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350 Updates

The subsidies campaign is catching fire.

Posted by The 350.org Team - 05/15/12, 2:14pm

We just sent this email out to everyone who signed onto our subsidies petition. Haven't signed on yet? Get to it: www.350.org/subsidies

Dear friends,

When we launched our campaign to end fossil fuel subsidies last week, we didn't quite know what to expect.

Well, we've got good news: in just a few days, you were joined by over 30,000 people who have signed onto our call to action -- including thousands of people who have never before been a part of the growing 350.org network. We launched this campaign with a powerful rally in DC that brought together environmental groups, Congressman Keith Ellison, 350.org founder Bill McKibben, Senator Bernie Sanders, and many more.

Check out the fantastic video from the campaign launch, then share it far and wide with just a few clicks: www.350.org/subsidies-launch

Eliminating these subsidies to fossil fuel companies is a crucial first step to going on the offensive against corporate polluters: the guys who are making record-breaking profits while emitting record-breaking amounts of climate pollution.

Here at 350.org headquarters, we were honestly a bit worried that a campaign on subsidies wouldn't fire people up. After all, the very word -- "subsidies" -- doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. The complexity of the U.S. tax code can be a bit dry and academic, and we were concerned eyes would glaze over as we started to focus on a specific piece of legislation.

Well, it turns out that people everywhere are ready to take on corporate polluters. We're fed up with the fossil fuel industry's habit of distorting our democracy and wrecking our planet, and Americans from coast to coast have decided that these guys don't deserve our money. The latest polling indicates that 70% of Americans opposed federal subsidies for the fossil fuel industry -- including majorities of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. It's hard to get 70% of Americans to agree on just about anything, so we're taking that as a good sign.

We'll be ramping up this campaign in the days and weeks ahead, but for now the most important thing you can do watch and share this video: www.350.org/subsidies-launch

Thank you for leading this fight.

Onwards,

Jamie Henn for the 350.org Team

Robinhood Tax Week of Action Begins

Posted by Will Bates - 05/15/12, 9:39am

Yesterday marked the start of a week of action in support of a Robinhood Tax (Financial Transaction Tax) that would put a tiny tax on the financial sector and generate billions of dollars, pounds, euros that can be put towards fighting climate change and poverty. Some 350 organizers were involved in similar local events roughly a year ago (the photo to the right is from Cairo, Egypt), and now is the time to dig out those robinhoood suits again.

The week of action is planned to coincide with with the G8 leaders summit at Camp David in the USA (May 18-19th) and a meeting of European leaders (May 23rd) where the Financial Transaction Tax is on the agenda. Activities are planned in over 30 countries. A huge rally of nurses dressed in Robin Hood hats are marching on the streets of Chicago, Robin Hoods are gathering on Mount Fuji in Japan, outside Big Ben in Britain, in Italy, India, Brazil, Zambia, Malawi, Belgium and more.

Check out the infographic and video below for more background about the Robindhood Tax, and visit www.robinhoodtax.org for more information about the week of action.

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Getting our money back

Posted by Jamie Henn - 05/14/12, 7:17pm

On May 10th, 350.org joined with Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Keith Ellison to launch a new bill that would cut $113 billion in subsidies to the coal, oil and gas lobby over the next 10 years.

Almost everyone in the country opposes handing cash over to big oil, big coal, and big gas—the numbers are in the 70% range among Republicans, Independents, and Democrats. That means that we'll be working to get all sorts of people on board with this fight, maybe even that cranky uncle of yours who doesn't believe in global warming but wants to cut government spending.

This won’t be any normal legislative push. First, that’s just not how we do things here at 350.org. But more importantly, we know that if we confine this effort to Capitol Hill, the fossil fuel industry will just drown us in dollars -- they could spend $100 billion fighting this thing and still come out on top. So, we’re going to have to find other currencies to work in: our creativity, energy, and grassroots organizing power. This needs to be a people’s bill through and through.

Stay tuned for photos, video and more info coming in soon!

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The latest on Keystone XL

Posted by Bill McKibben - 05/14/12, 3:35pm

I haven’t written you about the Keystone Pipeline for several weeks, because I haven’t known quite what to say. But many things are moving, and here’s how the situation seems to me right now:

1) TransCanada, as expected, re-applied for a permit last week from the State Department, and just as they said last November — State said they would have an answer sometime in 2013. An open question is whether or not the State Department will do a real review, and aggressively investigate the climate implications of tar sands oil, which they punted on last time.

Another open question, of course, is whether after the election the President -- whomever it may be -- could just give the pipeline a green light no matter what. It's important that between now and then we strenuously and continually emphasize that building this pipeline means more tar sands oil burned, and that the climate change implications of that are unacceptable.

2) The fossil fuel lobby in Congress keeps trying to approve the pipeline without any review at all. Members of the House said they won’t approve the new transportation bill without Keystone in it; happily, the Senate conferees, have pledged not to put the pipeline back in play just to get a bill. (But we're always a bit wary of Washington pledges).

3) We also found out that the climate-denying, union-busting, radical billionaire Koch Brothers will be among the prime beneficiaries of the pipeline. It was revealed by intrepid investigative reporting that Koch Industries has been masking their investments in the tar sands, while pumping millions into efforts to push this and other pipelines. None of us deny that some union jobs would be created by this pipeline, but it's now clear that many more will be put under attack as Koch money pours into the coffers of the radicals seeking to destroy both unions and our climate.

We frankly don’t yet know how this all is going to play out—and it’s frustrating as hell.

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Two photos from Texas...

Posted by The 350.org Team - 05/14/12, 2:32pm

...that show us how much we need to connect the dots.

The photo on the left is from Austin, Texas -- here's the story behind it:

Almost one year after severe drought conditions contributed to wildfires that burned 96% of the 6,600 acres of Bastrop State Park, the park is showing signs of rebirth, which is good news to my dogs, Dylan and Sophie. (Photographer Credit: Mary Priddy)

And, the photo on the right is from Georgetown, Texas -- here's what local organizers had to say:

We lost thousands of "century trees" in Central Texas due to the record-breaking Drought of 2011 -- a worse drought is predicted this year. (Photo Credit: Bonnie Stump)

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In Gunma, in Japan

Posted by Bill McKibben - 05/14/12, 2:20pm

they picked up trash that washed down the rivers during recent floods.

In central Japan, we're having hotter summers, colder winters and more
unpredictable and severe weather in between. This spring sudden
downpours damaged crops, and washed garbage down river (which we did our
best to pick up). This particular "dot" we labeled. It was nothing to
the freak tornado that devastated part of Tsukuba, the hail storms
(marbles and golf balls), and the killer lightening storms that plowed through three prefectures just afterwards,