Hot and Cold on Independence day

Here's some light relief to lift our hearts and celebrate independence, courtesy of the WE Campaign.

Happily it brings together two current themes as it just happens to feature a pig, along with a rather burnt looking pancake or tortilla and a fridge.

The main point, though, is a rather simplified account of how to resolve the thorny conundrum of averting damaging climate change whilst continuing with extraordinarily high energy lifestyles. That goes for all conventional inhabitants of developed nations, and quite a few others elsewhere too, of course, not just the dominant population of Turtle Island.

The WE Campaign successfully re-invented itself as Repower America last summer, and Al Gore has continued to exert unprecedented (seriously) influence via a thoroughly statesperson like performance at the helm of the Alliance for Climate Protection. This embodies both organisations and apparently some others too.

Repower America has no less an aim than to get the States off carbon entirely in just 10 years, whilst simultaneously rebooting the economy via the green stimulus and relieving the perceived strategic vulnerability of massive dependence on imported oil and astronomical overseas borrowings to pay for it. Here's a succinct summary of the campaign's objectives.

It is succeeding magnificently. At the end of last month the House of Representatives passed the Clean Energy Security Bill in a hard fought vote in which the dirty energy lobby exceeded themselves in greenwash and disinformation. According to the WE Campaign, the opposition

'stepped up a blatant distortion campaign on TV and behind closed doors to scare Congress from taking action.'

'Members of Congress who oppose clean energy paraded around a map that distorts the truth about curbing carbon pollution. Not only was the analysis misleading, the computer file still listed the original author -- the coal lobby.

'And another group, funded by the fossil-fuel industry, released targeted TV ads designed to drum up fear ahead of the vote.'

It is clear the efforts of Repower America were absolutely critical in swinging the vote. Not merely the shear political clout wielded by a campaign which has almost 2.3 million members - an extraordinary number - but by the pressure they have brought to bear by raising massive on-line petitions in days, donating for the advertising necessary to counter the greenwash, and sieging congresspeople by phone, mail and in person. People power or active democracy at its best, as you will. Most heartening stuff.

The bill has now passed to the Senate but it is expected that this sort of thing will be racheted up yet again in an all-out effort to defeat it. Al Gore said

'The American Clean Energy Security (ACES) Act is one of the most important pieces of legislation Congress will ever pass. This comprehensive legislation will make meaningful reductions in global warming pollution, spur investment in clean energy technology, create jobs and reduce our reliance on foreign oil.

The next step is passage of this legislation by the Senate to help restore America's leadership in the world and begin, at long last, to put in place a truly global solution to the climate crisis.

We are at an extraordinary moment, with an historic opportunity to confront one of the world’s most serious challenges. Our actions now will be remembered by this generation and all those to follow – in our own nation and others around the world.'

So much to celebrate on the day, and much to engage in.

Wherever you happen to be you are welcome in the We Campaign, and regardless of nationality. It's critical, it's interesting, and it takes but a few moments to join. So we all should be adding our weight to the critical mass. Two million is an extraordinary achievement, but Al is aiming for 10 million. That would make it the largest campaign in American history - and a truly irresistible force for the planet. You can join it here.

Yet there are are currently around 6.8 billions two legged monsters here on Earth, so where are the rest? And what can they be thinking? Of the mass of humanity 10 million is but a drop in the ocean, and we have known from the outset that if America goes down everything is lost.

Regardless, a great deal to celebrate universally, so have a happy day one and all. And better luck with the pancakes.