Youth Climate Movement Set to Take Capitol by Storm
Other tenets of the Power Shift platform include:
- Reduce global warming pollution by 25%-40% below 1990 levels by 2020; and 80%-95% below 1990 levels by 2050;
- Set an aggressive cap on carbon immediately. If a cap-and-auction mechanism is chosen, 100% of pollution allowances must be auctioned;
- Invest in a Green Economy and develop a “Clean Energy Corps” to create service, training, and job opportunities in the clean energy economy;
- Move toward a future where 100% of our electricity comes from wind, solar, geothermal and other clean energies, and investing in sustainable transit and energy efficiency; and
- Work with other nations to reach a strong new global climate treaty in Copenhagen and assist vulnerable communities in the transition to low-carbon economies in a changing climate.
In addition to the leadership training and lobbying efforts over the course of the weekend, Power Shift 09 will also feature addresses from some heavy hitters in politics and the environmental movement including, EPA Chief Administrator Lisa Jackson, President Obama’s ‘climate czar’ Carol Bronner, green jobs advocate Van Jones, Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA), Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, and environmental justice advocate Majora Carter, to name a few.
Oh, and for those preferring the more obstructionist political tactics of yore, there will also be some good old fashion civil disobedience across town at the coal-fired Capitol Power Plant, where thousands of people are expected to show support for action on energy and climate change at an event called Capitol Climate Action, organized by Bill McKibben, Wendell Berry and others.
When I asked Ms. Tolkan about the other event, she gave a supportive but measured response, telling me that she was “thrilled to see people standing up and using a variety of tactics.”
Stay tuned to Green Options for more coverage of Power Shift 09 as the weekend progresses.
Image: Tim Hurst
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[...] I Believe the Children Are Our Future: The student environmental movement keeps getting stronger. This weekend, some 10,000 youth will join in Power Shift 09 to lobby for climate action and clean energy. [...]
[...] it comes to the environmentalist movement, however, (and especially Power Shift ‘09) I think we’ve lost that weapon in our arsenal. Further, I think that playing the civil [...]