The Story of Cap and Trade

The Story of Stuff meteored to international success and has fueled the next chapter in Annie Leonard's animated series on the environmental impact of our policies and practices, " The Story of Cap and Trade." Ironic and amusing, this animation points a finger at the troubles with using a market-based system to control the amount of carbon emissions we create because, as Leonard says, "there are a lot of devils in the details of the cap n' trade proposals on the table."

Future chapters include more animated storytelling on the life cycle of Plastic Bottles and electronics. Check it out on The Story of Stuff website.

International Climate Action Day Storms into San Francisco

Saturday marked a day of unprecedented international climate actions by activists in 181 countries who are building momentum to inspire political leaders to take substantial steps towards climate reform at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this December.

In the Bay Area of California, cyclists from as far away as Arcadia descended upon Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco in the culmination of the kickoff. In a speech by San Francisco City Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, who initiated the plastic bag ban in this country, urged people to push their municipal and state legislatures to take aggressive action to reform climate regulation, regardless of what the international community does (or does not) do. He is a consistent advocate for local control for attaining a green agenda.

The international day was spearheaded by the group 350.org and supported by numerous environmental activist groups, including GreenPeace. The number 350 represents the parts per million of carbon dioxide emissions that the atmosphere can bear if we want to avoid runaway global warming.

Sierra Club's Anti-Coal Campaign Serves This Dish of Humor

The National Sierra Club ad campaign targets schools in 11 states which currently rely on coal power.

* Indiana University-Bloomington
* Indiana University of Pennsylvania
* Lewis and Clark
* Ohio University
* Penn State University
* SUNY-Binghamton
* University of Colorado - Boulder
* University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
* University of Georgia
* University of Iowa
* University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
* University of Missouri-Columbia
* University of North Dakota
* University of Southern California
* University of Washington
* Virginia Tech
* Washington University-St. Louis

It offers a petition website for students.

Japan's Aggressive Regulatory Practices Makes Green Sense

Today's NPR California Report looks at how Japan's energy regulatory practices have spurred greater competition and innovation amongst its companies. At first, manufacuturers resisted the aggressive standards, including a 1% increase in efficiency annually. However, now manufacturers embrace the regulations, seizing it as an opportunity to compete.

Yes Men Sprung From Clink After SurvivaBall Action

"Balls Across America" direct-action campaign launched
NYPD abuse of authority big factor in arrest

Andy Bichlbaum, co-founder of activist group the Yes Men, emerged after 26 hours in New York City's central lockup with all charges against him dismissed.[1]

"The judge just laughed," said Bichlbaum. "The police had a less well-developed sense of humor - and, it turned out, much less regard for the law. But all in all, I'm ecstatic that they arrested me."

At 10am Tuesday, Bichlbaum was arrested and charged with trespassing, after he and 21 "Survivaballs" [2] gathered on New York City's East River and announced they were to going to "take the UN by storm" from the water, since all the land approaches were sealed. Once at the UN, they would supposedly use the Survivaballs to blockade the negotiations and refuse to let world leaders leave the room until they'd agreed on sweeping cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, as Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has demanded.[3]

The event was a "scenic and mediagenic way to call attention to what our leaders need to do in the run-up to Copenhagen," said Bichlbaum. [4] It was also the official inauguration of the Yes Men's "Balls Across America" series of civil disobedience actions, inspired by the call for direct action on climate change by website http://BeyondTalk.net.

Minutes after the balls began wading into the water, law enforcement swooped in on the protesters by land, sea, and air. In order not to harm their attackers, the balls admitted defeat and waddled out of the water and off the beach. Seven participants were given tickets for trespassing, and one - ringleader Bichlbaum - was whisked away to "the Tombs," New York's central processing facility at 100 Centre Street, due to an unpaid ticket for bicycle riding through Washington Square Park.

Bichlbaum's arrest led to hilarious prime-time coverage on CNN.[5]

"Sleeping on concrete was a challenge, but I met a lot of interesting people, and my arrest meant major prime-time news coverage we wouldn't have otherwise had," said Bichlbaum. "That's the whole point of civil disobedience. Thanks to my momentary discomfort, our symbol of the stupidity of not taking action on climate change was seen by tens of millions of people. It all worked out great, and I remain grateful to the NYPD for having accidentally made our event successful beyond our wildest dreams."

Despite Bichlbaum's gratitude, one thing stuck out for his attorney, Wylie Stecklow: in filing his report, the arresting officer had lied through his teeth.

"The officer said he'd seen Bichlbaum jump over the fence, which was obviously impossible, since the police arrived after the Survivaballs had all entered the beach," said Stecklow, who defended Bichlbaum at his arraignment yesterday morning. "And the officer said there were prominent signs posted to the effect that entering was forbidden - also untrue." [6]

"Perhaps the NYPD thought that if an officer did not swear that he saw Andy climb a fence, AND that there were signs providing notice that this area was off-limits, a judge might have dismissed the case," said Stecklow.

According to Stecklow, officers swearing to facts they couldn't possibly know is an all-too-common occurrence. "Often, during mass arrests, we see a Supervising Officer assigning junior officers to write up the paperwork. But these junior officers end up becoming the 'arresting officer,' requiring them to swear to facts that are not within their knowledge. This leads to constitutional violations and wrongful arrests, and undermines the confidence that citizens should have in the criminal justice system," said Stecklow.

The NYPD has, in recent years, been found guilty of making numerous unconstitutional arrests in cases of political protest, and then falsifying their statements to fit the arrests. There have in particular been several well-known cases involving the tackling and arrest of bicyclists, with false excuses then written into police reports. [7]

"My case doesn't matter in itself," said Bichlbaum. In fact, I'm really happy it turned out as it did. But I hope we can help expose the systemic and nefarious culture of lying within the NYPD, that has had the effect of criminalizing protest in New York City."

"The police have to be told very clearly that they can't lie and expect to get away with it," Bichlbaum added. "The stakes are far too high."

"We need to strengthen oversight of the police by those who empower them in the first place - you and I, the citizens of New York City," said Stecklow. "Right now, at a bare minimum, that means giving teeth to the formerly well-intentioned, now powerless body of the Civilian Complaint Review Board."

"Unfortunately, even when we have video proving police statements to be false, no one seems interested in investigating," added Stecklow. "That's got to change."

After reading the arresting officer's complaint against him, Bichlbaum decided to file a complaint with the CCRB in order to hold this officer accountable for his false statements.

"It's not much, but at least this guy will have to explain his story under oath. And then next time, maybe he'll think twice before filing a false statement to make the crime stick."

The Yes Men hope their next actions won't depend on police misconduct to make them a success. "With 'Balls Across America,' our goal is to get arrested fair and square, all across this fair land of ours," said Yes Men co-founder Mike Bonanno. "It's a great way to get attention for a crucial issue."

For more information, contact:The Yes Men event@theyesmen.org>


[1] Bichlbaum actually received an Adjournment with Contemplation of Dismissal,
which normally results in full dismissal in New York State
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adjourned_in_Contemplation_of_Dismissal).

[2] The Survivaball (http://survivaball.com) made its first appearance in 2006,
when "Halliburton representatives" attended a conference on catastrophic climate
change and demonstrated the functionality of the large inflatable suits which keep
corporate managers safe from global warming
(http://theyesmen.org/hijinks/survivaball). That hoax, and many more like it, are
documented in the new award-winning documentary film, The Yes Men Fix the World
(http://www.theyesmenfixtheworld.com), which opens theatrically in New York
October 7, before opening nationally October 23.

[3] http://nypost-se.com/news/un-chief-world-heading-for-climate-abyss/

[4] http://www.democracynow.org/2009/9/23/headlines#14
http://nypost-se.com/news/us_news/congress-cops-out-on-climate/
http://nypost-se.com/news/us_news/crap-and-trade/

[5] http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/offbeat/2009/09/23/moos.survivaball.cnn

[6] http://theyesmen.org/crimcomplaint715.pdf

[7] http://blip.tv/file/771625, http://glassbeadcollective.blip.tv/file/784711/

Gore Calls for Scientists to Engage in Politics

At the 2009 International Day of Peace held on September 21 in New York City, former Vice President Al Gore addressed a crowd of scientists and urged them to become involved in politics, but added with a smile, "Keep your day job."

Citing how other scientists have joined the Administration, Gore said, "Scientists can no longer in good conscience accept this division between the work you do and the civilization in which you live...We do have the capacity to make this generation one of those generations that changes the course of humankind. The stakes have never been higher."

US Secretary of Energy Doctor Steven Chu was amongst the first scientists tapped by President Obama to serve in the administration. However, Chu's political engagement had begun before the 2008 Presidential Election cycle, when an organization called Science Debate 2008 entreated Democratic and Republican candidates to engage in a national debate on science issues.



As a sign of the times, faith trumped science in the public arena. Science Debate 2008 chased the candidates throughout the campaign season. During the run-up to the Pennsylvania primary, Obama and Clinton put their campaign markers down on a faith-based conversation instead, which McCain (not renowned for his position on faith) declined. In a last ditch effort to establish a conversation, Science Debate 2008 acquiesced to receive written responses from the final majority party candidates, Obama and McCain, to questions that only glazed the topic on which environmentalists and scientists craved to vet candidates. Ironically, the Green Party, largely seen as the environmentalist party, was shut out despite efforts to get one of its Presidential candidates, Kent Mesplay, Ph.D., an environmental scientist in on the debate.

In a Parallel Universe, Climate Change Matters

"SPECIAL EDITION" NEW YORK POST from The Yes Men on Vimeo.

"WE'RE SCREWED": MEDIA HEIST BLANKETS CITY WITH "SPECIAL EDITION" NEW YORK POST

Tabloid Tells Truth About Climate Change and How It Will Affect City, World

Early this morning, nearly a million New Yorkers were stunned by the appearance of a "special edition" New York Post blaring headlines that their city could face deadly heat waves, extreme flooding, and other lethal effects of global warming within the next few decades. The most alarming thing about it: the news came from an official City report.

Distributed by over 2000 volunteers throughout New York City, the paper has been created by The Yes Men and a coalition of activists as a wake-up call to action on climate change. It appears one day before a UN summit where Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon will push 100 world leaders to make serious commitments to reduce carbon emissions in the lead-up to the Copenhagen climate conference in December. Ban has said that the world has "less than 10 years to halt (the) global rise in greenhouse gas emissions if we are to avoid catastrophic consequences for people and the planet," adding that Copenhagen is a "once-in-a-generation opportunity."

Although the 32-page New York Post is a fake, everything in it is 100% true, with all facts carefully checked by a team of editors and climate change experts.

"This could be, and should be, a real New York Post," said Andy Bichlbaum of the Yes Men. "Climate change is the biggest threat civilization has ever faced, and it should be in the headlines of every paper, every day until we solve the problem."

The fake Post's cover story ("We're Screwed") reports the frightening conclusions of a blue-ribbon panel of scientists commissioned by the mayor's office to determine the potential effects of climate change on the City. That report was released in February of this year, but received very little press at the time. Other lead articles describe the Pentagon's alarmed response to global warming

("Clear & Present Disaster"), the U.S. government's sadly minuscule response to the crisis ("Congress Cops Out on Climate"), China's alternative energy program ("ChinaÕs Green Leap Forward Overtakes U.S."), and how if the US doesn't quickly pass a strong climate bill, the crucial Copenhagen climate talks this December could be a "Flopenhagen."

Another ad promotes civil disobedience, encouraging readers to visit http://BeyondTalk.net and pledge to risk arrest in a planned global action November 30, just before the conference in Copenhagen.

"We need strong action on climate change," said David Solnit of Mobilization for Climate Justice West, one of the partners in BeyondTalk.net. "But history shows that leaders act only when people take to the streets to demand it. That's what needs to happen now."

This paper is one of 2500 initiatives taking place in more than 130 countries as a response to the "Global Wake-up Call" on climate change. For more information, visit www.tcktcktck.org/wakeup

"Awakening the Dreamer" Symposium Stirs Up Faith in Future

Awakening the Dreamer Symposium Trailer from Pachamama Alliance on Vimeo.

The Pachamama Alliance, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting a spiritual path that embraces environmental sustainability and social justice, continues itsw series of international symposiums introducing a new video in Ocotber. These meetings held all over the world lead people in a conversation about personal choices and its impact on our environment.

From the "Awakening the Dreamer" Website:

In the mid-1990's, through a mysterious set of circumstances, a group of North Americans visited a remote and intact group of indigenous people - the Achuar - located deep in the Amazonian region of Ecuador.

This relationship that was to become The Pachamama Alliance, was actually initiated by the indigenous elders and shamans themselves who, out of their deep concern for the growing threat to their ancient way of life, and their recognition that the roots of this threat lay far beyond their rainforest home, actively sought the partnership of committed individuals living in the modern world.

From the beginning, our indigenous partners have reminded us that one of the most powerful actions that can be taken in support of the rainforest and its inhabitants is to “change the dream of the North,” since it is our dream—our desires and appetites—that is driving the destruction of the rainforests around the world. Ultimately, to assure the long-term survival of our rainforests, and indeed of the natural world and even ourselves, we need to address the core values and ways of seeing the world that are deeply imbedded in our modern worldview.

For events in your area, go to Awakening the Dreamer.

"The Cove" Wipes Smile off Flipper's Face

"The Cove" is a powerful piece of film activism. Done mostly in secrecy, these filmmakers devised multiple camouflaged cameras in order to capture the round-the-clock activities of the town's fishermen serving the multi-billion dollar industry of dolphin harvesting for export to sea parks (e.g.).

The dolphins that aren't quite smiley or friendly enough? They are then pushed into another cove for slaughter. Subsequently, the dolphin meat is served to the town's school children, with unfortunate side effects caused by the high levels of mercury. Look for this film at a theater near you.

Shell Oil Suppresses Documentary on Human and Environmental Rights Abuses in Nigeria

The trial charging multinational oil giant Royal Dutch Shell with conspiracy to commit human rights abuses was to have started this week in the United States, after 13 years of delays. However, the long-awaited for justice has met yet another postponement.

This eight minute documentary tells of the struggle of the Ogoni people of Nigeria who protested the exploitation of the fertile land and brutal treatment of its people under the hands of a military regime. Leaders of the protests were hunted out, killed, or tried in a kangaroo court. While Shell itself did not conduct the human rights crimes, prosecutors claim that the oil giant did hire the Nigerian military, known for its brutality, to eliminate "the problem" of these protests.

This mini-documentary was produced by Rikshaw Films for EarthRights International (ERI) & the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), the plaintiffs’ co-counsel in the case. For more information, go to the wiwavsshell website.