From The New York Times' Nicholas
Kristof:
I ran into Al Gore at a climate/energy conference this month,
and he vibrates with passion about this issue -- recognizing that we should
confront mortal threats even when they don't emanate from Al Qaeda."We are now treating the Earth's atmosphere as an open sewer," he said, and
(perhaps because my teenage son was beside me) he encouraged young people to
engage in peaceful protests to block major new carbon sources."I can't understand why there aren't rings of young people blocking
bulldozers," Mr. Gore said, "and preventing them from constructing
coal-fired power plants."
Say it, Al! But it's not just young people who need to do it -- everyone
needs to join in, starting with you. Shutting down coal plants, blockading
palm oil importers like Imperium
Renewables and other rainforest destroyers, and stopping work at oil
refineries could move the climate debate beyond just personal action and put
the spotlight squarely on the big polluters who are the real culprits behind
the problem.
This could be Al Gore's Gandhi moment (especially appropriate for a Nobel
Peace Prize nominee). It would be great if you (in conjunction with say,
Greenpeace, Rainforest Action Network and other civil disobedience-oriented
environmental groups) announced a day of civil disobedience to confront
polluters -- and were the first one to get arrested. You'll find thousands of
people (self included) to back you up.
If you're interested in being one of those people, click here to send Al Gore a fax letting him know you're
ready to participate in civil disobedience on behalf of the planet.