Record-Setting Climate Protest Plans Gather Momentum In Washington

Youth organizers have planned a major conference and demonstration for this weekend in Washington, D.C. The event, called PowerShift, is also intended to organize the single biggest lobbying day in American history, putting environmentalists in front of more than 350 Congressmen and staff.

The Guardian reports that the organizers of PowerShift are already in Washington:

There are now more than 10,052 young people coming from all over America to the largest ever youth climate event in history, where they will lobby US political leaders to enact bold climate and energy policies that will rebuild our economy and halt global warming.

It will be the largest climate lobby day in the country's history, and the first mass lobby of Obama's term in office. Coverage is set to be widespread with national TV crews and newspaper journalists arriving on Friday, including BBC Newsnight.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, environmental leader Van Jones and dancehall artist Santigold are headlining and, with over 270 panels and workshops, organisers have had to hire the largest venue in the whole city.

The organizers of PowerShift are the brain trust behind PowerVote, a popular energy campaign during the general election of 2008. That project asked young people to consider the environment when voting:

This past fall, hundreds of thousands of youth mobilized to vote and demand bold solutions to the defining issues of our generation. The Power Vote campaign collected 341,127 pledges to vote and demand our leaders create millions of green jobs, invest in a clean energy economy, cut global warming pollution immediately, end our dependence on dirty energy, take dirty money out of politics, and re-engage as a leader in the international community.

Power Vote helped turn out the record 24 million young voters who decided this election and develop the skills of grassroots leaders to engage in the political process.

Comments

[jetphixer]

Love tis idea1! wish i were younger to be there!! I love the Mts. of WVa and mountain top removal is totally criminal. Not to mention the pollution of the water in the run offs. Its a shame the place is destroyed for the short gain of dollars, it is hart breaking . One only needs to watch the u tube stuff of mountain top removal. an Dillons song Thunder on The Mountain set against the photos of Mt. top removal...

[plantguy]

Brainwashing??? Dirty money???? Guess what next it will be dirty green money!!!! You people act like nobody will get rich and greedy from green power! Give me a break.

[doriath22]

Explain to us how a hoax becomes extinct. Or was that an attempt at humor? (Don't quit yer day job!)

[johnnyjust]

Which one is the hoax?

[doriath22]

Piltdown man. Or are you one of those folks who like to think that evolution is "just a theory"?

[johnnyjust]

Maybe Global Warming is true.

It made Piltdown man become extinct.

[johnnyjust]

What a waste of time.

[freedomisabsolute]

Only if there is no plan of action just a bunch of kids chanting. But maybe there will be some collaborations that will have a profound impact. You're on of those people that when you're trying to decide somewhere to eat you say not there and then don't offer an alternative aren't you? Besides life is kind of a waste of time. So you might as well waste it smiling not telling other people how they're wasting it.

[rockymountainhigh]

I hope they all buy carbon offsets since most will be taking cars or planes to get there. Come on...Al Gore's wallet is wide open and waiting for your deposits......

[TJCole]

Wear a coat and bring your gloves...

I'd have waited till spring broke, and we got into the warmer weather...

[Greenguy25]

Go PowerShift !!

We got your backs

http://www.mygreenscene.com

[theubermensch]

Well, good for all of the youth. We do have a responsibility, since the elders of this society lack the initiative. Lets hope that some of their ideas are taken seriously, and do something. There has been a lot of "greenwash" lately and it is time for actual things to be done. So, good luck powershift.

[StopGlobalWarmingBeVegan]

Tell them to take away subsidies from the farm factory.

[dems08]

It's on President Obama's short list.

[NWBrunette]

Go Kids Go! The success of this effort could literally save our planet.

[0emissions]

Americans kill each other and themselves 47,500 times a year on the roads and streets using automobiles. The number of injuries is even greater.
Now why would the Department of Health permit the use of such products that are a serious health hazard and environmental as well?
The cost to taxpayers is about $400 Billion to support the use of these things.
The average American household spends $8750 just on maintenance per year for one automobile. There are about 260 million registered driv. Do the math. It is TRILLIONS of dollars
Iraq is building a sustainable,solar powered and CARFREE city. What's up with the USA?
Europeans have had light rail for a long time.
Suburbia was developed with commuter trains in mind. The auto companies seized the moment and convinced Americans that they needed to become a 2 car family.
We have suffered for decades from the aches,pains and mindless lifestyle developed by the auto companies and government complicity.

[0emissions]

If Americans stopped driving for one year (this does not include necessary service vehicles) there were be available, an extra $4 Trillion. Do the math.

[JuergenHartl]

I guess you have not heard of the economic trouble the auto industry is in.

[Carol06095]

Since I live 15 miles from work with no public transportation, I'll just quit my job and you can pay my mortgage and other expenses for that year. OK?? Do you realize that people who live in the country do not have access to public transportation and in the north, you can't ride a bicycle every day because of the cold, snow, and rain. Personally, I think this is a conspiracy to get poor people packed into the cities, so the countryside can belong to the rich.

[joshquasimoto]

Sorry about the spelling errors, no should read know and shanging should read changing, and and should read an

[AngieMom57]

We called it ECOLOGY, and pollution in any form was our challenge. Not because of "global warming" or a "climate crisis" simply because it made sense to put clean, wholesome practices before profits. Ponder that.

[joshquasimoto]

But if we call it ECOLOGY and not GLOBAL WARMING then all thsoe people with their head and the sand won't no how to complain about people such as yourself. This is common technique used by oppositions to dirty a word so it becomes taboo to use it. Even some of the biggest advocates started shanging their tune about 5 or six years ago by saying that it was not global warming but global climate change. It was always inaccurate to just call it global warming because of the many effects putting heat trapping gases in our atmosphere and there many effects. But if the issue is complex then those that entertain themsleves by having knee-jerk opinions will have nothing no place to stand except for looking like and uninformed idiot. Of course that never stopped them from opening their mouths in the first place.