23 Apr Inventing the Game to End Global Warming

Hearing about the ParisPledge was a bit like jumping into icy water. For a moment I couldn’t breathe. Because some guy (Laughlin Artz) had the nerve to promise an end to Global Warming. Not try. Not influence or educate about. Promise.

And, he was hard at work finding the trim tab. (On a boat, a trim tab is a small surface attached to a larger control surface that reduces the force needed to move the larger control surface. Moving the trim tab can make moving the entire boat easier).

The trim tab, in this case, as it turns out, is the UN Conference on Climate Change. We can mitigate climate change without ruining our economies. But what is missing is the willingness of the world’s UN delegates (most importantly US and China) to make the commitments necessary. So that’s what there is to impact.

I immediately emailed Laughlin and practically begged to work with him, because I could not think of anything more important than this work he and his team are doing. Three weeks later, on April 19th, we launched the ParisPledge in New York CIty and Austin, Texas. The ParisPledge is essentially a movement to get people all over the world to demand that the UN Conference on Climate Change delegates commit to the following outcomes:

1. Full Decarbonization by 2050

2. Implementation of carbon pricing as the key driver

3. Establishment of a global citizens' engagement network 

Why did I have such a strong reaction? Because for over a year I’d been asking myself, Why, with so many people working on this issue, is the situation getting worse? It seemed to me that what we needed was an MLK saying “Equal rights for everyone.” or a Ghandi saying “Peace in India.” or a Kennedy saying “We’re going to the Moon.” But wading through the morass of research, opinion pieces, and projects, I could hear no one actually promising to end Global Warming. Until now.

But the ParisPledge is not about Laughlin’s promise. The ParisPledge is about each of us making that promise and taking action. I am no longer waiting for Ghandi. I am Ghandi. And so are you. I have a say. You have a say. In making the ParisPledge I declare my right and our right to a sustainable planet and demand three critical outcomes necessary to accomplish that. And I am promising to remain in action to see that it happens.

Our country was built on a declaration, a speech-act. A speech-act is a statement that, when said, is also an action. The moment you say, I promise, I request, I declare, you are actually taking an action as you are saying the words. This is unlike “I wish,” “I hope,” “Our goal is,” which are descriptions only. Declarations move things forward. But how does one resolve for oneself what there is to promise or declare? By asking the right questions. The ParisPledge began with an inquiry, each answer leading to the next question.

The following is an intentional simplification and summary of the facts. Test the links. This is valid information. If you already know this, please share it with those who don’t.

Is Global Warming real?

Yes. 97% of scientists agree that the temperature of the earth is increasing as a result of post-industrial human activity. Most of the current “debate” is fed by a well-documented misinformation campaign. Remember the denials of from the tobacco industry?

What is “too high?”

The vast majority of scientists also agree that anything beyond an increase of 2ºC above pre-industrial levels will result in major impacts to human health, biodiversity, weather patterns and life as we have come to know it. 2ºC increase is considered, at this point, the very best scenario we can hope for if, and only if, the most aggressive plans for climate change are unilaterally taken.

Where are we now?

Predictably, we will reach 2ºC within the next two decades. We have increased 0.9ºC already, and we have enough carbon in the atmosphere (which will stay in the atmosphere for hundreds of years) to put us at 1.3ºC. For a sense of scope, the now almost certain 1.5ºC increase could kill all of our coral reefs, habitat for the primary protein source of over 1 billion people, as well as being a major part of the travel industry. 

Where are we headed?

On our current trajectory, we will most likely be at roughly a 4ºC increase by 2050.

Can the necessary changes be made in time?

Yes. There are clear pathways for mitigating climate change.

How Long Do We Have?

5 Years. Tops. Projections show some regional climates around the world will go past their tipping points by 2020. We cannot afford to wait any longer to commit to the necessary outcomes for a sustainable planet. This December’s UN Conference will make all the difference.

Won’t the necessary changes cost way too much?

No. The hard work of many have allowed scientists and economists to come up with plans for full decarbonization that do not ruin our economies. And, by comparison, the projected costs of damage and loss of human health and life caused by climate change are much, much higher.

What needs to happen?

Based on the best evidence we’ve found, we have a good shot at the 2º target if and only if every country in the UN must commits to the following three outcomes at this years Paris Conference on Climate Change:

1.     Full de-carbonization by 2050.

2.     Carbon pricing as the key driver.

3.     A global citizens’ engagement network to hold our leaders to account.

What is missing that if it were in place would make this all doable?

UN delegates’ willingness to promise the necessary outcomes. To have a shot at capping climate change at an increase of 2º would require a radical reduction in emissions by all countries starting no later than 2020. So far, the necessary commitments have never been made. The U.S. and China (the two largest sources of emissions) have also NOT made the necessary promises. Projections of the upcoming UN Conference indicate that the negotiations will fall far short of the three outcomes. In other words, for all the meetings and talk, the critical actions are not happening and are not going to happen. They’ve declared a goal, but promised nothing. Michael Jordan doesn’t try to make a basket. He plays to win every time. For him, it’s going in the basket. Period.

Won’t I be dead long before this is a real problem?

No. If you are 45 or younger, you and (if you have them) your children will be tragically impacted. On our current trajectory, we are likely to reach 4ºC increase by 2050 and an increase of 11ºC before the end of the century. If we stay on our current path, our children will almost certainly experience the extinction of nearly a quarter of the land-dwelling species and up to a 30% of our coastal regions under water in their lifetime. This is not an exaggeration nor a dramatization. In fact, hundreds of thousands of people are already being significantly impacted by climate change. 

Can’t We Compromise?

Not this time. These three outcomes give us the best shot at not exceeding the 2º limit. Compromise and negotiation are unacceptable. We cannot afford to tolerate anything less than unilateral, steadfast agreement.

The thing I am most struck by is how empowering it is to give my word to ending Global Warming before it’s too late. It’s a nearly impossible game to win, but man, I am playing it to win it. The future is not a foregone conclusion. I have a say in it and my action impacts the world.

ACTION is the only thing that has ever made a real difference. You have a say about climate change. A request is another speech-act. I request that you promise to end Global Warming and then get in action. Go to ParisPledge.com for more information.

Associate at the Zero Waste Network and former Austin EcoNetwork team member, Janis Bookout is a mother, business consultant, writer, artist and former elementary school teacher. She came to environmental work mid-career because, as a mother, she "couldn't not."