Climate Mobilization and Leap
Embracing Need for 'WWII Style Mobilization,' California Set to Go Big on Climate
"I'm asking the creative minds of Los Angeles to join with the grassroots activists in creating the City of the future"
Naomi Klein joins with Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz and community leaders to call for a "World War II-scale mobilization" to combat climate change and lead the way in developing environmentally safe technology.
That’s what we need – direction, the power of example and a mobilisation that connects leadership above with the grassroots below. Here we see a Climate Justice Mobilization that will "partner with the national Climate Mobilization group and try to reach the goals outlined in Canada's LEAP Manifesto," which Klein helped produce.
City Councilmember Paul Koretz, author Naomi Klein, and LA climate justice community leaders, announce the launch of an effort to mobilize the nation’s second largest city against climate change on the scale of the home front mobilization of WWII. This unprecedented campaign aims for no less than a Leap forward to climate justice and carbon-neutrality by 2025.
"Local municipal leadership is paramount to addressing the many issues we are discussing here today. And, the city of Lancaster is paving the way. We have become a global leader in the alternative energy arena, and are now leading the way for other municipalities which seek to take charge of climate change concerns within their own communities."
"I'm asking the creative minds of Los Angeles to join with the grassroots activists in creating the city of the future," Koretz concluded, "not some fictional Tomorrowland, but here, on the ground, in the City of Angels we all love."
"This announcement today is a remarkable development. If the city of Los Angeles listens to the voices of communities on the frontlines, and centers racial and economic justice in the way it addresses climate change, this could be an historic leap, with ripples around the world."
—Naomi Klein
I love Dante’s heart leap.
La forma universal di questo nodo
credo ch'i' vidi, perché più di largo,
dicendo questo, mi sento ch'i' godo.
I believe I understood the universal form
of this dense knot because I feel my joy expand,
rejoicing as I speak of it.
Par 33: 91-93
I love this translation of this passage: ‘I know I saw the universal form, the fusion of all things, for I can feel, while speaking now, my heart leap in joy.’
I’ll leap with Naomi. And I’ll renew my commitment to the Climate Mobilization. Here is the statement I make on my Contact page:
‘It's a beautiful world, but it's under threat. I want to end with an appeal to you as a citizen of the world. I am a member of The Climate Mobilization (TCM), a campaign to save civilization from the adverse consequences of climate change. TCM holds that a World War II-scale climate mobilisation is our only choice if we wish to prevent runaway global warming and catastrophic climate change whilst preserving our democratic way of life. We must act immediately and decisively. There is no time for half measures. There is still hope, if we mobilize. When we mobilize for a common goal, we can exceed our expectations and achieve incredible things. There is a moral imperative not to give up. Some people overwhelmed by the enormity of our situation decide that humanity's fate is sealed, and that nothing can be done to remedy the situation. On the contrary, there is no good evidence that civilization will collapse or humanity will become extinct. These are potential futures and nothing more. By saying, "We're doomed," you resign yourself to the collapse of civilization, and the early, painful deaths of billions of people in the near future. It is an abnegation of the social contract - a dereliction of responsibility. Every generation has its own challenges. This is ours. We have the technical and financial resources to transition to a post-carbon society. We need to develop the moral and political resources. And that requires you. What are you going to do? Join us, and become a climateer!’
To begin, you can pledge to mobilize. Click the link below (or copy it into your address bar) and you will be taken to The Climate Mobilization, where you can give your pledge.
‘We call for a government-coordinated mobilization of our economy and society to end US net emissions by 2025. The hour is far too late for a gradual, multi-decade transition off of fossil fuels. We need to transition off fossil fuels and carbon intensive agriculture NOW and start removing excess C02 from the atmosphere. The WWII homefront mobilization provides an excellent example of how the United States can achieve incredible things when we pursue an essential national mission.’
We call for full employment and fair, shared sacrifice.
‘To protect vulnerable workers we call for a job guarantee—that anyone who wants to serve their country and global community by participating directly in the climate mobilization will have that opportunity.’
The Leap Manifesto – caring for the Earth and One Another
‘We could live in a country powered entirely by renewable energy, woven together by accessible public transit, in which the jobs and opportunities of this transition are designed to systematically eliminate racial and gender inequality. Caring for one another and caring for the planet could be the economy’s fastest growing sectors. Many more people could have higher wage jobs with fewer work hours, leaving us ample time to enjoy our loved ones and flourish in our communities.
We know that the time for this great transition is short. Climate scientists have told us that this is the decade to take decisive action to prevent catastrophic global warming. That means small steps will no longer get us where we need to go. So we need to leap.’
‘The time for energy democracy has come: we believe not just in changes to our energy sources, but that wherever possible communities should collectively control these new energy systems.
As an alternative to the profit-gouging of private companies and the remote bureaucracy of some centralized state ones, we can create innovative ownership structures: democratically run, paying living wages and keeping much-needed revenue in communities.’