407 Phone: (613) 755-2000 Fax at: (613) 755-2001 Email: pm@pm.gc.ca	Jack Layton: Canada's NDP 300 - 279 Laurier West Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5J9 Phone: 613-236-3613 Toll Free: 1-866-525-255 Fax: 613-230-9950 TTY: 1-866-776-7742 Email: Layton.J@parl.gc.ca	Gilles Duceppe: Bloc Québécois 3730, boul. Crémazie Es Montréal (Québec) H2A 1B4 Téléphone : 514 526-30 Télécopieur : 514 526-2868 Email : Duceppe.G@parl.gc.ca
Constituency Office 1600 - 90th Avenue SW Suite A-203 Calgary, Alberta, T2V 5A8 Telephone: (403) 253-7990 Fax: (403) 253-8203	Constituency Office 221 Broadview Avenue Suite 100 (Main Office) Toronto, Ontario; M4M 2G3 Telephone: (416) 405-8914	Constituency Office 1200 Papineau, # 350 Montreal, Québec; H2K 4R5 Telephone: (514) 522-1339 Fax: (514) 522-9899
Hill Office House of Commons Ottawa, Ontario; K1A 0A6 Telephone: (613) 992-4211 Fax: (613) 941-6900	Hill Office House of Commons Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A Telephone: (613) 995-7224 Fax: (613) 995-4565	Hill Office House of Commons Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A Telephone: (613) 992-6777 Fax: (613) 954-2121

You can visit http://demanddemocraticdebates.ca to sign a petition to pressure the Broadcast consortium to make sure that Green Party leader Elizabeth May is included in the leaders' debates. You can also let the broadcast consortium know of your disagreement by contacting them at:

John Cruikshank, Publisher, CBC news (416) 205-6300

Robert Hurst, President of CTV News 416-332-5000

Troy Reeb, Senior Vice President of News Canwest Global (416) 967-1174

Pierre Dion, President, Groupe TVA Inc. 514-526-9251

Ronald Cohen, National Chair, Canadian Broadcast Standards Council P.O. Box 3265, Station D Ottawa, ON K1P 6H8 613-233-4607

Glenn O'Farrell, President and CEO, Canadian Association of Broadcasters P.O. Box 627, Stn. B Ottawa, ON K1P 5S2 613-233-4035 ext: 326

Talk to everyone you know about this important subject and make sure they get involved in supporting the Green Party's fight. A complaint has been filed to the CRTC and Legal proceedings to overturn the decision have already started. These initiatives can only be strengthened by your support. The Green Party has retained the best lawyer in Canada in this field to represent the party in court. The Green party is legally and politically required to be in these debates.

We urge you to act immediately to right this wrong.

PROTECT OUR DEMOCRACY, PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO A FRIEND.

The Leader Debates: Canadian Democracy in Crisis!

We won this one! Grass-roots public pressure forced the other leaders to reverse their stand. Congratulations! See links to news stories at http://cosbeygreen.blogspot.com/2008/09/leader-debates-win-for-grass-roots.html.

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A Consortium of Canada's leading broadcasting networks announced on Monday 08Sep that Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada, will not be included in the leaders' debates. The Consortium based their decision on the position taken by three political parties who said that they would not participate in the televised leaders debates if the Green Party was included.

Whether or not you support the Green Party, please take this attack on our already beleaguered democratic system seriously!

Already outraged? Click here to jump to my action guide! Or, read on.

Historically, parties that have had less standing than the Green Party of Canada have routinely been included in the Leader debates.

One in every 22 Canadians voters in the last federal election - 660,000 voters - voted Green. The Green Party has ranked third in numerous polls this year. The Green Party has a Member of Parliament, as a result of independent MP Blair Wilson joining the Greens in late August. The Green Party ran a full slate of candidates in the last two federal elections.

The Bloc Québecois was included in the 1988 debates despite having no seats in Parliament, no official recognition from the Speaker and only 75 candidates out of 295 ridings. The Reform Party was included in the 1993 debates despite having won only 276,000 votes and no seats in the previous election, and having only a single Member of Parliament at the time of the debates - as the result of a by-election. Yet the Bloc and the successor to the Reform party are both now sabotaging the democratic process by blocking Elizabeth May and the Green Party from the debates. Incredibly, so is the NDP!

My view:

• The Bloc, the Conservatives, and the NDP are all making a radical attack on Canadian democracy, by attempting to disenfranchise a party that represents over half a million Canadians. This is a direct attack on you, the Canadian voter. These parties do not deserve your vote!
• The media consortium made the wrong decision. They should have called the bluff of these rogue political parties. If any of them had continued obstinate in their position, the media would have been doing a great service to the Canadian public by dramatically highlighting their absence from the debates as an unwillingness to participate in the free democratic process.
  

More: I've posted additional background information, links, and suggested actions in the first 7 comments to this post.

Please comment! Please send your friends a link to this blog entry! Please act to put pressure on these wrong-headed politicians and on the media consortium.

Canada Carbon Tax - VTACC Appeal

Voters Taking Action on Climate Change (VTACC) sent out another email today, calling for action. This is essentially the same information as my last post, (Canada - Campaign for NRTEE Carbon Tax). I suggest you read the VTACC version first, and only go to Canada - Campaign for NRTEE Carbon Tax if you want more background or detail.

From: VTACC <climate_action@yahoo.ca>
Date: 12 January 2008
Subject: We have an opportunity

Hi all,

We need five minutes of your time, and a letter is attached.

Here is the good news:

The National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy has pushed the idea of a carbon tax onto the national stage. The NRTEE states that this is the only realistic way that Canada can reach the government's current goal of a 65% reduction below 2003 levels by 2050.

Without a price on carbon emissions, the National Round Table states that Canada will be unlikely to meet even these goals.

But here is the bad news:

The very next morning the Conservative goverment attempted to silence this recommendation by rejecting this idea entirely. So far, this has worked. They must be congratulating themselves at how easily Canadians can be silenced!

And here is what we are doing about it:

Let's not accept the current federal greenhouse gas plan for non-action, and their flat refusal to consider putting a price on carbon emissions.

If you haven't yet, please take five minutes and express what they need to hear from Canadians.

We have a minority government in Ottawa, and a federal election looming. We may never have a better time to push for real action.

This is not about partisan politics; all parties need to hear that Canadians want real action on carbon emissions.

Together, we can pull this back onto the national stage. But we need your help.

And in case you are tongue-tied, attached below is a template of a possible letter:

Here are the addresses. Write one letter, and cc a copy of it to the others!

bairdj@parl.gc.ca
pm@pm.gc.ca
dions@parl.gc.ca
layton.j@parl.gc.ca
McGuinty.D@parl.gc.ca
leader@greenparty.ca

You can find your own MP at http://tinyurl.com/3dg9g3

Should John Baird be congratulating himself? You decide.

Please take the five minutes right now, and send us a copy!

Thank you all for taking action,
VTACC
Voters Taking Action on Climate Change


John Baird, M.P.
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6

January 8, 2008
Your name and address here

Dear Mr. Baird,
I am very disappointed in how quickly you rejected the notion of a Carbon Tax – as recently recommended by the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy.

To react so quickly appears to show an unwillingness to consider the knowledge and research of others. Given the brief time you have been entrusted with the responsibility of Environment Minister one would hope for more deliberation.

Please reconsider your position, and I would encourage you to more openly discuss this important idea with Canadians.

Like so many others, I strongly support putting a price on carbon emissions as a key means for Canada is to achieve significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. It is clear that the atmosphere can no longer be used as a free dumping ground by individuals or corporations.

Sincerely,


cc: Prime Minister Stephen Harper
cc: Stephane Dion, Lead of the Opposition
cc: David McGuinty, Liberal Environment critic
cc: Jack Layton, Leader of the NDP
cc: Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party

Canada - Campaign for NRTEE Carbon Tax

See newer (and shorter) post first: Canada Carbon Tax - VTACC Appeal. Return here if you want more background or detail.

Folks, we saw a big win for democracy and for climate sanity in Bali last month, thanks to all of you, and to coordinators of the mass outcry - especially Avaaz.org. (See my 21Dec post for background on this.)

Now we have an even bigger job ahead of us: keeping our "leaders" on the path!

Right now, Canadians need a massive demonstration of popular support for the recent report from the National Round Table on Environment and Economy (NRTEE), and in particular for the NRTEE recommendation for a carbon tax.

Read on! Take action, as suggested below. Tell all your friends! We need a massive show of public support for carbon pricing!

Background:

The NRTEE is an independent advisory panel commissioned over a year ago by the federal government to study ways Canada can make major, long-term cuts to the country's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It issued its report on 07 Jan 2008.

The report concludes that the only way to make truly deep cuts in GHG emissions is to start charging for carbon emissions as soon as possible. Once a price is established, the panel recommends that Canada adopt a carbon tax and/or a cap-and-trade system based on that price.

Adopting the NRTEE recommendations will not ensure an level of pricing consistent with a 2-degree cap on global warming. However, the main thing at present is to get carbon pricing implemented. Further action can be launched afterwards if needed - as it almost certainly will be!

Here are some places to go for more background:
CBC coverage, 07Jan
Canadian Press coverage, 07Jan
David Suzuki Foundation statement
Green Party of Canada statement
Voters Taking Action on Climate Change - BC Carbon Tax Campaign
(VTACC has begun a national email campaign based on the NRTEE report, but has not yet posted that information on their web site at the time of this writing.)
CBC backgrounder on carbon tax, June 2006
CBC backgrounder on carbon trading, November 2006
National Round Table web site

Take Action:

Email your democratic representatives at the federal level, regardless of party. Phone them if you prefer. Or do both. Tell them you support the NRTEE recommendations, particularly as regards putting a price on carbon emissions. Ask them where they stand.

Who to contact:
Your MP
The Prime Minister The Right Honourable Stephen Harper (pm@pm.gc.ca or Harper.S@parl.gc.ca)
Minister of the Environment The Honourable John Baird (Baird.J@parl.gc.ca)
Minister of Finance The Honourable Jim Flaherty (Flaherty.J@parl.gc.ca)
Leader of the Opposition The Honourable Stéphane Dion (DionS@parl.gc.ca)
Leader of the New Democratic Party The Honourable Jack Layton (Layton.J@parl.gc.ca)
Leader of the Green Party of Canada Elizabeth May (leader@greenparty.ca)

As a time-saver, you can send a single email addressed to your MP or the Prime Minister, or the Environment Minister, and cc as many others as you choose. Add your MP to the following list, and copy/paste as appropriate:
pm@pm.gc.ca, Baird.J@parl.gc.ca, Flaherty.J@parl.gc.ca, DionS@parl.gc.ca, Layton.J@parl.gc.ca, leader@greenparty.ca


What to say:

Here's a suggested email, the body of the message courtesy of VTACC.org:

Subject: Support for NRTEE Carbon Tax Recommendation

The Honourable John Baird, P.C., M.P., Minister of the Environment
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6

<current date>, 2008

<Your name and address here>

Dear Minister,

I am very disappointed in how quickly you rejected the notion of a Carbon Tax – as recently recommended by the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy.

To react so quickly appears to show an unwillingness to consider the knowledge and research of others. Given the brief time you have been entrusted with the responsibility of Environment Minister one would hope for more deliberation.

Please reconsider your position, and I would encourage you to more openly discuss this important idea with Canadians.

Like so many others, I strongly support putting a price on carbon emissions as a key means for Canada is to achieve significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. It is clear that the atmosphere can no longer be used as a free dumping ground by individuals or corporations.

Sincerely,

<your name>

cc: The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, P.C., M.P., Prime Minister of Canada
cc: The Honourable Jim Flaherty, P.C., M.P., Minister of Finance
cc: The Honourable Stéphane Dion, P.C., M.P., Leader of the Opposition
cc: The Honourable Jack Layton, P.C., M.P., Leader of the New Democratic Party
cc: Ms. Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada

Make sure your cc list in the text body matches you cc list of email addresses.

Or, use the following guidelines:

Tell your representative that you support the NRTEE recommendations on carbon tax.

Let him/her know you think this is an urgent issue.

Ask him/her to take action.

Ask for a reply.

Include your name and address, and optionally other contact information.

Keep it short, and polite.

Do it fast. There are no points for polished prose. Now is much better than later. Your letter will be counted, not studied and critiqued. Copy any or all or the sample letters below, as is, or integrated with your own words. (These are not great letters, but they're adequate. If you improve on them, please add your letter as a comment to this post.)

Here's a letter that went to a Conservative MP:

Subject: Support for NRTEE Carbon Tax Recommendation

Dear :

I urge you to support the recommendations of the National Round Table on Environment and Economy, especially regarding the carbon tax. I understand that the Government opposes a carbon tax at this time, but I am hopeful that further consideration of the NRTEE report and assessment of public opinion will lead to a reversal of this stand in the near future. I hope you will consider this urgent matter seriously, and do what you can to promote further consideration within the Government.

I would be happy to hear your thoughts on the matter.

Here's a letter that went to a Liberal MP, with a bit more expectation of a sympathetic reception:

Subject: Environment, Economy and a carbon tax

Dear ,

Please represent me by supporting the recommendations of the National Round Table on Environment and Economy, especially regarding the carbon tax.

I can think of no other way to get our GHG emissions reduced. Obviously I'm in very good company as neither could the National Round Table on Environment and Economy.

It is time Canada took the "bull by the horns" on climate change and showed the world that we can be good global citizens.

An early reply would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Share your letters and ideas!

If you send a letter you would like to share as a sample, or if you have additional suggestions or information that would help make this campaign more effective, please add a comment to this post, or email me at rcosbey@gmail.com.

Tell your friends!

Ask everyone you know to visit this page and take action on this urgent issue. Only a massive show of support will win the day.

Green Activists Turn Tide in Bali

Wow! It looks as if I might be spared having to explain to my grandchildren why my country blocked efforts to avoid a global holocaust! At the last minute, thanks to some heroic efforts by green activists and millions of supporters around the world, Canada agreed to targets for greenhouse gas emissions. Don't think for a minute that we will stay on course without a great deal of continuing public pressure, but at the moment, we have cause for celebration!

If you haven't already heard all about what happened in Bali, I urge you to check out the Avaaz report. There's also a good news article posted on the German indymedia.org site.

The highlights:

- US and Canada team up to undermine the talks. US blocks summit consensus. When Kyoto treaty countries try to move ahead without the US, they are blocked by Canada.

- Global community of green activists, led by Avaaz, organize massive action: petitions, ad campaigns, marches, phoning campaigns. At the summit, Avaaz members bring protest inside the conference: only march allowed inside the venue; largest climate petition in history; daily press conferences; "fossil awards" for the worst countries in the negotiations; constant lobbying of officials.

- In the final hours, Canada backs down completely, allowing Kyoto countries to agree to strong 2020 targets on carbon emissions. US team now entirely isolated and actually booed by the world's diplomats, agrees to call for "deep cuts" and "reference" the 2020 targets.

- Much work remains to achieve new global climate change treaty by 2009, but we're on our way - and we won't turn back!

Canada in Bali: Crime Against Humanity?

Do you ever wonder how it felt to be a post-war German, having to explain to your children how "you" could have let the holocaust happen? I'm afraid we North Americans are going to find out, first hand.

Too strong an analogy? Well, that depends on what you believe about the causes and potential impact of climate change. The apparent scientific consensus suggests that inaction on climate change will be tantamount to genocide, with entire island nations set to disappear under the waves, to name only one predicted effect. Is there uncertainty about that? Well, some people seem to think so. Was there uncertainty about what Hitler was doing? Absolutely. We actually have much better advance insights into what greenhouse gase (GHG) emissions are doing than we ever had about the Nazi program. The holocaust was only clear in hindsight, and even now has its fringe deniers. In hindsight, later this century, I suspect we're not going to look one iota better than the post-war Germans did in the mid-twentieth century.

I know everybody and his dog attacked Elizabeth May for making a similar analogy, but I fail to find any substance to the criticisms. The analogy is a perfectly good one, from a rational-logical point of view.

This rather depressing meditation is sparked by Canada's and the US' abysmal performance in Bali. Canada, the US, and Japan are clearly today's global "bad guys", attempting to block progress on a further climate-change agreement. You can't have missed this in the news, but if you want some references, here are a few sites to visit:
The Globe and Mail Dec 12 "Canada killing European effort to cut emissions"
The Globe and Mail Dec 11 "Canada facing wave of climate criticism"
TheStar.com - CP video Dec 10 "Canada assailed at Bali climate talks"
TheStar.com Dec 2 "Climate change critics fear Canada's Influence"
TheStar.com Dec 12 Letters to the editor
David Suzuki Foundation - Bali Blog
Avaaz.org
Climate Action Network (Issue 8, Page 2 is a good starting place.)
Stop Climate Chaos Coalition - Canada
Greenpeace Climate Weblog
Sierra Club

Bush Perpetrating Climate Hoax, Says House Committee

It seems that many people believe that there is no scientific consensus that the global warming we are currently experiencing is caused by human activity and greenhouse gases. They believe this is a hoax perpetrated by people with a political axe to grind, and they include the IPCC in this category. I would simply discount this as a fringe phenomenon, if I didn't have more than one friend in this category.

In any case, if there's hoaxing going on, at least some of it seems to be working in the other direction. The US House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has just released a report finding that "the Bush Administration has engaged in a systematic effort to manipulate climate change science and mislead policymakers and the public about the dangers of global warming."

The report goes on to say: "White House officials and political appointees in the agencies censored congressional testimony on the causes and impacts of global warming, controlled media access to government climate scientists, and edited federal scientific reports to inject unwarranted uncertainty into discussions of climate change and to minimize the threat to the environment and the economy."

I should look at some of the unbelievers' materials to see whether they can be easily refuted - although that may not be the most effective way to direct my energies on the climate issue. In the mean time, there are two things that keep me moving forward:

1. Ulterior motives for discounting the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are easy to find! (Oil industry interests would be sufficient all by themselves.) But I have trouble envisaging any possible ulterior motive for a systematic, world-wide "conspiracy" to lay false blame on human activity.

2. If there is doubt, I would rather take appropriate precautions instead of gambling my children's inheritance of a habitable planet on the hopes that the current apparent scientific consensus is wrong.

Green Issues by Level of Government

This post actually focuses on climate-change issues, in recognition of the Bali talks currently underway, and the upcoming Dec 8 global action on climate change.

A huge amount of action on climate change depends on policies, regulatory mechanisms, and incentives that only government can provide. So, a large part of what you, as an individual, can do is to pressure your governments at all levels to take timely and serious action on climate issues, and encourage others to do the same.

My last post told you how to contact various levels of government - if you live in the same part of the world that I do. Today's post suggests some of things that should be on the agenda for various levels of government - particularly in Canada, since the division of responsibilities may be different elsewhere.

These are just a few suggestions. Please add your suggestions as comments, or email to me at rcosbey@gmail.com.

Climate-Change Issues for the National Government

• Support for the Kyoto Protocol, and developing a strong extension to it in Bali this month. In Canada and the US, call for a reversal of the national government attempts to sabotage the Kyoto protocol.
• Incentives for sustainable energy development, especially wind and solar. (Neither fossil fuels nor uranium-resource-based nuclear energy are sustainable.)
• In Canada, the tarsands project, and its contribution to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

State or Provincial Government Climate-Change Issues

• Participation in State/Province GHG-reduction alliances, such as the Western Regional Climate Action Initiative.
• In Saskatchewan and Alberta, the tarsands project, its contribution to GHG emissions, and its effect on the local environment.
• Studying and communicating local adaptation issues. For example, southern Saskatchewan faces probable desertification due to global warming. The provincial government needs to assure adequate clean water supplies, and identify required changes in agricultural practices. (Northern Saskatchewan issues will likely be different.)
• Incentives for sustainable energy development, same as for the national government.
• Energy-efficient transportation strategies, including re-building our rail systems.
• Incentives and funding for municipal GHG-reduction initiatives.
• Incentives for increased local processing and consumption of agricultural produce and natural resources, etc., to decrease transportation requirements.
  

Municipal Government

• Effective reduction in automobile traffic, through massive improvements to public transportation, increased investment in daily-use bike paths, zoning policies that reduce the need for automobile traffic, restoration of passenger rail service, etc.
• Make public buildings and institutions more climate friendly, by improving energy efficiency, using sustainable energy sources, locating services more centrally, purchasing local goods and services so as to reduce transportation requirements, etc.
• Preparing adaptation strategies, e.g. adequate clean water supplies in the face of possible drought or desertification scenarios.
  

Government Contacts

To contact your elected representatives about green issues, you need to know how! I've figured out how to find contact information online for my country (Canada), province (Saskatchewan), and city (Regina), so I'm posting that here for the convenience of my compatriots. If you have similar information for other parts of the country or the world, feel free to add a comment to this post. (Any problems, contact me at rcosbey@gmail.com.)

Canada

To find contact information for your Canadian Member of Parliament (MP):
- Go to the Elections Canada - Electoral District and MP Search Page. (Aussi disponible en français.)
- Find your electoral district (by postal code or other)
- Under "Your Member of Parliament" ("Votre député"), click on "Click here for more information"

For the Canadian Prime Minister, Minister of the Environment, or other Minister:
- Go to the Parliament of Canada - Current Cabinet page. (Aussi disponible en français.)
- Find the appropriate title, and click on the corresponding MP name

Saskatchewan

To identify your Saskatchewan Provincial Constituency - if you don't already know:
- Use the Elections Saskatchewan - Constituency Locator Page

To find contact information for your Saskatchewan Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA):
- Go to the Legislative Assembly - Constituency Office Addresses page. Search the page for your MLA name or Constituency name.
- You can also find Legislative Building address and phone numbers on the Members of the Legislative Assembly page.

To find contact information for the Saskatchewan Premier, Minister of the Environment, or other Minister:
- Go to the Government of Saskatchewan - Cabinet page.
- Search the page for the title you want, then click on that minister's name or photo.

Regina

To find contact information for your City Councillor:
- Go to the City of Regina - Ward Map page.
- Click on your Ward or the Councillor name to display a page containing email and phone numbers.
- You can send mail to your Councillor at City Hall, 2476 Victoria Avenue, Regina, S4P 3C8

For the Mayor:
- Visit the City of Regina - Mayor's Office page.

Global Action on Climate Change, 08 Dec

On December 8, Rally Around the Earth for Climate Justice and a Safer, Healthier Planet!
- www.actfortheearth.org/climatechaos

In December, 190 countries will meet in Bali, Indonesia for the UN Kyoto Climate Talks to negotiate our future. Join hundreds of thousands of people in at least 50 countries (and counting) who will be on the streets to demand that world leaders take urgent action to stop climate chaos.
- www.climatechaos.ca (taken from regular poster on tab "Dec 8")

There are currently actions planned in 16 Canadian cities (in 10 provinces) for the December 8 global day of action to stop climate chaos. Check back at www.climatechaos.ca often for updated information. Organizing an event for December 8 that's not listed? Let us know!

Check details at www.climatechaos.ca to see if there's an event planned in your community. If not, there's not much time left, but even a token event will help send a message.
- www.climatechaos.ca

To find contacts in other countries around the world, or to register a contact for a country not yet listed, see the Global Climate Campaign website.

UN/IPCC - Climate Change Worse Than We Thought

On 17 November, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its fourth report, summarizing its overall findings. Information for the press is available in text format or video. Ban Ki-moon's comments are reported on the UN News site.

All major news media covered this story, including the CBC. One of the better articles I've seen online is from the International Harold Tribune (IHT): Alarming UN report on climate change too rosy, many say. The IHT coverage includes a related article: Ban calls climate change 'defining challenge of our age'. A search for "climate change" on the IHT shows quite a few other good articles on the subject.

The IPCC report "is expected to form the basis of discussions in Bali next month when world leaders gather under the auspices of the UN to try to agree to a successor pact to the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions, which is due to expire by 2012," according to the UN news site.

Sask Election Results: Greens Quadruple Vote

If you haven't yet seen the results of the 2007 Saskatchewan election, there's a great analysis posted on the Green Party of Canada site by Jim Harris: "Greens Quadruple vote in Saskatchewan".

Some of the Green Party Sask highlights are:

• Green candidates in 48 out of 58 constituencies (83%).


• Green votes, province-wide: 9,076 (2.0%), versus 2,323 votes (.55%) in 2003.

In Regina Lakeview constituency, I received 392 votes (4.4%), which was the highest total number of votes in the province, and the third-highest percentage of the popular vote. This is obviously a good constituency in which to be doing some organizing work over the next four years!

Official results will be posted at Elections Saskatchewan when available. In the mean time, everyone's using their unofficial results.

Green Party #3 in Canada Today

The latest Strategic Counsel survey for the Globe and Mail/CTV News shows the Green Party in third place, nationally. The Green Party, with 13%, has overtaken both the NDP (12%) and the Bloc Quebecois (11%) for the first time ever. (Click here for full report.)

Growth Economy?

One significant factor contributing to our current environmental crisis is our growth economy. To be successful and attract investors, corporations need to show growth in revenue, in sales, in market share, and in profitability. Countries measure their economic health by growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). One result is that we reward and value wasteful, unnecessary production much more than we do quiet conservation. Even ignoring wastefulness, simple grade-school arithmetic tells us that a never-ending growth economy operating in a finite world is unsustainable - a fact most governments and coroporate spokespersons choose to ignore.

Sandra Finley, Leader of the Green Party of Saskatchewan, has written a pertinent article on the need for change in our economic indicators. I recommend it to my readers. Click here to view Sandras's article.

"Must See" Video - Climate Action Risk Analysis

I never guessed from the title what this video was about. It's a compelling logical argument for action, whether you believe climate change is a man-made catastrophe waiting to happen, or whether you're among those who thinks that hasn't been proved. Watch the video. Think about it. If you think there's a flaw in his reasoning, let me know. If not, spread the word!

Click here to watch the video:
The Most Terrifying Video You'll Ever See

Campaign Brochure

Here's my campaign brochure, finally!  This is the official Green Party Sask brochure, with my pictures & bio inserted.  I'll be picking up 500 printed copies from FuturePrint on Monday afternoon.  I'm also hoping to distribute the brochure electronically, to reach more people and save costs ($ and trees).  Send a link to this post to any friends who might be interested!  Click on the images to see larger, readable versions.