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Climate Justice Clips: Countdown to Copenhagen, Day 1

by Jarrod McKenna 12-07-2009 | 6:09pm
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Okay, so if Amos was to show up today and deliver his poetic-prophetics in the body of a skinny, pale, spectacled, over-educated English environmental analyst, he might look something like the amazing Danny Chivers.

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Danny helpfully reminds us that at COP15 many will engage in greenwash, counting on our apathy and ignorance to ignore how they have avoided the kind of real change that will manifest climate justice. Many will try and distract us with the violence of protestors, which pales in significance compared to the violence of the systems that have vested interests in seeing real climate justice aborted and replaced with band-aid solutions. Danny, in this poem and others, in 21st-century slam poetry parlance, picks up the sentiment of that great prophetic figure of the 18th century, itinerant Quaker preacher John Woolman, who wrote in his "Plea for the Poor":

May we look upon our treasures, the furniture of our houses, and our garments, and try whether the seeds of war have nourishment in these our possessions.

We too must look around and see in our lives the seeds of climate change in our "treasures" and let God's grace lead us on the exodus from all oppression. In this ecological crisis we too can hear the call to pick up our cross and follow the crucified and resurrected One into a sustainable, simple, and joyful future.

SERIES INTRO: This year alone, EPYC has run nonviolent climate justice workshops with more than 8,000 young people (most with little or no contact with Christianity), inviting them amid our ecological crisis to become [eco]prophets and introducing them to an understanding of Christianity that provides a spirituality of compassionate engagement modeled on Jesus (rather than indifferent escapism dressed up in Jesus-drag that simply reflects the patterns of the world). In the countdown to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen (COP15), these are some of the most popular, inspiring, informative, and provocative video clips we have used in our workshops.

Feel free to post them on your blog, send them to friends, share them in your sermons, small groups, and Bible studies. Let them help you "think critically, plot creatively, and act compassionately" in witnessing to the gospel's message of good news to our warming world -- not a lubricant for the destruction of God's good creation.

And join us in praying with Tim Costello and Brian McLaren for climate justice for the poor at Copenhagen.

portrait-jarrod-mckennaJarrod McKenna is seeking to live God's love as a dad, husband, brother, activist trainer, and [eco]evangelist. He is a co-founder of the Peace Tree Community serving with the marginalised in one of the poorest of areas in his city, in Western Australia heads up an award-winning multi-faith youth service initiative called Together for Humanity, and is the founder and creative director of Empowering Peacemakers (E.P.Y.C.), for which he has received an Australian peace award in his work for empowering a generation of [eco]evangelists and peace prophets.

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by: myselfandi

12-07-2009 @ 5:16pm

why do you think that the U.N. will actually help in this global warming. How will they stop it. I do not believe in this global warming and less in the U.N. Carbon emmissions are helpful in promoting green life they use. If we consintrate on not cutting done trees and such that would do the trick. the U.N. should press on those destroying vast amounts of forest, generally rain forests. generally south america. this cap and tax is a joke and will hurt the poor big time. Just look at those in the last agreement. The
U.s. didnt get involved others did, and who puts out more CO those that did sign on. The U.N. does not know how to do it, they no power and getting money thats it.

by: John Mulholland

12-07-2009 @ 6:48pm

Have you read Amos?

by: SamHamilton

12-08-2009 @ 1:14am

James Hansen, the head of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, has an interesting proposal to tax carbon in the New York Times today. I believe the most efficient and effective way to reduce carbon emissions is simply to tax carbon. The opportunities to game the system (as opposed to a cap and trade system) are a lot fewer under a direct tax.

Some who comment here seem to think a cap and trade scheme, like the one being proposed in Congress is superior. I urge people to read Hansen's op-ed and consider this alternative.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/07/opinion/07han...

by: davidbaer

12-14-2009 @ 11:54am

With Facebook and Twitter being among the leaders of the Social networks, marketing as a small business is being transformed..
Respondents according to the Vertical Response survey appear to need some differentiation with the use of SE marketing and Social media Marketing

www.onlineuniversalwork.com

by: BuckeyeDon

12-08-2009 @ 11:27am

I don't have time to read the column right now, but I heard an interview with Hansen on NPR on my way to work today. I definitely favor a carbon tax. I always have. It's more direct and more honest than the cap and trade proposal. And it will probably be more effective in 1. getting people to burn less fossil fuel and 2. providing an incentive to develop and make alternative energy more widely available. Hansen, in the interview, said that any scheme to reduce carbon emissions without taking into account the fact that carbon-based energy is so much cheaper relative to alternatives, will fail. If we don't burn it, someone else will.

The problem is that it's a political non-starter. Who's going to go on record as favoring a gasoline tax increase, even though it's desperately needed to keep our highways maintained, let alone to provide a disincentive to burn gasoline? We just don't have the leadership that can effectively make the case for it.

by: myselfandi

12-07-2009 @ 5:16pm

why do you think that the U.N. will actually help in this global warming. How will they stop it. I do not believe in this global warming and less in the U.N. Carbon emmissions are helpful in promoting green life they use. If we consintrate on not cutting done trees and such that would do the trick. the U.N. should press on those destroying vast amounts of forest, generally rain forests. generally south america. this cap and tax is a joke and will hurt the poor big time. Just look at those in the last agreement. The
U.s. didnt get involved others did, and who puts out more CO those that did sign on. The U.N. does not know how to do it, they no power and getting money thats it.

by: Ngchen

12-08-2009 @ 5:27pm

To have a carbon tax implemented would be, IMHO a straightforward and simple idea. The trouble is getting it implemented. One thing that might work would be to tightly couple the carbon tax with tax [b]reductions[/b] elsewhere. For instance, maybe exempt more people from the income tax altogether, with the missing revenues supplied with the carbon tax. Follow it up with skilled PR touting the reduction in income tax.

by: John Mulholland

12-07-2009 @ 6:48pm

Have you read Amos?

by: SamHamilton

12-08-2009 @ 1:14am

James Hansen, the head of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, has an interesting proposal to tax carbon in the New York Times today. I believe the most efficient and effective way to reduce carbon emissions is simply to tax carbon. The opportunities to game the system (as opposed to a cap and trade system) are a lot fewer under a direct tax.

Some who comment here seem to think a cap and trade scheme, like the one being proposed in Congress is superior. I urge people to read Hansen's op-ed and consider this alternative.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/07/opinion/07han...

by: davidbaer

12-14-2009 @ 11:54am

With Facebook and Twitter being among the leaders of the Social networks, marketing as a small business is being transformed..
Respondents according to the Vertical Response survey appear to need some differentiation with the use of SE marketing and Social media Marketing

www.onlineuniversalwork.com

by: BuckeyeDon

12-08-2009 @ 11:27am

I don't have time to read the column right now, but I heard an interview with Hansen on NPR on my way to work today. I definitely favor a carbon tax. I always have. It's more direct and more honest than the cap and trade proposal. And it will probably be more effective in 1. getting people to burn less fossil fuel and 2. providing an incentive to develop and make alternative energy more widely available. Hansen, in the interview, said that any scheme to reduce carbon emissions without taking into account the fact that carbon-based energy is so much cheaper relative to alternatives, will fail. If we don't burn it, someone else will.

The problem is that it's a political non-starter. Who's going to go on record as favoring a gasoline tax increase, even though it's desperately needed to keep our highways maintained, let alone to provide a disincentive to burn gasoline? We just don't have the leadership that can effectively make the case for it.

by: Ngchen

12-08-2009 @ 5:27pm

To have a carbon tax implemented would be, IMHO a straightforward and simple idea. The trouble is getting it implemented. One thing that might work would be to tightly couple the carbon tax with tax [b]reductions[/b] elsewhere. For instance, maybe exempt more people from the income tax altogether, with the missing revenues supplied with the carbon tax. Follow it up with skilled PR touting the reduction in income tax.

Comments sorted by highest rated. After voting you must refresh your page to see the sort order change.

by: myselfandi

12-07-2009 @ 5:16pm

why do you think that the U.N. will actually help in this global warming. How will they stop it. I do not believe in this global warming and less in the U.N. Carbon emmissions are helpful in promoting green life they use. If we consintrate on not cutting done trees and such that would do the trick. the U.N. should press on those destroying vast amounts of forest, generally rain forests. generally south america. this cap and tax is a joke and will hurt the poor big time. Just look at those in the last agreement. The
U.s. didnt get involved others did, and who puts out more CO those that did sign on. The U.N. does not know how to do it, they no power and getting money thats it.

by: myselfandi

12-07-2009 @ 5:16pm

why do you think that the U.N. will actually help in this global warming. How will they stop it. I do not believe in this global warming and less in the U.N. Carbon emmissions are helpful in promoting green life they use. If we consintrate on not cutting done trees and such that would do the trick. the U.N. should press on those destroying vast amounts of forest, generally rain forests. generally south america. this cap and tax is a joke and will hurt the poor big time. Just look at those in the last agreement. The
U.s. didnt get involved others did, and who puts out more CO those that did sign on. The U.N. does not know how to do it, they no power and getting money thats it.

by: John Mulholland

12-07-2009 @ 6:48pm

Have you read Amos?

by: John Mulholland

12-07-2009 @ 6:48pm

Have you read Amos?

by: SamHamilton

12-08-2009 @ 1:14am

James Hansen, the head of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, has an interesting proposal to tax carbon in the New York Times today. I believe the most efficient and effective way to reduce carbon emissions is simply to tax carbon. The opportunities to game the system (as opposed to a cap and trade system) are a lot fewer under a direct tax.

Some who comment here seem to think a cap and trade scheme, like the one being proposed in Congress is superior. I urge people to read Hansen's op-ed and consider this alternative.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/07/opinion/07han...

by: SamHamilton

12-08-2009 @ 1:14am

James Hansen, the head of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, has an interesting proposal to tax carbon in the New York Times today. I believe the most efficient and effective way to reduce carbon emissions is simply to tax carbon. The opportunities to game the system (as opposed to a cap and trade system) are a lot fewer under a direct tax.

Some who comment here seem to think a cap and trade scheme, like the one being proposed in Congress is superior. I urge people to read Hansen's op-ed and consider this alternative.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/07/opinion/07han...

by: BuckeyeDon

12-08-2009 @ 11:27am

I don't have time to read the column right now, but I heard an interview with Hansen on NPR on my way to work today. I definitely favor a carbon tax. I always have. It's more direct and more honest than the cap and trade proposal. And it will probably be more effective in 1. getting people to burn less fossil fuel and 2. providing an incentive to develop and make alternative energy more widely available. Hansen, in the interview, said that any scheme to reduce carbon emissions without taking into account the fact that carbon-based energy is so much cheaper relative to alternatives, will fail. If we don't burn it, someone else will.

The problem is that it's a political non-starter. Who's going to go on record as favoring a gasoline tax increase, even though it's desperately needed to keep our highways maintained, let alone to provide a disincentive to burn gasoline? We just don't have the leadership that can effectively make the case for it.

by: BuckeyeDon

12-08-2009 @ 11:27am

I don't have time to read the column right now, but I heard an interview with Hansen on NPR on my way to work today. I definitely favor a carbon tax. I always have. It's more direct and more honest than the cap and trade proposal. And it will probably be more effective in 1. getting people to burn less fossil fuel and 2. providing an incentive to develop and make alternative energy more widely available. Hansen, in the interview, said that any scheme to reduce carbon emissions without taking into account the fact that carbon-based energy is so much cheaper relative to alternatives, will fail. If we don't burn it, someone else will.

The problem is that it's a political non-starter. Who's going to go on record as favoring a gasoline tax increase, even though it's desperately needed to keep our highways maintained, let alone to provide a disincentive to burn gasoline? We just don't have the leadership that can effectively make the case for it.

by: Ngchen

12-08-2009 @ 5:27pm

To have a carbon tax implemented would be, IMHO a straightforward and simple idea. The trouble is getting it implemented. One thing that might work would be to tightly couple the carbon tax with tax [b]reductions[/b] elsewhere. For instance, maybe exempt more people from the income tax altogether, with the missing revenues supplied with the carbon tax. Follow it up with skilled PR touting the reduction in income tax.

by: Ngchen

12-08-2009 @ 5:27pm

To have a carbon tax implemented would be, IMHO a straightforward and simple idea. The trouble is getting it implemented. One thing that might work would be to tightly couple the carbon tax with tax [b]reductions[/b] elsewhere. For instance, maybe exempt more people from the income tax altogether, with the missing revenues supplied with the carbon tax. Follow it up with skilled PR touting the reduction in income tax.

by: davidbaer

12-14-2009 @ 11:54am

With Facebook and Twitter being among the leaders of the Social networks, marketing as a small business is being transformed..
Respondents according to the Vertical Response survey appear to need some differentiation with the use of SE marketing and Social media Marketing

www.onlineuniversalwork.com

by: davidbaer

12-14-2009 @ 11:54am

With Facebook and Twitter being among the leaders of the Social networks, marketing as a small business is being transformed..
Respondents according to the Vertical Response survey appear to need some differentiation with the use of SE marketing and Social media Marketing

www.onlineuniversalwork.com