FARGO — A majority of scientists say climate change is taking place. They say if nothing is done to slow it down, it will be a disaster to our planet.

Tragically, there are people who say climate change is a hoax created by the scientists mentioned above. These same critics don’t want to hear about moving away from fossil fuels and other greenhouse gases. According to them, moving away from fossil fuels and greenhouse gases will destroy the economy of the world.

On the contrary, if we don’t move away from fossil fuels and greenhouse gases (which contribute immensely to global warming), it will bring the world economy down to its knees.

I stand with the majority of scientists, partly because I see no reason why they should fabricate untrue stories about climate change and partly because we already have seen the signs of climate change all around the globe.

Climate change has to be dealt with. Otherwise, mankind and other species will face calamity.

Akec Garang
To read the 50+ comments, go to the Grand Forks Herald here: http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/138811

Of course, I’ve paraphrased in layman’s super-summed-up sound bite terms that we all understand- the military likes to use terms like “threat multiplier.” Global warming pollution is a severe problem, and the greatest military in the world can’t fix this problem alone. It’s going to take everybody, even businesses . And not just Americans, it’s going to take people from all nations to come together for a comprehensive set of solutions. With the international climate treaty negotiations only 52 days away and counting, at this moment the most important thing that America can do is to signal to the rest of the world that we want to fix this problem as a nation, and we would be proud for the rest of the world’s nations to join us. We must pass strong climate legislation in Congress so that the President will be armed with a great set of goals for the rest of the planet’s leaders to reach for.  UK’s Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, wrote today, Blog Action Day, asking for all of us to take action.

I’m writing this from Fargo, North Dakota, and I can tell you from personal experience that North Dakotans are very passionate about seeing climate change legislation pass. You see, I’ve been working with North Dakotans to help them raise their voices to the level that will be heard by Senators Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan, asking them to vote for strong climate legislation before the Copenhagen negotiations happen. One of these volunteers has lived in Fargo for more than a decade, and came from Sudan.  He loves Fargo and North Dakota, and tells me so. A Sudanese friend of his was assisted by Senator Dorgan to live here, and he tells me there is a very large Sudanese community here.

This volunteer recounts how desertification is already causing major shifts in population migration due to shifting water-supplies and land resources (a.k.a. “climate refugees” of the land-locked type). And most of his family still lives in these conditions. He fears for their well-being. And just yesterday, he came to me exasperated that one of his contacts didn’t follow-through on what they said they would do- contact some friends and family to call the Senators’ offices to ask for strong climate legislation.  I had to remind him of the great success he has had with others up until this point.

When I see this man, handicapped with many medical ailments, making labored special trips around town, and to my office to do everything in his power to make a difference in collectively attacking this great beast that we call climate change, he renews my spirit. He convinces me with his success with so many people he reaches to take action on this, that for every 1 person I’ve met who expresses their passion for wanting a clean energy future, there are hundreds, perhaps thousands more in North Dakota.

We have accumulated literally hundreds of these people’s expressions for wanting millions of new clean energy jobs, a set of scientifically-based carbon-reduction goals, and to put a moratorium on old, dirty coal technology in favor of investing instead in renewable energy. Just imagine how many have not spoken out to reach their senators who otherwise would favor these same solutions!  I bet you know them, and could talk to them about this.

Many of the people I have spoken with are, or know someone who is, unemployed. When they discover that the strong climate legislation in Congress right now, like the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 and Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act of 2009 would create millions of new jobs nationally, including thousands of jobs here in North Dakota, they say “I want one of those!”

That’s why I am so incredibly baffled when such a large, influential, and politically-connected organization such as the United States Chamber of Commerce uses the dues of its 3 million members to actively pursue an obstructionist position for ANY climate change solutions now or ever presented to our legislators. Does anybody really believe that 3 million businesses, faith organizations , and a diverse array of others are following their lead? If you are a Chamber member, and I were in your position, I’d be telling my local Chamber not to take it anymore, and to pass a statement of disagreement on this issue with the U.S. Chamber.  Nike withdrew as a member of the Board, and a whole slew of other major corporations have resigned their memberships altogether.

I know that here in North Dakota, the Fargo-Moorhead Chamber of Commerce already has a statement of support for strong climate legislation:

• “Support legislation that fosters energy development and transmission and provides for diversity and security of energy resources including wind energy and hydrogen
• „„Support establishing a policy to address climate change issues at the national level, providing for impact on local and regional economies”

The Fargo-Moorhead Chamber of Commerce, the largest local Chamber in North Dakota, may not have heard today’s news that the polar ice cap is now predicted to be ice-free within 20-30 years, but they’re already taking action on behalf of their membership to make sure North Dakota is doing everything we can to calm this beast.  While the U.S. Chamber obstructs millions of clean energy jobs from being created, somewhat perversely in light of their new campaign to create 20 million new jobs by telling Americans to pull themselves up by the bootstraps, the Fargo-Moorhead Chamber, for one, is working towards a real plan for helping expand an entire sector of energy and energy efficiency businesses with fresh job creation via strong climate legislation.

Out of the entire United States, North Dakota sits comfortably at the top of the list for the potential of wind power.  Yet, how many wind turbines do you see?  And North Dakota is sitting-pretty compared to the rest of the nation when it comes to unemployment rates, at less than half the rate.  But wouldn’t it be nice to reduce the rate by about a fourth?  North Dakota stands to gain thousands of new jobs.  Not only that, but as Vice Admiral Dennis McGinn stated at a recent engagement in Fargo at NDSU, North Dakota could set the example for the entire nation if that potential were realized by its leadership.  Senators Conrad and Dorgan, we know, realize at least that climate change is a problem and that it needs their attention.  But they haven’t taken a position on the legislation before them right now in the Senate.  Tell them you want a clean energy economy, and you want North Dakota to be a national and global leader for climate change.

If we don’t take action now, when?  Will the beast lurking in the shadows of our planet continue to stalk us at a seemingly harmless distance, namely the arctic ice cap melting, antarctic ice sheets breaking into the ocean, Greenland, Himalayan, and even American glaciers squeezing out their final drops of water, and African desertification and droughts?  Or will it take another swipe at the Red River Valley with yet another 100 year flood within another 10-12 years or sooner?  Will it devour North Dakota crops with increased pest outbreaks from more ideal conditions for them and lay waste to the best-laid plans of farmers during harvest season with shifting seasons and more unpredictable weather events?

Or will we tame the beast and put a leash on these variabilities by creating a clean energy economy and thousands of new jobs here in North Dakota, by setting achievable and realistic targets to reduce global warming pollution (if we start now), and by restraining the amount of carbon we’re pushing into our atmosphere by not building any new coal-fired power plants using old and dirty technology and by instead investing in renewable energy?  Right now, we have an opportunity to lead the world, let’s not sit on our hands.

Take a stand- Senators Conrad and Dorgan can move the entire Senate to vote for strong climate legislation if you tell them to do so.  Call them right now.

Then write a letter to the editor in one of your favorite newspapers (1, 2, 3, 4, 5).  They pay close attention to what’s said about them, and North Dakota, in the public eye.

And sign up to be your community’s Climate Precinct Captain to invite your friends, family, and neighbors to join this most critical issue of our time.

You can tell your grandkids that you helped slay a big, scary beast with the best armed-forces in the world-you’re a climate hero!

FARGO — Whereas, retired Vice Adm. Dennis McGinn recently spoke in Grand Forks on the importance of taking action now to lessen the increasing “threat multipliers” of global warming pollution, a position that the retired flag officers of the CNA Military Advisory Board strongly support;

Whereas, Grand Forks Air Force Base already is engaged in reducing its carbon emissions through the federal government’s Energy Star program and has saved more than 450,000 pounds f greenhouse gas emissions this year;

Whereas the Union of Concerned Scientists, among many other respected agencies, is predicting significant climatic changes that will hurt major North Dakota industries and municipalities;

Therefore, be it resolved that the Air Force base pledges it will do everything it can to support the following solutions as developed by 1Sky (www.1sky.org), a nonpartisan campaign focused on delivering bold climate and energy policy in 2009:

- Help create millions of new jobs in America (including thousands in North Dakota) for pathways out of citizen poverty;

- Help reduce global warming pollution;

- Help repower America with 100 percent renewable energy sources.

Joshua Ruschhaupt

From today’s New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2009/10/07/07climatewire-senate-dems-opening-to-nuclear-as-path-to-go-28815.html

Lindsey Graham (R-SC): “I think the planet is heating up,” Graham said. “I think CO2 emissions are damaging the environment and this dependence on foreign oil is a natural disaster in the making. Let’s do something about it. I’d like to solve a problem, and if it’s on President Obama’s watch, it doesn’t bother me one bit if it makes the country better off.”

Is it possible that the truth of the matter is making its way into politics?  Global warming is real, climate change is happening, republicans are searching for solutions?  In a non-partisan agreement?  (@@) <– Sirens just rang out here in downtown Fargo, so I went to look to see if pigs were flying.  Nope- it must have been a false alarm!

Has the day finally arrived when the United States finally comes together in unity to address and take action to resolve the most pressing issue in human history?  Climate change is happening, and all of our politicians are finally starting to walk together in the same direction- that would be towards Copenhagen, Denmark’s UN climate negotiations in just 60 days, and counting.

Where do Senators Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan stand?  We know more about the position of leading Republican Lindsey Graham’s position than our home-state Democrat Senators.

Call Senators Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan right now, and ask them to support strong climate legislation- NOW.  (But be polite when you ask.  It’s the North Dakotan way, right?)

Call using the 1Sky online system, and you will have some talking points to use if you want, plus the feedback window lets you show what their office said- very valuable information.  www.1sky.org/call

Don’t wait, call now.  We don’t have any more time.

Join Blog Action Day on October 15th!

Blog Action Day is an annual event that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day on their own blogs with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global importance. Blog Action Day 2009 will be the largest-ever social change event on the web. One day. One issue. Thousands of voices.

1Sky Volunteers Host Over 100 House Parties Nationally as Senate Prepares For Potential Release of Climate and Energy Bill

September 30, 2009

Contact: Joshua Ruschhaupt (415) 374-0242; joshua@greencorps.org

As the national debate on a clean energy jobs bill continues to grow, 1Sky North Dakota and allied groups today announced that 3 North Dakota organizing house parties will be open to the press later this week.  The North Dakota house parties are part of over 100 nationwide events pushing for a clean energy jobs bill during the 1Sky National House Party campaign from Oct. 1 to 3.

The house parties will serve as organizing and advocacy focal points for individuals who want to get more involved locally in the national fight for a clean energy jobs bill.  Among other activities, house party attendees will strategize about ways to advocate for bold solutions to our climate crisis, plan local events for the Oct. 24 International Day of Action on climate issues, and call the offices of Senators Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan to leave messages in support of a clean energy jobs bill.

The National House Party campaign comes during a very eventful period for climate legislation.  This Wednesday Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) are widely expected to unveil a draft of a clean energy jobs bill for the U.S. Senate to consider. Last week climate change was one of the most discussed international issues as world leaders gathered in New York City and Pittsburgh during the UN Climate Change Summit and G-20 gathering, respectively.

WHAT: 1Sky North Dakota House Parties

WHO: 1Sky North Dakota

WHEN: Friday, Oct. 1, 6-9 PM, and Saturday, Oct. 3, 3-6 PM AND 6-9 PM.

WHERE: Friday (6-9 PM): Presentation Ministries, 3001 11^th Street South; Saturday (3-6 PM), Damean Rosemore’s home, 1218 11^th Avenue North, AND (6-9 PM) Marshall Johnson’s home, 3237 17^th Avenue South, Apartment #203

ADDITIONAL DETAILS: Friday: Presentation Ministries, Sister Maris Stella Korb, 701.235.8246, socialjustice@cableone.net. Saturday: Damean Rosemore, 701.367.5632, damerose1@hotmail.com; Marshall Johnson, 909.964.5325, mejohnson@audubon.org.

1Sky (www.1sky.org) is a collaborative national campaign for strong federal action to tackle global climate change and invest in building the clean energy economy of the future.  As one of the largest national campaigns in the country, 1Sky combines the force of 450 allied organizations, and 168,000 committed climate advocates, 2,300 volunteer Climate Precinct Captains (http://local.1sky.org) covering more than 380 congressional districts in 47 states, and a team of 51 including 40 organizers in 29 states working to mobilize constituent support.

For more information on 1Sky contact Alex Posorske at (301) 270-4550 x230 or alex@1sky.org

By Hillary Nelson Monitor columnist
http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090927/OPINION/909270331

Last Monday, on the morning of the big climate change summit at the United Nations, a million copies of a “Special Climate Edition” of the New York Post emblazoned with the headline “WE’RE SCREWED” were distributed across the Big Apple. As it turns out, the paper (you can read it at: nypost-se.com) was a hoax, though one with a serious purpose.

Produced by the Yes Men, a humor collective intent on exposing corporate corruption, the faux-Post combined satire with factual pieces about global warming. The Exxons of the world were not the only targets of Yes Men barbs; they happily skewered the U2 front-man and celebrity crusader in a piece called “Bono’s Big Belch.” Turns out the King of Ireland’s current 18-month tour will use up enough fuel to fly to Mars and back again.

Whether the humor strategy will get the attention of average Joes and Janes remains to be seen. It’s not so much that folks don’t care about climate change – a Zogby International poll from last August showed that 71 percent of voters were in favor of the American Clean Energy and Security Act passed by the House last June. The trouble is the causes and effects of climate change are so complex and pervasive that it’s hard to wrap your mind around what to do or where to begin.

And then, most people have only so much tolerance for political angst. The crackpot parade of anti-health reform tea-baggers, birthers, deathers and gun-toters we’ve been subjected to since last summer has grown tiresome. Add in a blood-sucking recession and a never-ending war, and the last thing most of us want to do at the end of a long day is to think about drought, hurricanes, melting ice caps, spreading deserts, rising seas and all the rest of what global warming has in store for us. Never mind finding the energy to get off our butts and do something about it.

But some people do find the energy, thank God.

The other day, a young woman approached me on Main Street in Concord, asking me to sign a petition. I was in a hurry, but there was something about her enthusiasm, her conviction that every little action to fight climate change, even if it was just taking 10 seconds to sign a piece of paper, mattered. A whole lot.

The Senate, it turns out, is about to consider its own version of that clean energy bill that squeaked through the House last summer, 219-212. With 21 senators on the fence about which way they’ll vote, including our own Judd Gregg, a little constituent pressure in the form of pro-bill phone calls, letters, e-mails – even a signature on a petition – could go a long way.

And lest the senator feel a little queasy about pushing the aye button, he can take heart in the words of Connie Hedegaard, Denmark’s minister of climate and energy, a life-long conservative who told a New York Times reporter, “I’ve never understood why the environment should be a left-wing issue. In my view there is nothing as core to conservative beliefs – that what you inherit you should pass on to the next generation.”

After years of doing very little to curb carbon emissions and other greenhouse gases, it’s essential that the United States make a firm commitment to do something – anything – so long as it’s in the right direction. Though the clean energy bill the House passed was far from perfect – weakened by a massive lobbying effort by opponents – it was a first step. President Obama moved the United States forward again with his address to the United Nations, in which he made it clear that here at last was an American president willing to take a leadership role on climate change.

It’s essential that the Senate move quickly to pass its own version of clean energy legislation.

In December, representatives from all over the globe will convene in Copenhagen to thrash out a new climate change convention to replace the Kyoto protocol, which expires in 2012. If the United States is to have any credibility at this meeting (never mind assert its leadership), we have to turn up with a signed climate change bill, even if that bill is not all it should be.

Host or join a Climate Action Party!

Hundreds of people in North Dakota are saying, “I need a clean energy economy!” Aren’t you? 1Sky is helping you get what you need.

1Sky is a coalition of over 400 diverse organizations, all focused on passing strong climate legislation this fall in the U.S. Senate.

Our climate is in crisis. The five hottest years in the last century occurred in this decade. And if we don’t act quickly, drought and extreme weather will threaten the way of life of all North Dakotans. Amidst this stark reality, we are also facing an economic crisis, and despite the growing demand for change, cohesive leadership in support of bold solutions is missing.

Right now, across the country, thousands of organizations, leaders and everyday citizens are ready to tackle global warming and transition to a new clean economy.

Clean energy creates more jobs, and transitions us away from the dirty coal and big oil of the past.

This fall is a watershed moment in the fight on global warming. The US Senate will take up what must be the most far-reaching global warming legislation ever voted on in Congress. In addition, the International community will come together to chart a long-term, global strategy for how to reduce global warming pollution.

We here in North Dakota must get Senator Conrad on board. A crucial piece of that will be getting as many people involved as possible.

Will you join others in your community to ask Senator Conrad and Senator Dorgan to vote yes for a clean energy economy? Sign-up here, and soon you will be ensuring a brighter, safer future for North Dakota!

Tell your Senators that you want a clean energy economy by calling them www.1sky.org/call, then we’ll add you to the map when you sign the petition www.tinyurl.com/NDfor1Sky!

Hundreds of North Dakotans want a clean energy economy!

Why is action taken at the Congressional, Presidential, and international level important to North Dakota?  Here’s why:

“Average temperatures have increased throughout the [plains] region, with more than 6 degrees Fahrenheit (ºF) increase over the last 30 years occurring in winter months and over the northern states. Relatively cold days are becoming less frequent and relatively hot days more frequent.”

“Conditions are anticipated to become wetter in the north and drier in the south. Projected changes in long-term climate and more frequent extreme events such as heat waves, droughts, and heavy rainfall risk affecting many aspects of life in the Great Plains.”

-Union of Concerned Scientists

So, as you can see, for farmers this means more days that are “too hot to plow, too wet to mow.”

The challenge is clear: “our generation’s response to this challenge will be judged by history, for if we fail to meet it – boldly, swiftly, and together – we risk consigning future generations to an irreversible catastrophe,” Obama said.  If you want to see a movie rendition of this “irreversible catastrophe,” go see ‘The Age of Stupid,’ a movie released in theaters Monday that explores just what might be on the horizon if we don’t start working on reducing carbon emissions soon.  Let’s be the smart ones.  Let’s get together and shift our path.

We certainly cannot afford another delay in action as we did on the Kyoto Protocol.  But our Senators Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Byron Dorgan (D-ND) have yet to take a position on this critical issue.  The President’s remarks will fall on deaf ears this December in Copenhagen, Denmark during international climate negotiations if the US hasn’t passed strong climate legislation before then.

That’s where you come in.  You can make a difference. North Dakota is for 1Sky- because the global community is tied together through 1 Sky, 1 Climate, 1 Chance.  We can come together to show Senators Conrad and Dorgan that their constituents are watching them closely, and that we we need them to vote for strong climate legislation this fall, for the citizens of North Dakota, not the deep-pocket coal and oil lobbyists of North Dakota.

The best way to get involved on this campaign to tell our Senators that North Dakota is for 1Sky is to come to the campaign kick-off, Wednesday, September 23rd at Teaberry in downtown Fargo at 119 Broadway (under the skyway, across from the black building).

You can sign-up to do something right away!  Even if you’ve got just an hour or two per week, there is something for everyone in this campaign.

In the face of this unprecedented challenge, are we, North Dakota and the rest of America, going to let other countries like China surpass America in producing renewable energy and taking the majority of the market-share for the clean energy economy?

This is a race to the moon!  Let’s not get left behind because we didn’t take seriously the new clean energy economy and clean energy jobs that come as a benefit of resolving the challenge of climate change.

See you at the kick-off!