Possibilities are endless. Our limits are only those that we accept and place upon ourselves. And when we focus on our similarities instead of our differences it's pretty amazing what we can accomplish. I learned that at this evening's Critical Mass.
"I'm so happy to be in San Francisco! This seems like the home stretch," one rider told me who is currently passing through the City on his bike to Tijuana. He started in Vancouver.
"Make sure to bring mace. That's something I wish I had when I ran into some trouble," another warned. "There are people out there that just don't like cyclists." I was planning on packing a small serrated knife that D recently gifted me but now might have second thoughts. "Buy a cheap radio and some speakers. Those really helped too."
Unfortunately I wasn't able to recruit any massers for the ride. But I did mention that I would pass along any messages to the President when I get to the White House. If you also believe that the climate must be a top priority and have a message or personal experience to share about climate change, please, pass it along to message4obama(at)gmail(dot)com.
Training tomorrow morning. Then Oskar will see Ricky Henderson's #24 retirement. Tuesday evening's event at the World Affairs Council Auditorium should be stimulating.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
One month to prepare
On August 28, 2009, I will clip in to my bicycle in San Francisco and embark on a 3500-mile journey through ten states to deliver a message to the President.
I am pleased that President Barack Obama will be attending COP15: UN Climate Change Conference - held in Copenhagen this December - but it is imperative we do not lose focus of what is at stake. Since Kyoto in 1997, the carbon dioxide saturation levels have increased by 24.06 parts per million, which is the same increase as the years 1959 - 1981 (see Mauna Loa Observatory). What does this mean to us Americans? Since we are responsible for emitting 29% of all carbon emissions in history (China, the next highest, can claim only 8%) and with polar ice caps melting at an increased rate, we hold a unique responsibility without much time on our hands.
Congress has recently balked on the issue by butchering the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. Why invest $10 billion of ratepayer subsidies for an unproven technology such as "carbon capture and sequestration" when we can build new solar and wind farms? This year, China is planning to build a 30-megawatt solar power plant for $150 million which would be enough energy to power approximately 9,000 homes here in the United States. Doing the math, we can see that a wise investment would be to invest the $10 billion into a solar farm that would provide energy for 600,000 homes or the entire population of Washington DC.
In Copenhagen, world leaders have to be serious about setting and meeting global emission targets. Our President has to be ready to show real commitment and set a national emission target that is science-based.
I am pleased that President Barack Obama will be attending COP15: UN Climate Change Conference - held in Copenhagen this December - but it is imperative we do not lose focus of what is at stake. Since Kyoto in 1997, the carbon dioxide saturation levels have increased by 24.06 parts per million, which is the same increase as the years 1959 - 1981 (see Mauna Loa Observatory). What does this mean to us Americans? Since we are responsible for emitting 29% of all carbon emissions in history (China, the next highest, can claim only 8%) and with polar ice caps melting at an increased rate, we hold a unique responsibility without much time on our hands.
Congress has recently balked on the issue by butchering the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. Why invest $10 billion of ratepayer subsidies for an unproven technology such as "carbon capture and sequestration" when we can build new solar and wind farms? This year, China is planning to build a 30-megawatt solar power plant for $150 million which would be enough energy to power approximately 9,000 homes here in the United States. Doing the math, we can see that a wise investment would be to invest the $10 billion into a solar farm that would provide energy for 600,000 homes or the entire population of Washington DC.
In Copenhagen, world leaders have to be serious about setting and meeting global emission targets. Our President has to be ready to show real commitment and set a national emission target that is science-based.
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