Earth Day at 40: The Politics Finally Erupt

I was stuck in Europe most of this week, traveling by taxi from London to Spain to try to catch a flight amid the shower of volcanic dust spewing over the skies from Iceland. As the earthquakes rumble and the volcanoes spew around the world, it makes me wonder if the Earth is screaming at us for how we consume and devastate her resources. Maybe those eruptions haven’t occurred close enough to home for folks in the U.S. to take notice, but we’re about to get a few wake-up calls of our own.

This week, we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day with the usual festivals and local clean-ups. But there are major rumblings about to erupt underneath these local actions and events. Next week, Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) are poised to release a draft for a comprehensive clean energy and climate bill. Meanwhile, the Clean Air Act (CAA) is under attacked from many different fronts, despite being one of the most effective tools we have right now to crack down on the largest emitters of global warming pollution. Both items could merge next week: the CAA could be stripped of any regulatory authority in a new bill draft, or the bill draft itself could do little to actually curb CO2 and spur the clean energy jobs we need for our economy and our planet.

A clean energy bill may get its moment in the sun as a major piece of legislation in the Senate, long overdue after the House version of the bill passed last summer. But we need to keep the CAA strong with legislation and in spite of legislation. The next major step is to continue to motivate and engage the movement in order to achieve a large-scale victory against the fossil fuel interests that are still trying to cling to their remaining power base no matter what the ultimate costs to our communities, our economy, and the planet. Demonstrating that we can win a sizable victory with this coalition (see our blogs from our recent “Storms” of Senate and Representative offices), whether it is through strong comprehensive legislation, defending the Clean Air Act, or helping to generate the investment needed to create millions of good paying domestic clean energy jobs, will change the definition of what is possible in this movement and on this issue. Once we have rewritten the conventional wisdom, other victories that once seemed out of reach will be within our grasp.

So, I am grateful to be back in the U.S. with my family and staff at 1Sky, examining what’s at stake in the Senate and for our planet moving forward. Will next week’s bill propose a new way forward or just preserve the status quo? Will we have a Clean Air Act intact and worthy of the Supreme Court’s mandate to regulate CO2? Will next week’s events be that wake-up call for Americans and lead us to new ways to create energy and reduce CO2? Will the movement push these new realties forward? My hope is that this eruption in clean energy legislation will be the driving force we’ll note when we celebrate Earth Day’s 41st birthday next year.

Happy Earth Day! Now, let’s get to work.

**More Care2 Earth Day Coverage**

ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING EARTH DAY:

Come Celebrate Earth Day with Care2! – Nicole Nuss

TAKE ACTION

Seven Ways to Get Involved for Earth Day – Beth Buczynski
Get Out! For a Free Book Giveaway! – Judy Molland
Now is the Time – Angel Flinn
Don’t Toss that Plastic Bottle – Jennifer Mueller
White House Initiative – Dave Rochlin

HOW ARE ANIMALS AFFECTED?

Top Ten Endangered Species – Sharon Seltzer
A Review of Disneynature’s Oceans – Beth Buczynski
Eating as if the Earth Matters – Heather Moore

THINGS TO PONDER

Four Rules To Save The Planet – Nancy Roberts
Earth…Gay? Coming Out for Sustainability – Steve Williams
Family Planning and Earth Day – JamieAlexis Fowler
All My Sisters: Avoiding Breast Cancer – Angel Flinn
Humans are the Earth’s Problem AND its Solution – Beth Buczynski
Earth Day at 40: The Politics Erupt – Gillian Caldwell
Gambling with Global Warming – Beth Buczynski

THOSE MAKING A DIFFERENCE

2010 Goldman Environmental Awards – Nancy Roberts
Climate Champion Dr. James Hansen – Nicole Nuss
Boyd Cohen’s Quest to Offset Carbon – Suzi Parrasch
350.org’s Bill McKibben – Nicole Nuss
Reverb’s Adam Gardner – Nicole Nuss

Photo from New York Storm Rally compliments of Lauren Schuster, NYPIRG

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Marge H.

11:41AM PST on Jan 2, 2011

Thanks!

send a green star

Beng Kiat L.

2:27AM PDT on Jun 29, 2010

Thanks

Mervi R.

12:58AM PDT on Apr 28, 2010

Interesting, thanks!

Antoinette R.

11:48PM PDT on Apr 26, 2010

i like the opening paragraph =] mucho props

Linda M.

3:42PM PDT on Apr 25, 2010

everyone, please sign and share"

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/5/tell-obama-to-put-solar-panels-back-on-the-white-house

thanks so much

Janice P.

3:26PM PDT on Apr 25, 2010

No matter how many volcanos erupt, as long as we live in a corporatocracy, it will always be an uphill climb to save this planet. This is the main reason we cannot become weary in the fight. Big money talks very loudly. But, throngs of voters, fearful of losing this planet as a home, can drown out even those monetary "voices", if we do not give up.

Patrizia S.

9:45AM PDT on Apr 25, 2010

Thank-you, Gillian C

Eco M.

3:25AM PDT on Apr 25, 2010

The parents of this world, TELL US WHAT TO DO, WHAT NOT TO DO! Yet what you tell us what to do and not to do, you fail us all. you fail the animals as they are tortured every second. What you TELL US NOT TO DO OR WHAT TO DO, is hypocritical. you contradict your words. ONE FINGER pointing at us all. 9 of your own fingers point right back at your selves. THE LEADERS OF THIS WORLD, ARE SUPPOSED TO HEAR OUR WORDS. WHAT YOU DO MAKE ME CRY AT NIGHT, AND THOSE WHO SUFFER CRY WITH THEIR BLOOD.

TO THE LEADERS OF THIS WORLD, THE AUTHORITIES OF THIS WORLD... The parents of this world, TELL US WHAT TO DO, WHAT NOT TO DO. Your responsibilites are great, but you chose initially on the whole to take on this role... to be our leaders. WITH GREAT PRIVILAGES, COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITIES. SO PLEASE DO NOT FAIL US...AGAIN...AGAIN AND AGAIN. YOU ARE the leaders of this world: we are the followers and we are the voters. We vote in our everyday choices. We vote with our voices. AND WE CAN CHOOSE TO DO WHAT WE CAN COLLECTIVELY TO CHOOSE TO SAVE THE WORLD. SAVE life, not take it for the for human benefit.
THERE IS no greater weapon of mass destruction, than the weapon of apathy, greed and the human invention of animals, living beings are their possessions.

3:23AM PDT on Apr 25, 2010

THIS PERSON MUST STOP HURTING THE WILDLIFE AND ANIMALS. WE ARE IN A WORLD of endangered species. THE WORLD IS IN TROUBLE AND it's in habitants are dying.

This is inhumane and cruel THE THINGS HUMANS, LEADERS, ABUSERS, KILLERS, TORTURERS DO. I URGE YOU TO STOP, SAVE THE ANIMALS AND RETURN THEM TO PLACES THAT CAN HELP THE BEARS AND EVENTUALLY BACK TO NATURE. DO NOT HURT OR ABUSE OR USE ANIMALS. BAN THIS PRACTICE IMMEDIATELY.

how come it is seemingly ok for humans to do what they like to and with animals...i mean anything as far as i have learnt, seen and listened and read about. AND YET...AND YET...YES this is true to the best of my understanding. I do not know why animals can not even bite in even defense with out the real retribution of the full force of man being most unkind. NOT HUMAN KIND. BUT MAN AT HIS WORST...MAN MOST UNKIND. EVERY DAY WE hear of the suffering of animals. It is not right. Look what we do to animals. Makes me cry at night. Makes me look in the mirror and ask 'WHY??!!' The wildlife are NOT OUR PROPERTY! IT IS JUST some human invented notion, that we espcially the GREEDY AND ABUSER, have invented for human use, abuse, and consumption. I SAY GREED. GREED and hunger for abuse to vast, that internationally we write the abuse in every possible form... yes even in the blood of animals...we write their abuse of humans and animals every single hour...in their blood of the innocent.

THE LEADERS OF THIS WORLD, THE AUTHORITIES OF THIS WORLD... The parent

1:49PM PDT on Apr 24, 2010

gw deniers seem to love to debate on the care2 sites. if they're trying to get anyone on these sites to convert, good luck but kudos for trying.
everyone. please sign and share:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/5/tell-obama-to-put-solar-panels-back-on-the-white-house

thanks so much