November 2009 RTNA Newsletter!

MOBILIZE! – NOVEMBER 30, 2009

As the world’s biggest companies and their friends in government continue to fight a transition to more just and sustainable ways of living, climate change threatens to turn our world upside down with water shortages, crop failures, sea level rise and ecosystem collapse. A million species face extinction by the end of the century, and the people who have contributed least to the problem will continue to be the hardest hit. What can be done at this critical juncture, with our future at stake?

Throughout history, social change has come about when regular people get fed up with business as usual, get organized, and take to the streets. If we leave climate solutions up to politicians and corporations, then we will lose – not just a political battle, but the life-support systems of the planet. Time is running out to avert the worst impacts of climate change: the time to act is now.

A broad coalition of organizations working for social, ecological, racial and economic justice has come together under the banner of the Mobilization for Climate Justice. Join us as we organize mass action on climate change on November 30, 2009!

November 30 (N30) is significant both because it immediately precedes the upcoming UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen and is the ten-year anniversary of the protests that shut down of the World Trade Organization meetings in Seattle, demonstrating the incredible power of collective action.

If there isn’t an action being organized in your town, organize one! If you’re already involved in a campaign against a company that’s contributing to climate injustice, organize an action on against them November 30.  You can submit actions by clicking HERE.

If you’re organizing an action from scratch, we’d suggest you go after one of the following companies: Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Chevron, BP, or American Electric Power. We picked these six companies because they’re all, through their investments, lobbying, and day to day business, going out of their way to obstruct real solutions to the climate crisis.  For more info about them, see MCJ’s Corporate Criminals page.

350 Reasons to Oppose Carbon Trading

In recognition of the October 24th international “350” Rising Tide published a massive undertaking: 350 reasons to oppose carbon trading!

Check out the full list of 350 reasons at Rising Tide’s www.350reasons.org website.

You can also find our abbreviated 35 reasons zine ready for print-and-distro!

DC Rising Tide taking on Pepco

In late October, DC Rising Tide presented their demands that Pepco stop sourcing electricity from coal, and particularly coal from Mountain Top Removal coal mining.

The Rising Tiders acted out the a fight between coal and a coal-burning power plant and wind energy, with the mountains and the planet representing the stakes in the fight.

The electricity that Pepco provides to DC residents comes mainly (53%) from coal, and only 0.5% came from wind energy. A large part of the coal burned for Pepco electricity has come from Mountain Top Removal mining in Appalachia. In addition, the parent company Pepco Holdings, Inc. owns two coal- fired power plants and a number of other fossil fuel plants.

Check out the slide show of photos and videos [1, 2]

That’s all from Rising Tide North
America for now – thanks for your support and
action!