23 Sept 2011

Canada included in world events:
Millions will 'march, bike, and skate' Saturday
to politicize others about the plight of the planet

In Kenya, I have seen herds of animals starving because the small rivers and lakes have dried up. In Sierra Leone, I witnessed people fighting for control over meagre water resources, and in South Africa, I saw crops wilting in the sun while local families experienced hunger.
                                                        -- Nick Fillmore.

Fed up with the lack of action by the world’s establishment organizations to make substantial progress in slowing the rate of disastrous climate change, thousands of activist groups from around the world are building a new movement to force action on the issue.

Tomorrow, Saturday, September 24th, has been declared a special day when perhaps millions of people from all over the world will put their demands into action – Moving Planet Day – by marching, biking, skating, etc., and “calling for the world to go beyond fossil fuels.”

“For too long, our leaders have denied and delayed, compromised and caved. That era must come to an end,” says the site, Moving Planet,  a project organized in part by remarkable U.S. environmental activist Bill McKibben.

People are invited to search a special website map to locate an event they can take part in. Activities are planned for many communities across Canada.

The world’s leading industrialized countries – many of them dominated by powerful pollution-spewing corporations – have totally failed to develop a universal plan to reduce climate change.

We here in North America often talk about climate change as though it is something that is only starting to happen. However, in Africa, where I sometimes teach journalism, climate change is already ravaging many countries.

In Kenya, I have seen herds of animals starving because the small rivers and lakes have dried up. In Sierra Leone, I witnessed people fighting for control over meagre water resources, and in South Africa, I saw crops wilting in the sun while local families experienced hunger.

McKibben is also the person behind 350.org. Scientists tell us we must reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere from its current level of 392 parts per million ("ppm") to below 350 ppm. But 350 is more than a number—McKibben sees it as a symbol of where we need to head as a planet.


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