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News from the Climate Crisis Coalition and The People’s Ratification of the Kyoto Global Warming Treaty

Dear Friends of CCC and signers of the Kyoto Petition:

The need and rationale for the People’s Ratification of the Kyoto Global Warming Treaty keep getting stronger. Just this week the world academies of science issued an unprecedented joint statement calling upon the developed nations of the world to take prompt aggressive action commensurate to the growing evidence of how serious global warming is (http://nationalacademies.org/onpi/06072005.pdf).

But the Bush administration continues to obstruct international cooperation. And we now learn that the chief of staff for the White House Council on Environmental Quality, Philip A. Cooney (a former lobbyist at the American Petroleum Institute) has “repeatedly edited government climate reports in ways that play down links between [greenhouse gas] emissions and global warming.” (The New York Times, Andrew C. Revkin, 08 Jun 2005.) Along with our allies, we are responding to the US intransigence as best as we can.

The Greenpeace Thin Ice Campaign
The Climate Crisis Coalition is collaborating with Greenpeace USA in a major effort to wake up America to the realities of global warming. We are encouraging everybody we’ve contacted over the last year, including all petition signers, to get on board Greenpeace’s Project Thin Ice. This project, which has sponsored an exciting arctic expedition, provides us with a dramatic and informative way to experience the melting of our polar ice cap. Their website (http://www.projectthinice.org) also provides us with an engaging vehicle to do something positive. Please visit the site, register your name, and collect points as you lend a supporting hand.

Not insignificantly, Project Thin Ice is helping us to collect signatures for the People’s Ratification petition, for which we are most grateful. When you go to their site, please do not sign the petition a second time; you will find other actions that you can sign on to.

The US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement
You may have read about the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. 161 Mayors, in 37 states, have now signed this agreement, pledging to do all they can to have their cities meet the Kyoto guidelines – not withstanding our national government’s intransigent refusal. Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels is leading this encouraging initiative (http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/climate), and our ally, KyotoUSA, (http://www.kyotousa.org) is going all out to promote it. Please visit both sites, and consider taking action to get your community to join this bandwagon. This weekend Mayor Nickels takes his campaign to the U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting in Chicago (Nickels pushing pro-Kyoto resolution to mayors, The Seattle Times, June 9, 2005).

The Mayors Climate Protection Agreement and our People’s Ratification petition offer complementary ways for US citizens to cooperate with the intentions of the Kyoto Protocol. In contrast to our national government, we can set a good example and be responsible stewards. We recognize the grave threats that greenhouse gases pose to our fragile planet, and we can act proactively.

The People’s Ratification of the Kyoto Global Warming Treaty
Many people have been asking us what our plans are for the petitions we collect. We can now announce the first destination. During the first Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, this November 28 to December 9, in Montréal, we will announce the People's Ratification in a way that will maximize international attention to fact that US citizens care about global warming. This will be a significant international gathering, which coincides with the eleventh session of the Conference of the Parties to the Climate Change Convention. It will have a huge international presence. The fact that the US is not an official party to the treaty will loom very large. It will be an important forum to demonstrate that, notwithstanding our President, people in the US support the Kyoto Protocol, and the stronger measures that must follow as this crisis deepens. It is now incumbent on us to gather as many signatures as we can. To date we’ve collected 25,700 – 15,300 on our website and 10,400 collected separately by allies and supporters. Seeds have been planted, and we have a long way to go. We are particularly encouraged by the people who are downloading copies of the petition, collecting signatures and sending them in. And with more allies like Greenpeace (Project Thin Ice has collected 7,300 signatures for the People’s Ratification) and by focusing on the need to present many signatures in Montréal, we can build on the momentum now underway.

After signing The People’s Ratification of the Kyoto Global Warming Treaty yourself (which you can do online at http://www.kyotoandbeyond.org), please help spread the word; forward this email to people you know and to lists you are on; and urge people to visit our website (http://www.kyotoandbeyond.org) to sign the petition online. Signatures gathered on printed copies at community events and other locales are also helpful. (Our address is on the petition.) If you are having any trouble printing them from our site, we can send the petition and our cover letter to you as email attachments.

Finally, now is the time for your contribution to be most effective in this vital campaign. As we rev up the People’s Ratification, expenses are growing. Our challenge is to have at least ½ million signatures by December. We’re at 5 %, and this is no time to falter. Contributions can be made on our website, or checks can be sent to Kyoto and Beyond, P.O. Box 648, Lenox, MA 01240. You may also email us for information about tax-deductible contributions and the Climate Crisis Coalition’s other projects. We deeply appreciate your support.

Sincerely yours,
Ross Gelbspan, Connie Hogarth, Rev. Paul Mayer and Paul Glick, Steering Committee;Tom Stokes, Coordinator

MISSION STATEMENT
The Climate Crisis Coalition (CCC) is founded on the premise that the climate crisis is real, that it is overarching and that there is an urgent need for intensified public awareness and political action. A central mission is to broaden the circle of individuals, organizations and constituencies engaged in this issue to include labor, the environment, peace, social justice, civil rights, civil liberties, farmers, students, academics, people of color and people of faith. CCC will provide a structure for these constituents to find a common agenda and advance action plans to be implemented with a united front.