Marin Chapter Newsletter       September, 2017
Chasing Coral!
Join us in The George Lucas Theater at 32Ten Studios on October 29
The folks who brought forth the amazing, Oscar-nominated Chasing Ice have created a sequel, Chasing Coral . Pivoting from land to sea, it dramatically documents the "hidden" impacts of climate change on the planet's largest animal communities -- the ancient cities under the sea -- coral reefs.

And like Chasing Ice , they've made time lapse videos of what happens after ocean heat waves roll through. It's both heartbreaking and alarming.

But, like Chasing Ice , they warn, urging action but don't specify the solutions -- like harnessing the economy to make dirty fuels more expensive. That's our job.

Please join us on October 29 from 3-6 f or a free special showing of this gorgeous film at the high- tech 32Ten Studios in San Rafael, where models for such legendary movies as Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Pirates of the Caribbean were imagined and created. This amazing theatre, designed by George Lucas, is now used for private screenings and is off limits to the general public. Here's an opportunity to experience an incredibly important movie in a beautiful, intimate historic venue .

Space is limited to 120. Refreshments will be served. Please RSVP to Marcy.

THEN:

We'll meet again the following Sunday, November 5 to further explore CCL's solution and welcome new members. On Sunday, November 5, 4-6 PM in Tiburon at Eagle Rock Gardens. Again, RSVP to Marcy for details.
Watch: The Case for a Carbon Tax Author on CCL's International Conference Call
Don't miss CCL's September 9th international call guest speaker, Dr. Shi-Ling Hsu, author of The Case for A Carbon Tax and member of CCL's advisory board. From his South Florida home, as hurricane Irma churned towards him (before evacuation orders), he calmly explains why CCL's proposal is so reasonable, efficient and fair. Even if you were on the call, watch it again and memorize his talking points!

Here's a short summary he wrote at our request. His book will be at our meetings and is well worth 30 bucks if you really want to understand the economic and political case for a carbon tax. Yes, it's economics, but there are only two pages of calculus and quite a bit of humor.
CCL returns to Capitol Hill again in November bearing gifts: INTEL. Sifting every detailed report from over 500 June meetings, our DC office has an up-to-date profile of Congress' questions and concerns about our carbon pricing proposal, which we'll share with selected offices. CCL is the only organization doing this kind of survey. The impact on Congress of the hurricanes and the President's behavior will be interesting to hear. We'll have the details after the event. Come if you can!
A Full Reception following  
Sixty-five enthusiastic folks enjoyed our after-movie gathering at D'Angelo's in Mill Valley on August 5. The movie is beautifully filmed as it follows Mr. Gore around the world on his one-man mission to raise awareness of the climate crisis and relish the swift deployment of renewable energy technologies.

Particularly gripping are the scenes at the Paris climate summit, showing the internal workings of a massive (60,000 people were there, including 50 CCL members) , complex international negotiation process that has evolved over 25 years -- with little to show for itself. There is an air of hopeful desperation to get something done.

We peek behind the stage on which 196 countries with vastly disparate agendas, a huge entourage of delegates, heads of states, observers, demonstrators and media all coalesce. Mr. Gore himself closes the midnight deal that breaks the gridlock threatening to wreck the historic, inadequate accord, then watches helplessly as it's trashed a year later by the US President. It's high drama.

There's only one problem (well, more than one):

While wind, solar and efficiency technologies are out-competing coal for new electricity generation, consumption of dirty fuels continues to increase , and GHG levels continue to rise. (See next.)

Mr. Gore avoids calling for what economists term " demand destruction ," which can be achieved only by raising the price of fossil fuels (like we did with cigarettes.) As Dr. Hansen says repeatedly, "As long as fossil fuels remain the cheapest source of energy, they will be used." Period.

Since Mr. Gore surely understands basic economics, his may actually be a good strategy. As a polarizing figure, Mr. Gore's advocacy for a carbon tax could actually backfire , as his endorsement would make it awkward for Republicans, whose support is critical, to get on board.


That's where CCL enters the picture: we're strictly nonpartisan.

In fact, we're hoping for a Republican-sponsored bill to be introduced this year. Don't hold your breath, but do cross your fingers.
Can Renewables Really Save Us? 
These 'missing charts' may change the way you think about fossil fuel addiction
One of Al Gore's (and many others') points of hope is that the cost of wind and solar energy has plummeted and deployment has skyrocketed. Noting that in recent years the majority of new electricity generation came from wind and solar, optimists feel hopeful that we can bend the emissions curve by pressing for more. But is that true? Take a look at the numbers.

In this lucid piece, we're brought back to reality. Take home message: Of course we need massive deployment of renewable energy, but even more important is a global carbon price that engages the gears of the world's economy, the only entity that can slow down the runaway train of cheap fossil fuel production and consumption.
 Oil dependency rockets upwards
  • This is why we need a carbon tax
  • Under reporting of emissions is common.
  • There's no world authority other than the global trading system
  • Profit motive, cheating, and human nature will persist.

"We knew this would happen, decades ago. We knew this would happen, and we didn’t care. Now is the time to say it as loudly as possible: Harvey is what climate change looks like. More specifically, Harvey is what climate change looks like in a world that has decided, over and over, that it doesn’t want to take climate change seriously."
CCL Advisory Board member Dr. James Hansen, first to warn Congress in 1988, former Director of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, now Columbia University Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, has said this many times: Warmer ocean surface temperatures equal wetter storms. Basic physics.
Read CCL's latest proposal in the MIT Climate CoLab contest for a Carbon Price
CCL members Joe Robertson (international coordinator), Gary Horvitz and Peter Joseph enjoying Cambridge, MA after winning the Popular Choice award for their 2014 carbon pricing proposal
Marin chapter leader Peter Joseph has again co-authored a proposal explaining CCL's carbon fee, dividend and border carbon adjustment:


You can read, then support it by registering at the CoLab, then clicking "support" on the proposal -- basically "liking" it. In December, after revisions, we'll ask you to vote for it in the Popular Choice award contest, which we've won twice before.
Watch Elon Musk explain climate change and the carbon tax in 12 minutes
You'll enjoy this. In his own slightly shy and unique way, Elon Musk explains climate change and the carbon tax in 12 minutes at The Sorbonne during the Paris climate summit in December, 2015. It's not rocket science, but he could explain that as well.
Activate Your Group with a CCL Presentation!
One of the best ways to spread the word about CCL is to arrange for a presentation to your group -- friends, associates, workplace, school, club, place of worship -- anywhere you can assemble an audience. We have experienced speakers eager to educate. Contact Peter Joseph.
"I’m a climate scientist. And I’m not letting trickle-down ignorance win."
Dr. Ben Santer,  IPCC climatologist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, member of the National Academy of Sciences, writes passionately about why he will not submit to intimidation, a lesson learned young when trapped alone deep in an Alpine crevasse. It was life or death then -- and still is. Read his latest post in Scientific American celebrating Voyager and the beauty of science.
Looking for Ways to Get Involved? 
Marin Action Teams Want You!
"CCL exists to create the political will for climate solutions by enabling individual breakthroughs in the exercise of personal and political power."
-- Mission Statement

We're all volunteers, and you don't need to be an expert to help. 
One of the best ways to get involved is to...just get involved! Our action team leaders invite you to participate. Teams include:
If yo ur skill set resonates with any of these teams, please contact Molly with your interest.
If you're ready for that breakthrough and have one hour/month to volunteer for CCL, we invite you to attend a hands-on workshop in Mill Valley. 

We'll tailor small group discussion to you in order to help you find your personal political power. 

At these workshops we will:
  • Get to know other CCL members 
  • Demonstrate the new Community and CCL University sites, both rich learning resources
  • Answer your questions, discuss upcoming opportunities and your personal next steps 

If you're new we look forward to meeting you. If you've already attended a meeting, we look forward to deepening your understanding and involvement.

Seating is limited to 10 people. Please pose questions in your reply to help us plan to address your needs. When we receive your response, we'll send directions and carpool/shuttle info.  RSVP to Barbara Wilson .

Resources
  Download here  for a deep dive into carbon pricing policy. 
A well written primer from The Urban Institute and Brookings on the theory and practice of carbon pricing around the world. Easy to understand format.
The CLIMATE PORTAL
"We have a moral, ethical, and survival imperative to learn about climate change" 
Terrific one-stop shopping for a gold mine of climate related articles from our friends the Unitarian-Universalists, who pay due attention to the moral and spiritual aspects of responding to this crisis.
Years of Living Dangerously Short Videos
#ClimateFacts: Hurricane Irma

#ClimateFacts: Hurricane Harvey
 
Warming Seas and Hurricane Harvey with Ian Somerhalder
 
 

Subscribe to the weekly podcasts. Warning: unflinching, uncomfortable realism that can be both a downer and stimulant for action.  
Climate Feedback is a global network of scientists fact-checking climate change news. They collectively assess the credibility of influential climate change media coverage.
And Now, Some Bad News
Three years to safeguard our climate, Nature. Christiana Figueres and colleagues set out a six-point plan for turning the tide of the world’s carbon dioxide by 2020. They forget to mention the need for a global carbon price.

How 90 Big Companies Helped Fuel Climate Change -- Inside Climate News

And Now, Some Good News
Just getting started?
  Join the  Intro Call  every Wednesday at 5 PM then take the  Climate Advocate  training, offered on the  3rd and 4th Wednesdays of each month  at 5 PM PT 

Questions? Comments? 
Email Marin@CitizensClimateLobby.org  with questions or comments. Apologies for cross postings.