Marin Chapter Newsletter
July, 2018

CCL exists to create the political will for climate solutions by enabling individual breakthroughs in the exercise of personal and political power. -- Mission Statement

CCL international Conference Most Massive to Date
Count 'em: 1,400
CCL's 9th International Conference in Washington, DC, drew 1,400 enthusiastic volunteers over 4 days, 1,200 of whom ascended Capitol Hill to conduct 500 meetings in Congress. It was a great success. The educational sessions were outstanding, and the breakout groups so numerous that it was hard to chose where to go. You can much of it online .
Dr. James Hansen, former NASA chief climate scientist, awarded CCL's Voice for the Earth prize by founder Marshall Saunders
Start here with the opening video of Dr. James Hansen, the "godfather" of climate change awareness, receiving CCL's first Voice for the Earth Award exactly thirty years after his fateful testimony to Congress that "global warming has begun." Dr. Hansen will go down in history as a cross between Galileo and Paul Revere -- a great scientist who stuck his neck out to tell the truth and sound the alarm. He's never stopped, despite his profound frustrationwith society's inaction. Subscribe to his blog and read his current op-ed . Dr. Hansen vocally advocates for CCL and the rights of future generations.

Next watch the fascinating discussion with Dr. Hansen (why there's hope), Brookings Institute economist Adele Morris (why a tax is superior to cap and trade), Natasha DeJarnett, American Public Health Association, (on the suffering that climate change is causing) and Trishna Gurung, Ocean Conservancy, (on the problems and necessity of effective carbon pricing.)
It's also worth watching Dr. Hansen's inspiring TED talk on how and why he's been willing to face arrest and buck his employer -- the US government -- because of what he knows. You'll then know it, too. (15 minutes)
CCL newcomers' stories of inspiration, empowerment and gratitude
This is what democracy looks like!
Next, take in what happened at the end of the conference. After 3 days of education,comeraderie and the exciting lobby day on Capitol Hill, at the well-lubricated dinner reception, newer folks were invited to tell their stories of how CCL has impacted their lives. It was amazing. Catch the spirit here and be likewise inspired!
An energy market veteran journeys to the DC conference
New to Marin CCL, Arianna Van Meurs attended the DC conference for the first time. Here's what she loved about it and the policy detail from the Climate Leadership Council that she (and many others) has some reservations about.

"I've been a carbon tax advocate since 2008 when I staffed the Commission on the 21 st Century Economy under Governor Schwarzenegger that included a revenue-neutral carbon tax. So I was happy to discover Citizens’ Climate Lobby last October and begin learning about the wonderful CCL Community. When Peter recently suggested I write about my impressions as a first-time attendee to the DC Conference and Lobby Day, I hesitated – but not because I don’t love CCL...  Read more.
And speaking of the Climate Leadership Council...


Read CCL's take on their Carbon Dividend proposal, which includes "regulatory relief" and liability protection for the oil companies. Yes, it sure is controversial, so let the debate begin!
New Member Orientation

Aug 2, 7 - 9 pm
San Geronimo Valley Community Center
6350 Sir Francis Drake Blvd
San Geronimo

Find out how you can be involved, ask those
vexing questions and sharpen your understanding
of what we're doing

Contact Molly

AND...


Summer will end, so get ready for fall:


September 12-14, 2018
San Francisco, CA
Governor Brown's swansong, this will be a major international event with many opportunities for the public to participate.

Business Climate Leaders will hold an affiliated event on Thursday, September 13 from 1-5 PM at The Gap HQ,  2 Folsom St, San Francisco


Marin Affiliated Event, supported by 21 Marin organizations, Saturday, September 15, 7:00 PM at COM:

Getting to Paris Without Stopping in Washington
    
Special guests: Christiana Figueres, a rchitect of the 2015 UN Paris Climate Agreement , in conversation with U.C. Berkeley Professor   Daniel Kammen, member of the Nobel Peace Prize recipient Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
    
Joined by local and international leaders, including Congressman  Jared Huffman , Marin Supervisors  Kate Sears  and  Damon Connolly , Novato Mayor J osh Fryday , and Marin School of Environmental Leadership student  Cameron Evans , discussing how citizens and communities together to achieve our shared climate goals by working locally while thinking globally. 
    
College of Marin, Diamond Center Gymnasium, 700 College Ave., Kentfield 
 
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for the  Marin Climate Action Showcase, sampling local food, drink and activism  

More information at the OFA website 


And there's more!

Sunday, September 16, from 10 AM - 1 PM at Book Passage, Corte Madera:


A 3 hour seminar presented by CCL leaders Dr. Peter Joseph and Corte Madera Town Council member David Kunhardt, taking a deep dive into current science and the state of solutions, with a focus on carbon pricing, politics and public opinion.




Blessed Are the Children
School Board Resolutions Build Political Will in DC

In mid-June, a youth-adult delegation of Schools for Climate Action leaders from California went to DC to amplify the political will of school boards for national climate action. S4CA supporters participated in CCL's Conference and Lobby Day and presented packets of school board resolutions in meetings with 5 Members of Congress (MoCs) or staff and delivered resolutions to an additional 18 Congressional offices. Multiple MoC's expressed enthusiasm for their campaign and thought that a groundswell of non-partisan S4CA resolutions from across the country could build significant political pressure for national climate action. S4CA also delivered school board resolutions to the National School Boards Association.  

22 school boards have already spoken up for climate action!

Twenty-two school boards  in California and Colorado have now passed non-partisan climate action resolutions articulating the political will for common sense climate action. Those include Ross Valley, Novato, Marin County Office of Education, and Tam Union High School District. . Read more and join them!
Silver Lining Department
Climate science scores notable win in failed case against Big Oil

Judge William Alsup of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California  dismissed  a lawsuit brought by the cities of San Francisco and Oakland seeking compensation from five oil giants for expenses related to the impacts of climate change. "The problem deserves a solution on a more vast scale than can be supplied by a district judge or jury in a public nuisance case," Judge Alsup wrote. "While these actions are brought against the first, second, fourth, sixth and ninth largest producers of fossil fuels, anyone who supplied fossil fuels with knowledge of the problem would be liable." With that, he let BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell off the hook.

At the same time, Alsup was unequivocal in recognizing that climate change caused by burning fossil fuels is a real and unfolding danger accepted by the court and the defendants as well as the plaintiffs. "The issue is not over science," he  wrote . "All parties agree that fossil fuels have led to global warming and ocean rise and will continue to do so… ." Furthermore, he said, "this order accepts the science behind global warming. So do both sides. The dangers raised in the complaints are very real." More here...



THIRTY YEARS LATER, WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE IN OUR APPROACH TO CLIMATE CHANGE?
June 28, 2018 

Take a good look at this graph, particularly the tiny sliver of green at the top, representing clean renewables as worldwide energy demand keeps growing. Then consider how this sliver becomes a bigger slice while the others diminish. There's no way without increasing the price of the dirty stuff. That's what CCL is all about. Read Dr. Hansen's own words.


July 3, 2018

All-time heat records have been set all over the world during the past week

(But..but it's been cold in Sausalito!)

By CCL's Global Strategy Director Joseph Robertson


July 4, 2018


A carbon tax and dividend system could usher in an era of clean energy independence. The shortest route to American energy freedom and climate solvency is through a clear-headed, high-efficiency carbon dividends strategy.  Here .

Just the Facts Please:
Core training every Tuesday @ 5 PT on CCLU!
Shapen your skills, deepen your understanding!


"The Trend Is Your Friend"

  A large majority of Americans who think global warming is happening now outnumber those who don’t by 5 to 1. Americans are also growing more certain that global warming is happening.  Certainty has increased 12 percentage points in the past 3 years , with 49% of the public now “extremely” or “very sure” that global warming is happening.

The time is right to enact an effective carbon price! Read on.

How to talk about Climate Change so people will hear you.
Highly recommended, 15 min .

MIT and National Renewable Energy Lab study:


Supports REMI findings. Full dividend return is the least regressive, most equitable modality. And since corporate tax cuts have already been enacted, they're no longer needed for revenue neutrality or politically. CCL's proposal gains credibility.


Worth Repeating Department:

Climate Deniers: Go To Hell --
or thereabouts
Our Social Media team invites your clicks, likes and posts.
(Guaranteed: no fake news)


Thank you, Amanda and Jay!


Denial Corner

"You can run, but you can't hide"
-- Boxer Joe Louis
Republican lawmaker: Rocks tumbling into ocean causing sea level rise

This is not a drill, folks. This is the U.S. House of Representatives Science, Space and Technology Committee talking complete nonsense.

The Earth is not warming. The White Cliffs of Dover are tumbling into the sea and causing sea levels to rise. Global warming is helping grow the Antarctic ice sheet...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Speaking of Fake News...

Why climate change is the easiest news to fake
Amy Harder, former WSJ journalist

Yes, we've noticed.

From the folks who brought us Skeptical Science :


In public discussions, climate change is a highly controversial topic. However, in the scientific community, there is little controversy, with 97% of climate scientists concluding humans are causing global warming.
  • Why the gap between the public and scientists?
  • What are the psychological and social drivers of the rejection of the scientific consensus?
  • How has climate denial influenced public perceptions and attitudes towards climate change?

This course examines the science of climate science denial .

What you'll learn
  • How to recognise the social and psychological drivers of climate science denial
  • How to better understand climate change, the evidence that it is happening, that humans are causing it and the potential impacts
  • How to identify the techniques and fallacies that climate myths employ to distort climate science
  • How to effectively debunk climate misinformation

Highly recommended! 7 weeks at your own
pace and you'll be confidently equipped to hold your own in any conversation about climate change

Ready to get more involved? Action teams invite you :
We're all volunteers, and you don't need to be an expert. 
One of the best ways to get involved is to...just get involved! Our action team leaders invite you to participate.



If yo ur skill set resonates with any of these teams, please  contact  Molly  with your interest.


Wonk Room:
Years of Living Dangerously is now  The YEARS Project.  They’ll still be telling the biggest story of our time, but doing it in a new way: on  Facebook Watch . Check it out. 
For the latest climate news, sign up for briefings from this Pulitzer Prize-winning website.
From the New York Times, a weekly digest of their climate coverage
Past Newsletters
If you've read this far, you might be zealous enough to want to review informative past Marin CCL newsletters:


Comments, Questions?
Apologies for cross postings
Prepared by Peter G. Joseph, M.D.