Rising Tide North America – Climate Justice Action News – July 2009

The past weeks have seen media and politicians marvel at the “historic” passage of the ACESA in the US House of Representatives. Rising Tide, along with Friends of the Earth and many environmental justice groups from around the US, reject the ACESA as a commitment to exactly the wrong type of climate “action” — it’s targets are weak, it’s full of loopholes, and at it’s centerpiece are bogus “false solutions” that will harm communities and do little to promote a just transition to a post-Carbon world.

We offer these recommended readings – get yourself and your community up to speed on this industry dream list masquerading as a climate solution!

DAPHNE WYSHAM: Good News, There’s a Climate Bill — Bad News, It Stinks.

GEORGE MONBIOT: Why do we allow the US to act like a failed state on climate change?

KEN WARD: 9 damned good reasons why U.S. environmentalists should heartily oppose Waxman-Markey

JANET WILSON: Did Waxman-Markey’s ancestors really deliver on their promises?

FRIENDS OF THE EARTH’s resource page on why the bill’s so bad.

Faffed, Knackered… and Knicked!

At the end of June, two representatives from Rising Tide North America and the North American Mobilization for Climate Justice attended the international Climate Justice Action meetings held in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The network convened in an old textile factory turned meeting hall/theatre in world-renowned Freetown Christiania, a 90 acre squat (formerly a military base) that is comprised of many smaller collectives and which has maintained an inspiring and victorious 37 years of autonomous operation. Read the whole story (and find out what the faffed means)…

Report from the Women’s and Trans Action Camp

This year Cascadia made home to the now annual Trans & Womyn’s Action Camp. The camp brought out so many new faces and introduced them to the radical environmental movement that we decided it must continue out here. The schedule was diverse with issues of forest defense techniques, tactics f non-violent direct action, strategic campaigning, supporting mental health wellness & burnout, gender identity, sex work, DIY reproductive health where many women saw a cervix for the first time!), how to call out oppressive behavior in a constructive way, etc. There was a large focus on anti-oppression having three unique scheduled workshops, with additions of an impromptu critical discussion on privilege and oppression in the larger movement, which eventually turned into a discussion about environmental racism and environmental justice. read the full report here…

An Industry Blowing Smoke

7 EJ Coalitions co-released a report on the new generation of incinerator technologies late last month. The Incinerator Industry is launching a massive campaign to seek government subsidies by promoting themselves as a climate solution amongst US policymaker, but in reality waste incineration is more carbon intensive than coal power generation, producing more CO2 per unit of electricity generated, and one of the leading producers of dioxins in the US.

Check it out at http://www.no-burn.org/