A storm is coming after the November elections. On the evening of Thursday, October 4th at the UT Belo Center for New Media, journalist and activist, Bill McKibben, delivered a stirring preview of his forthcoming campaign to take down the fossil fuel companies (coal, oil, natural gas). He'll launch this campaign after November 6th with a whirlwind, 25-city tour. He's still fully behind the protest to stop the Keystone XL Pipeline, but believes it's time for a bigger battle.

 

I found inspiration and outrage in Mr. McKibben's stories and pictures of people from all around the world taking a stand for global climate action. Most notably photos from places like Ethiopia,Congo, rural India, the Maldives and Yemen drove home the point that global climate change is seen as real and needs swift action even by people who emit very little greenhouse gases! A coordinated event by  Jordanians, Palestinians and Israelis around the shrinking Dead Sea showed that even people who are supposed to hate each other agree we are facing a global crisis.  What is really outrageous though, is that fossil fuel companies not only dump their wastes into our air, land, and water with the government's blessing, but oil companies in particular have made record profits while the 99% deal with a struggling economy over the last few years. Why isn't the U.S. general populous up in arms? Can the sleeping giant be awakened?

 

Mr. McKibben exhorted the audience on Oct. 4th to do two things:

 

Neither of these two things is as impossible as you might think. Changing habits and taking some time to organize can make it happen. To accomplish #1, you can walk, bike, take public transit and/or get an electric vehicle. For $2/day you can ride CapMetro buses. The Nissan Leaf, all-electric car, leases for only $2,000 down and $349/month. 

 

Make it a game. This is serious, but you can still have fun. Compete with your friends, family and co-workers for to win the pennant for . . .

 

As for #2, two women that evening of Oct. 4th, one a teacher and the other a UT employee, announced their commitment to lobby Teachers Retirement System (TRS) of Texas to divest. Who will take on Employees Retirement System (ERS) of Texas? What about the UT system?

 

Bill McKibben said he hope the coming campaign would be truly revolutionary like the civil rights and Vietnam War protest of the 1960's. Is this is the battle of our day?

 

Find some inspiration and outrage, then act!