New Zealand now on board

New Zealand's climate change minister Nick Smith announced earlier today that his country will cut its greenhouse gas emissions 10 to 20 percent below 1990 levels by the year 2020. Although a commendable step forward, the target range still falls below the 25 to 40 per cent cut that the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has said is needed from developed countries as a whole by 2020.

Here in the United States, Todd Stern is the special envoy on climate change. "Bottom line," he wrote in 2007, is to "set binding emissions targets for developed countries and as many advanced developing countries as possible. The targets should be long-term (relative to the five-year timeframe used in Kyoto) and grow tighter over time."

According to John Ashton, the special representative for climate change in the United Kingdom, “we now need to stop talking about talking and start deciding about doing.”

Blood Alley not too bloody

Yesterday morning a good friend J and I met at a cafe in Russian Hill to commence a 60-mile ride to Vallejo. It will be the first leg of my ride as I'm choosing to skip the ferry as suggested by Adventure Cycling Association maps that will lead me to El Paso, Texas via the Grand Canyon. Part 1 of yesterday's ride, a 40-mile journey to Novato, led us over the Bridge at sunrise, by some sweet-smelling gardens, and remarkably smooth asphalt. Coincidently we met up with a friend who happened to be riding a similar route in Larkspur, and after getting turned around a few times, we had plenty of opportunities to chat it up with some cool Marin locals. Part 2 was the 19-mile stretch on 37 nicknamed Blood Alley. It was a bit precarious on 3 small bridges of about 100 yards each (one especially because of a weird turn). On these, there were no shoulders and with the auto speed limit 55mph, we pedaled as fast as we could to get off. Besides those parts, there were wide shoulders, a now divided highway, and speed dips which made it fine as long as you stay as far right as possible. We arrived at the Vallejo ferry building at 1130am, concluding our 5.5 hour, 60 mile journey.

This morning, I'm reviewing Naomi Smith's "Give Me Liberty," just ordered a used copy of MoveOn.org's "50 Ways to Love Your Country," and am trying to finalize my petition, online petition, press releases, and flyers. Need to take a break from the computer now though and get outside. But before I go, a heads up about August 27....

At sundown from Ocean Beach, on the last Thursday of this month, I will commence my ride to the White House. I am hoping for a large gathering of people not necessarily for personal support but for support of the cause. After signing the petition and potentially magnifying actions for a cause that we all believe in, stick around for a bonfire with free Mexican food courtesy of Bernardo's ("After work, maybe..."). I will pedal out at some point with other members of the San Francisco Bike Coalition and ride to the Golden Gate Bridge. That night a friend of mine will let me bunker down at his place in Sausalito before waking up predawn on Friday to commence a 100-mile ride to Davis.