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Blog Action Day 09 - Climate Change

By Murray Bourne, 15 Oct 2009

This year's Blog Action Day topic is "Climate Change". It's today - 15th October.

From their blurb:

Blog Action Day is an annual event that unites the world's bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day on their own blogs with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global importance. Blog Action Day 2009 will be the largest-ever social change event on the web. One day. One issue. Thousands of voices.

Answering their own question. "Why Climate Change?", they say:

Climate change affects us all and it threatens more than the environment. It threatens to cause famine, flooding, war, and millions of refugees.

Given the urgency of the issue of climate change and the upcoming international climate negotiations in Copenhagen this December, we think the blogosphere has the unique opportunity to mobilize millions of people around expressing support for finding a sustainable solution to the climate crisis.

I've given up on the hope that politicians will do anything intelligent in Copenhagen in December (where they need to decide on a replacement for the heavily flawed Kyoto Protocol). The climate change issue is way too politicized and there are too many rich, self-serving lobbyists from the loony right (especially in the US, the main country that needs to make the right decision on this issue) for there to be a positive outcome. They will dither and lobby, storm out of meetings and do everything they can to be voted in again in their respective countries. So don't worry about them. It's too late.

Nope - the only hope is action at the grassroots level. We have to do it ourselves.

Reduce your carbon footprint. Sell that SUV. Walk. Ride your bicycle. Ride the bus. Or better - work (or study) from home. Grow food in cities so transport pollution is minimized. Use solar power for your heating and cooling. Cut down on wasteful consumerism. Plant trees. Use your building's roof for water collection, solar panels, growing food. Stop buying any product that contains palm oil (it's the main reason for equatorial rainforest destruction, including the burning of forests that release huge amounts of carbon. The Indonesians do it every year. Not good.)

Naive? Yes. The only hope we've got? I believe yes.

For those looking for a math angle in this rant, here's some things I've written since last Blog Action Day:

Real World Math: Engaging Students through Global Issues

Math of plastic water bottles

Friday math movie – The Miniature Earth

Kindle math

The coming EcoBounty

Energy reduction with Google’s help

What’s that smell? The math of air quality

Now go make a carbon reduction plan and involve your family, your school, or your workplace.

And good luck.

See the 4 Comments below.

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