Connecting The Dot, Climate Impact Global Day of Action - Opportunities - Our Actions

| Share |

Home >
Our Actions >
Opportunities

Opportunities

Opportunities
by \| 04-04-2012 09:52 4 0
Connecting The Dot, Climate Impact Global Day of Action Date: 5/5/2012 to 5/5/2012 Type: Online
Climate Impacts Day: Connecting the dots between extreme weather and climate change Day of action: 5 May, 2012 Launch: 19 March, 2012 Call to action Dear friends, The floods in the Philippines, the tornadoes in Arkansas, and the drought in East Africa are just the latest to hit. It?s now undeniable: extreme weather is getting more frequent, more vicious, and more costly. If we keep going like this, we're in real trouble. When these disasters happen we are fixated for a few days on the rescue efforts; eventually governments and insurance companies tally the total damage in lives and dollars, and then carry on as if our planet hasn't been sending us warning after tragic warning. And then another disaster strikes. It?s more undeniable and measurable with each increasingly severe and frequent natural disaster that climate change is real and its happening now. It?s time to act -- to make sure our communities, the media, our politicians, absolutely everyone is connecting the dots. On May 5th, just a few months from now, people everywhere will unite to spread the truth. All around the world, we will come together in our communities and connect the dots on climate change and extreme weather. We will stand in solidarity with those impacted by the recent floods in the Philippines, the drought in East Africa, and many other communities on the front lines of this crisis. Our focus will be on expanding the movement for climate action -- and giving that movement some teeth. On May 5th, we?ll take action united by the same theme: it?s time to Connect the Dots. For those of us in Joplin, Dhaka, and Bangkok, and the many peoples hit first and worst, we?ll show the world that This is Climate Change. Everywhere else, we?ll stand in solidarity with those on the frontlines of climate change, and use our power to force our leaders and the media to [1] <#_msocom_1> Connect the Dots too. If you?re on the front lines yourself, we want to make an extra effort to connect with you and to make sure the world hears your story. Our staff will be reaching out to connect through our allies, and you can email us at impacts@350.org if you would like to get in touch. [2] <#_msocom_2> In some cities, organizers are planning to rally outside their local TV station armed with statistics about how little they?ve talked about climate change in the past year. In places impacted by climate change, some organizers are planning to bring banners with the words: ?this is climate change? or ?enough? to bear witness in front of destroyed crops, damaged roads, and more. There are many ways to participate, the important thing is for you to find some way to visually, clearly, and concretely connect the dots between climate change and extreme weather we?re seeing everywhere. Put your community on the map: sign up to organize a Connect the Dots event in your community: [link] We?ll use the day to drive home a message to politicians and fossil fuel companies: we're connecting the dots. Fossil fuels are causing climate change which is causing extreme weather, and you're standing in the way. We?re here to wake you up, and we're not going away. In many places, we?ll be using this day to further our work to take on fossil fuel subsidies - it?s bad enough that these impacts are happening, but we certainly won?t stand for taxpayer dollars going to fuel these disasters. This will be a day to act in solidarity with those impacted by climate change - past, present, and future. We're here as a movement to do what it takes to connect the dots, and to keep up the pressure. In solidarity, Bill McKibben Solidarity Action Ideas Take action to connect the dots between extreme weather and climate change: here?s how: For frontline communities If you are in a community that is already experiencing the impacts of climate change, we want this day to be a time for you to tell your powerful story to the world, and want to engage with you to figure out how we can best achieve that together. We?ve talked with some groups who are planning to gather for a photo in front of a devastated part of their community to bear witness to climate impacts where they live, and we?re sure there are other powerful ways to take action. Please be in touch with us at impacts@350.org. For those who wish to stand in solidarity with frontline communities If you wish to stand in solidarity with communities already experiencing severe impacts of climate change like drought, salt water intrusion from sea level rise, and powerful hurricanes, we have several ideas: ? Presentations: Use this day to educate your community, your politicians, your media about the connection between the extreme weather we?re seeing and climate - we?ll provide resources. ? Protests: Who isn?t connecting the dots - your politicians? Your local media? Use this day to make sure they can?t ignore this connection any longer whether its through a rally, vigil, or other creative protest. ? Projects: Take the day to organize projects to build resilience to climate change in your community, or to organize a community art project to create your own ?Dot? and put your community on the global map. ? Pictures: We?re asking everyone to think about a powerful photo of the action they take - whether its of a climate impact in their community, their art project, or rally. Register your activity to www.climatedots.org In Solidarity Rully Prayoga \|East Asia Coordinator\|+628121011861\|Skype:rully.prayoga\|@rully_350 "You can cage the singer but not the song"-Harry Belafonte