Accelerating Climate Emergency Action (in all aspects of society)

The following passages are from five text boxes this writer included with tweets on the Twitter Platform, as outreach and sharing related to the paper “Brainstorming 100% Reduction in GHG Emissions ASAP Campaign” (157 pages; June, 2019)( http://bit.ly/321sn60 ).  [Note:  This paper is a major revision on an earlier paper, and includes an Appendix with 616 tipping point related organizations and institutions (described by their Twitter profiles), which are offered as first call for a request of 5-10 page overviews--from many different points of view--on how to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 100% ASAP.]

One of the most important points about this paper:  we will need this kind of comprehensive collaborative problem solving sooner or later, to both realize, and adopt to, the kind of “rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society” [IPCC SR15 on what is needed for 1.5^oC (2.7^oF)] that we, collectively, must succeed in achieving.  This writer is most strongly advocating for sooner, and achieving the transformation to limiting Global heating to 1.5^oC--rather than later, which may involve many challenges that we cannot successfully manage.

The Brainstorming 100% Reduction in GHG Emissions ASAP Campaign

This Brainstorming 100% ASAP Campaign proposes to streamline to the frontlines of public discourse the best 5-10 page overviews of how we can achieve a 100% reduction in Greenhouse Gas Emissions ASAP--and thereby catalyze local Community Visioning Initiatives, and contribute significantly to maximizing “all hands on deck” participation in positive tipping point activity.

The Brainstorming 100% ASAP Campaign identifies organizations and institutions which are already contributing in trustworthy, verifiable, and peer-evaluated ways to guiding public discourse towards achieving 1.5oC--and asks them to provide a 5-10 page overview of the best ways to decrease emissions by 100% ASAP.  Further, the Brainstorming 100% ASAP Campaign also makes a call for 5-10 page overviews from organizations and institutions critical to education, ecological sustainability, communication, access to basic needs, emergency assistance, social cohesion, preserving the roots of wisdom and compassion, etc.--as such organizations and institutions are directly or indirectly related to Climate Breakdown mitigation… and as part of the many steps still required to provide a most comprehensive picture of what actions need to be prioritized at the local community level (Appendix 10 recipient list includes 616 organizations and institutions with 98.9 million followers as recipients of first call requests for 5-10 page overviews). 

100-150 of the best 5-10 page overviews can function as a needs assessment--of the kind which precedes local Community Visioning Initiatives (as such will help residents see the need for Community Visioning and many supporting Neighborhood Learning Centers).  Universities and colleges--which are already far advanced in recognizing and implementing climate change solutions--will be natural lead organizations for building the partnerships necessary to carry out Community Visioning Initiatives in their local community.

Such 5-10 page overviews can also be a key resource for the “over 735 local governments in 16 countries have declared Climate Emergency” (as of 7/6/19)(see https://www.theclimatemobilization.org/climate-emergency-campaign  ).

This Brainstorming Campaign can accelerate opportunities for people around the world to become part of a system of mutual support, encouragement, and positive tipping point action in their local communities.

Why is the Brainstorming 100% ASAP Campaign Needed?

“We have left the 10,000-year climate ‘safe zone’."

Global Carbon Emissions are Still Rising.

There continues to be well-documented, evidence-based reports showing that negative feedback loops are moving at speeds, and in patterns, which go beyond previous projections.

Species Extinction Rates Are Accelerating:   “The Report finds that around 1 million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction, many within decades, more than ever before in human history.” [IPBES Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (2019)]

 “Renewables have a long way to go and a short time to get there.” Renewables Global Status Report 2019 (REN21) (Very helpful summary article http://bit.ly/2XbgUx6 by David Roberts)

We are only at the beginning of understanding how much the implementation of already known (and yet to be discovered) solutions--to all of the unprecedented challenges ahead--depends on understanding, and responding respectfully to, “a mix of economic, cultural and psychological barriers.”

Conflicts may arise, among people with different, but very personal, beliefs--especially when basic resources (like water and food) become scarce.  “We are now witnessing the highest levels of displacement on record.”  [Refugee Statistics; “Figures at a Glance” (UNHCR)] 

Local Community Visioning Initiatives

with many supporting Neighborhood Learning Centers (brief overview)

[much more detail on p. 30-38 in “Brainstorming 100%...” (http://bit.ly/321sn60 ) paper]

1)  Preliminary surveys of 150 key local leaders from a significant variety of fields of activity. 

2)  Universities and colleges assisting with Community Visioning--and providing related curriculum, workshops, and teacher training, to support many Neighborhood Learning Centers  [Example Community Visioning--13 minute documentary “Chattanooga:  A Community with a Vision” (https://vimeo.com/9653090 )]

3)  Many Neighborhood Learning Centers providing support for Community Visioning Initiatives; and providing places, in local neighborhoods, for discussion, information sharing, mutual support and encouragement, fellowship and friendship

4)  Local Newspapers reporting on--  a)  preliminary surveys of 150 key local leaders from a variety of fields of activity  b)  different stages of Community Visioning process  c)  the countless workshops at Neighborhood Learning Centers  d)  the job fairs at the end

5)  Residents (especially those who are unemployed) who volunteer time and energy to assist with Community Visioning, resulting action plans compensated with local currency

6)  The job fairs at the end of the Community Visioning Initiative process, which provide opportunities for all key stakeholders in the community (businesses, organizations, institutions, government, etc.) to offer and facilitate new employment opportunities.

1000 Universities, colleges assisting with

carrying out local Community Visioning Initiatives

+  many supporting Neighborhood Learning Centers 

=  an exponential acceleration in solution-oriented activity.

Selective buying--done in accordance with

5-10 page overviews from 1000s of organizations

on how to achieve 100% Reduction in Greenhouse Gas Emissions ASAP

There are billions of people who could be investing their time, energy, and money (their “votes”) in the everyday circumstances of their community life--and such “votes” could lead to countless ways of earning a living which are carbon-neutral, sustainable, socially responsible, and spiritually meaningful--if they only knew how.

This writer believes that education in Neighborhood Learning Centers, during comprehensive Community Visioning Initiatives, can result in people everywhere learning  a)  how to downsize their carbon footprint, and voluntarily use much less energy  b)  where to buy food and material purchases they absolutely need  c)  what kind of businesses to boycott so that the most carbon neutral and circular local economies can be established in the shortest amount of time; etc.--gain greater awareness of how all the “little events” in everyday community life have a positive and cumulative effect on the solutions-investment-training-employment sequence… and how all the investments of time, energy, and money (the “votes”) each of us make in our everyday circumstances become the larger economy.    If this kind of selective buying is done in accordance with 5-10 page overviews from thousands of organizations on how to achieve 100% Reduction in Greenhouse Gas Emissions ASAP, and thousands of Community Visioning Initiatives with supporting Neighborhood Learning Centers, a very quick re-structuring of local, regional, and global economies may be manageable… and it may be enough of a downsizing of the Total World Energy Demand to match up with the efforts at establishing electric grids with 100% renewable energy source.

Accelerating Climate Emergency Action

(in all aspects of society)

We need to encourage as many people as possible to be thinking--and thinking to the point of brainstorming--about how we will decrease emissions by 100% ASAP.  Asking thousands of positive tipping point related organizations and institutions for 5-10 page overviews on how to achieve 100% reduction in Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions ASAP—

1)  makes available all the key emission reduction pathways in a form most people can read--from powering the grid with solar and wind (instead of fossil fuels) to reducing energy use in our everyday lives

2)  provides a clear visualization of transformations needed in every aspect of our lives—since different organizations will focus on the priorities in their fields of activity

3)  provides the equivalent of a needs assessment for local communities, of the kind which precedes Community Visioning

The “Brainstorming 100% Reduction in Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions ASAP” Campaign paper (http://bit.ly/321sn60 )(157 pages; June, 2019) includes a 19 point list on why we need 100% reduction ASAP;  an overview of how the Campaign would work; descriptions of the many positive pieces which can supplement local Community Visioning Initiatives; much supportive evidence, links, and references; and a list (with Twitter profiles) of 616 positive tipping point related organizations and institutions, as potential recipients of first call requests for 5-10 page overviews.  This kind of mobilizing and accelerating of action, in communities around the world, is going to be needed sooner or later--to both realize, and adopt to, the kind of “rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society” (IPCC SR15 on what is needed for 1.5^oC) that we, collectively, must succeed in achieving.