June 25th 2009

Title:  "Climate Emergency: Call the U.S. House Today!"
 
From: Ben Wikler - Avaaz.org
Subject: Climate emergency: call the US House today
Date: Thursday, June 25, 2009 2:35 PM
 
Dear friends,

The vote on the climate change bill is tomorrow--but to spur the world towards a fair global treaty, it needs to be strengthened.

*Call the Capitol Switchboard now, ask for your member of Congress, and urge them to increase funding for climate adaptation now (see below)--the number is :

(202) 224-3121

After you call, click here to share how it went!

In the next 48 hours, the US House will vote on the most significant climate change bill in US history.

The American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACE could prove to the world that we are serious about negotiating a global climate treaty in Copenhagen this December--but only if support is strengthened to help developing countries adapt to climate change the USA helped cause.

A global climate treaty isn't possible without both rich and poor nations signing on.

But without more international adaptation aid in ACES, we risk alienating vulnerable countries--and we might never reach a strong global agreement to solve climate change.

A recent study found that 300,000 people already die every year from climate change, and the health and livelihoods of hundreds of millions more are affected.

1. Yet right now, a woefully inadequate 1% of the bill's potential revenues go to the world’s poor to deal with this devastating hunger, drought, and disease--while U.S. dirty industries like coal will get up to 25%.

Over the last century, the United States has emitted more carbon than all the world's developing countries combined.

2. More funding is needed both for simple fairness--and in order to reach the treaty we all need.

We only have one more day to make a difference by telling decision-makers that Americans put people before profits.

*Call your House Representative right now and say:

The US can't defeat climate change without the rest of the world, and the world can't do it unless we pass strong domestic legislation this year, before December's global negotiations in Copenhagen.

ACES is a start, but it must be strengthened in these last-minute negotiations -- not weakened.

1% for international adaptation is not enough -- ACES must allot the revenue from at least 5% of carbon permits for international funding to help the world's most vulnerable communities adapt to the devastating changes in their climate caused by emissions from the developed world.

To reach a global treaty, we must have the poorest countries on board.

*Call the US House switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask for your representative

If you get a busy signal, find your representative's direct number here:

http://clerk.house.gov/member_info

*After you call, click below to post a message about who you reached and what they said:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/congress_climate_
calls

The stakes in the climate change fight could not be higher.

By demanding more money for international adaptation, we can bring the voices of the global poor to U.S. decision-makers and raise the chance for a global treaty that will benefit us all.

Please, call Congress today--and forward this email to friends and family to make sure our Representatives hear our message loud and clear!

> Climate Change Resource Information:

[1] Group: Climate Change Kills 300,000 A Year - Think Tank Led By Former U.N. Secretary General Also Says World Loses $125bn Annually From Global Warming:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/05/29/tech/main5048937.shtmlv

[2] Contributions to Global Warming: Historic Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Fossil Fuel Combustion, 1900-1999 - World Resources Institute.

http://earthtrends.wri.org/text/climate-atmosphere/map-488.html

*For more information on the Avaaz US Climate Action Factory, check out their blog:
http://dcclimate.blogspot.com/

This article gives some background on the ACES bill:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/24/science/earth/24energy.html?_r=2&scp=7&sq=waxman-markey&st=cse

And this is an excellent general resource on the US climate debate:

http://climateprogress.org/

With hope,

Ben, Taren, Iain, Ricken, and the Avaaz US Climate Action Factory team

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