Marin CCL November Newsletter

Marin Chapter Newsletter

November, 2017

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

-- Mission Statement

Chasing Coral Event!

L->R: Peter Joseph, Dr. Rebecca Albright, Ray Welch, Dr. Erika Woolsey

The intimate George Lucas theater at 32Ten Studios in San Rafael provided a warm, high tech venue for our October 29 Chasing Coral showing.

Like its predecessor, Chasing Ice , the movie is both gorgeous and devastating. The first audience comment at its close was "Where's the Kleenex?" More shocking than the aerial shots of Napa and Sonoma after the fires, the before and after images of dead and dying coral reefs everywhere on the planet are nearly unbearable, their scope unbelievable.

The movie deliberately doesn't prescribe solutions beyond the usual imperatives to reduce emissions. CCL's crucial mission thus becomes obvious: we've got specific blueprints for applying the brakes on carbon emissions. But make no mistake -- great damage is already in the pipeline no matter what we do. For better or worse, recent events are shifting public opinion. We hope the politics follow, for effective carbon pricing is critical now , while there's still a chance of having an impact.

Our two amazing guests, coral scientists Dr. Rebecca Albright, Ph. D. and Dr. Erika Woolsey, Ph.D. , eloquently shared their personal stories of love for coral reefs and commitment to solid science, as well as the heartbreak of watching loved ones starve to death on a massive scale. These beautiful, ancient, sophisticated creatures, who have built eternal cities under the sea, are under attack by our civilization's garbage. Pricing carbon is about taking fiscal responsibility for our toxic waste, a mandatory developmental milestone akin to potty training.

They pointed out, ironically, that corals have survived at least 5 mass extinctions, and they will again. (But will we?)

Follow up event on November 5: filled to capacity

Sixty people attended the follow up meeting at the lovely Eagle Rock Gardens on November 5. We discussed CCL's plan and why so many find the organization attractive -- now 86,000 supporters and counting.

THANKS to these volunteers!

It takes a village of volunteers to host a successful CCL event. We thank the following for their commitment and superb leadership in organizing our Chasing Coral Event on Oct 29 and the follow-up meeting on Nov 5:

Chasing Coral, Oct 29:

Host of 32Ten Studios: Greg Maloney

Program Planning: Peter Joseph, David Kunhardt, Stuart Siegel, Molly Whiteley and Steering Committee

Logistics, Food, Parking, Registration: Jane Elkins, Marcy Levine, Pat Goss, Dale Weiss, Molly Whiteley

MC: David Kunhardt

Panel of Speakers: Peter Joseph, Ray Welch, and scientists Rebecca Albright and Erika Woolsey

Youth speaker: Charley Peebler representing Heirs To Our Oceans

Sign-in Table and Ushering: Laurie Riley, Amanda Struss, Tilda Thompson

Info Table: Richard Bailey, Robert Archer, Ray Welch

Parking: Adam Yanow, Robert Mawrey

Follow-up Meeting, Nov 5:

Host: Katherine Randolph, Eagle Rock Gardens

MC's: Molly Whiteley, David Kunhardt

Member speakers: Peter Joseph, Sanna Thomas, Louise Gilbert, Pat Goss, Bob Harlow and Damon Connelly

Logistics: Jane Elkins, Pat Goss, Dale Weiss and John Thomas

. . . . as well as several anonymous members who showed up at these events and just pitched in! Thanks!

New Member Workshops: December 4, and January 11, 7-9 PM. Register here .

Evening "salons" start in February!

We'll get to know each other, hear guest speakers, share personal stories, discuss events and learn from each other, and of course, team up for continued CCL actions. We're looking for a convenient, comfy, low-cost space for these. If you know of such a space, please contact Jane Elkins .

CCL Congressional Education Day:

600 citizens climb The Hill

Over 600 CCL citizen volunteers gathered in Washington, DC November 12-14 for CCL's Fourth Congressional Education Day and to celebrate our 10th anniversary. Here 's Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla), cofounder of the Climate Solutions Caucus, wishing CCL a happy birthday.

The conference began Sunday evening with a showing of Chasing Coral , followed by a panel representing the producer, Exposure Labs, NOAA's Coral Reef Watch, and the House Commerce Committee.

Advice from the Congressional aide: be firm, polite, on message and helpful. That's the CCL playbook.

On Tuesday, November 14, armed with the analysis of June's massive lobby event (1,300 attended, 900 lobbied over 500 offices), we shared two unique sets of information: 1) the most common questions Members of Congress have about CCL's proposal, and 2) how increasingly receptive Republicans have become to CCL's message over the past four years. This is progress.

The top issues were: The Climate Solutions Caucus, Trump's withdrawal from the Paris accords two weeks earlier, our proposal's potential impact on jobs (especially in their district, naturally), the dividend return mechanism, and the border carbon adjustment.

Members of both parties were equally interested in how dividend return actually works. CCL has a prototype, and staffers were invited to learn more on November 17 at briefings (with pizza) on both the House and Senate sides of the Capitol.

Mr. Alan Lerman, recently retired from the Treasury Department's Office of Tax Analysis, has written " Paying Carbon Dividends to US Households ". Intimately involved with tax legislation since 1972, he has designed the forms you might be using when applying for your carbon dividend. Answer: it's just another tax form.

We visited Jared Huffman, who greeted us with his usual warmth and charm. CCL now has 844 members in CA02, ranging from Sausalito to the Oregon border. In the past 12 months, they've publish 6 op-eds, articles, and editorials plus radio and TV appearances, 27 letters to the editor, and have had 127 constituent contacts with Rep. Huffman. We are being heard!

It's tough being a progressive environmentalist in Congress nowadays, so we are fortunate and deeply thankful for Rep. Huffman's consistent support, vision and stamina. Standing on principle, he's waiting for the House Climate Solutions Caucus to prove itself worthy of his membership. Here's a good reason to trust his judgement.

Read what CCL members have published recently.

Thanks to Bay Area CCL members who came to DC, including: Bob Harlow, Peter Joseph, Pat Goss, Jerry Hinkle (Marin), Linda Padgett, Andy Ferguson, Joy Lonnes (Santa Rosa), Karl Danz, Steve Hams, Randy Salim, Tasha Reddy (Silicon Valley), Lee Ballance, Mary Selkirk, Andy Beahrs (Alameda), Dave Massen (SF) and others.

The lobby of the Hart Senate office building proudly hosts a gigantic, somewhat menacing, black steel Alexander Calder sculpture suggestive of (personal opinion) Darth Vader's head on a Stealth bomber. Or maybe it's just saying, "Don't jump!" Others may find it beautiful.

Marin chapter lead Peter Joseph sympathizing with a trophy in the office of Sen. Mike Rounds, South Dakota, after a meeting in Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse's office, festooned with paintings of sailing regattas.

Plan to attend!

2018 Northern California Regional Conference

Menlo-Atherton High School

Atherton, CA

January 20-21, 2018

2016 NorCal conference

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. Teams include:

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

New Member orientations: December 4 and January 11, 7-9 PM. -- small group discussion to help you find your voice.

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

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. Details .

It's (still) Official : Another Massive Government Report (again) Says Climate Is Warming And Humans Are (still) The Cause

The Fourth National Climate Assessment , a consensus report from 13 Federal agencies, tells us what we already know: we're in deep trouble, and it's only going to get worse. How bad? That's up to us. Unless we act immediately and aggressively, we'll leave our kids an unimaginable, unmanageable, and unmitigatable nightmare (say that 3 times). The real news was that, contrary to expectations, the White House released it unmolested.

Watch the WaPo video illustrating the vast distance between the scientific findings and both the Trump administration's stance as well as the Paris accord's weak goals.

More analysis of the National Climate Assessmen from The New York Times

Citizen question : How does a public safety entity (like FEMA, local EMS and Fire) plan to manage future challenges when top administrators deny their existence? How are resources allocated to address problems officially considered a "hoax"? (Is that criminal negligence?)

To begin addressing the market failure permitting negative consequences (costs to society) to be "externalized" from the prices of fossil fuels, they must be priced rationally. The economy can help restore planetary energy balance by gradually pricing fossil fuels honestly. Watch this discussion from Bonn with Dr. James Hansen, about the futility of fighting climate change without an effective carbon price.

A carbon fee (or "tax" if you will), returned to citizens so they can continue to afford their lives, sends market signals that induce changes at the top of the economy: investment, invention and healthy competition for lower carbon products and processes. Without the power of money and markets on the side of survival, what chance is there? CCL is the only grassroots organization pushing Congress for this.

Please read and support CCL's current MIT carbon pricing contest entry.

After 25 years of talk: Thousands of scientists issue bleak ‘ second notice’ to humanity, with great suggestions.

Nuclear power and renewable energy in the era of climate urgency

This 23 minute broadcast from Bonn, Germany, during COP 23 injects a dose of realism regarding the relative roles of renewable energy sources and nuclear power in the age of the climate crisis, which we didn't realize was coming when some marched against nukes. Open your mind: Hansen is one of history's greatest scientists.

You can subscribe to Jim Hansen's incredibly useful blog here .

Mark Ruffalo's new documentary, "Dear Governor Brown," examines California as an oil and gas producing state, fr from those living here in paradise. With tight interviews and lyrical drone footage, we see a darker side of our economy. See next item.

Why Governor Jerry Brown Was Booed at the Bonn Climate Summit -- Bill McKibben

Actually, it's simple. You can't be a climate hero by preaching only about reducing demand while promoting production and ineffective carbon pricing .

Why is the military so worried about climate change? Watch this brief, entertaining talk by CCL Advisory Board member David Titley, retired Rear Admiral, US Navy and chief oceanographer; former COO of NOAA.