The Climate Minute - Seven Score and Ten Years Ago...

With an end of the current weather pattern of crushing tropical heat in sight, at least for the day, things are good.  (Have no fear, the 90s return next week.) So, does the title give it away?  This is indeed the 150th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg, which has become thought of as the turning point in the Civil War. Lincoln at Gettysburg[/caption] We start our podcast today a reading of the Gettysburg Address, those simple and elegant two minutes, with a reading by “friend of the show” Tony Berg, a Thoreau enthusiast who does a great job with Lincoln’s words.  Thanks Tony, and thanks to Pamela McIntyre who ends this podcast with a bit of “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” We bring this up, not only because we're focused on the "arc of history" around here, but also because recently University of Arizona professor Jonathan Overpeck sent out a tweet suggesting that President Lincoln would have been a leader on climate change, as climate change is "the moral issue of our time," as slavery was of his. Well, as expected, the conservative blogocracy went a little nuts.  (Click here if you don't mind big 1/4 page ads for Glen Beck, or here, or here.) But, turning down the hyperbole a bit, there are some parallels to be drawn here.  Jon Clark, the Citizen Climate Lobby (the folks supporting a carbon tax ballot question in Massachusetts) wrote an interesting op-ed comparing the apologists of slavery who based their support of the practice as the only way the South was economically viable to those who talk about the great expense of moving off fossil fuels today. Ted Glick, who is much less impressed with the program President Obama laid out in his June 25th speech, has suggested that this could be his evolutionary moment; as Lincoln evolved from prosecuting the Civil War primarily to save the Union to realizing ending the stain of slavery had to be the objective of the war, the President must evolve from what Glick calls “Obama’s Instrumentalism” to true and decisive action on climate. John Sterman has a thoughtful piece in ClimateProgress also trying to take lessons learned during the Civil War and apply them to the current Climate Crisis.  He discusses the tension between mitigation and adaptation, and the temptation for many to focus on adaptation, which is “easier” than mitigation, while mitigation – eliminating the human impact on the climate – is the only effective lasting and moral course.  He acknowledges the difficulty the fundamental shift in our society which would be necessary to properly mitigate climate change but cites the abolitionist movement as an inspiration.  From a very small number of absolutist advocates, the anti-slavery movement eventually became the dominant sentiment. (I love this piece in particular because he calls sea walls “the Maginot line of climate change,” which as we discuss in the podcast is an apt description for more than one reason.) In other news, it appears leading Senate Republicans have dropped their threats to filibuster Gina McCarthy’s nomination to lead the EPA, which is a cause for all thinking climate activists to celebrate.  It looks like Tuesday could be the day. We also speak briefly of the tragedy of Lac Megantic Quebec, you can read more up-to-date news about it here.  Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the dozens of dead and injured. I mentioned in the podcast “outside section 36” of the state budget, which would divert Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative funds from the energy efficiency and renewable energy purposes they were intended to reduce the impact on a certain host community of a certain coal power plant which could be closing in the near future.  Since we recorded this podcast, Governor Patrick sent Section 36 back to the legislature with amendments making it much more palatable.  When we find a news story about that issue we’ll post it. Last week the nine candidates for Mayor of Boston took part in a forum sponsored by a consortium of environmental groups (including MCAN).  Contested Mayoral elections don’t come around too often in Boston, so your choice is very important.  Here’s the video

Mayoral Forum from Ken Pruitt on Vimeo.

As for upcoming events; There’s Boston’s first “depaving party” in Jamaica Plain tomorrow.  Go here for more information.

At the end of August, 350ma.org is holding a march from Somerset to the Cape called the Energy Exodus, you can read more about it here.

Remember, for climate activities near you check out our MCAN climate action calendar.  You can enter events as well as browse for interesting things to do. As always, it's been a pleasure sharing climate news and views with you.  You know, you can subscribe to our iTunes feed and get our podcasts automatically here.  Feel free to give us your thoughts on our Facebook page, or through old-fashioned email.  You can even follow us on twitter @MassClimate , so there are lots of ways for you to listen and participate in the dialog. When you are on the website, please contribute to MCAN. Every dollar you give will be doubled by a generous backer.  We're at the halfway point in our fiscal year and need help to be able to enter the second half of the year on a strong footing! So we will close the way we always close, by saying that because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions,  because we accept responsibility for building a durable future and because we believe it is a patriotic duty as citizens, we insist that the US put a price on carbon. Good bye and see you next week…