And activists are thinking longer term and taking actions on their own. The United Nations' COP (Conference Of the Parties) global climate conference has become a sad joke, an embarrassment to humanity. Instead of expecting global leaders to take appropriate action, people are planning for the COP21 which will be held in Paris in December 2015 by creating alternative villages called Alternatibas. So far there are cities in France, Belgium and Switzerland. Plans are in motion in Spain, South Basque Country, Austria, Romania and even in Tahiti. Alternatiba provides a handbook, video and media tools to communities around the world.
Truth is Coming to Light
Not only are people learning that the climate crisis is already here and needs immediate action; and that they have the power to influence the course of events; but they are no longer fooled by the lies of carbon polluters and corporate misinformation.
As fracking protests increased in California, the claims by industry about how much money can be made have been questioned. This week the US Energy Information Agency drastically reduced its estimate of recoverable oil in California's Monterey shale formation from 13.7 billion barrels to just 0.6 billion barrels--a reduction of over 95%. Previous estimates were based on projections by oil companies. The number of new jobs and amount of money to be made from fracking was major talking points for pro-fracking advocates. Now people know it was false.
This week, a Draft Environmental Assessment on the Cove Point Liquid National Gas terminal expansion in Maryland reached the unbelievable conclusion that it would not "significantly affect the quality of the human environment" and recommends a finding of "no significant impact." The drafting of environmental statements has become a farce in Washington, DC. What used to be a useful environmental tool has now become a vehicle for greasing the skids for environmentally dangerous projects, but activists know better. Within days the phony report resulted in outrage and protests at both Maryland Senators' offices. Reports that fail to pass the 'straight face' test anger and mobilize activists, rather than silence them.
It is interesting Cove Point is happening in Maryland, where Governor Martin O'Malley fantasizes about being president of the United States. O'Malley is co-chair of a new fraudulent Democratic Party group, NewDEAL. No, it is not about a populist agenda of Social Security and New Deal-like full employment programs, it is a front group where big corporations can put money into politicians who will represent corporate interests, rather than the people's interests. DEAL is an acronym for Developing Exceptional American Leaders. The effort is funded by big energy, telecom's and other big business interests. It took years for many to figure out that the Democratic Leadership Council and the Third Way Democrats were faà §ade's for big business, but now we know -- as soon as it is created -- the corporations are trying to shape future leaders with big corporate dollars under the misleading label of NewDEAL.
It took years to face up to the reality of climate change, but already the cat is out of the bag regarding the dangers of fracking. This week an executive of a major shale gas fracking company, Southwestern Energy, Vice President Mark Boling, conceded what scientists have been saying for years: global shale gas development has the potential to wreak serious climate change havoc. A former executive with Mobil made a similar admission last year. This is one of many reasons why fracking creates grass roots activists and broadens the movement against extreme energy extraction.
And, many of these activists are finding courage they did not know they had. Recently Jenny Lysak interrupted a Democratic Gubernatorial debate in Pennsylvania -- a state that has sold out to fracking interests. Jenny says "I'm not particularly brave; I just feel that there is nothing anyone could do to me worse than what they are doing to our planet and to the families who can no longer live in their homes." She rushed the stage of the debate and held up a "List of the Harmed," a list of 1,700 families impacted by fracking. The list is now over 6,000.
There are a growing number of Jenny Lysak's. People are standing up as they see their neighborhoods, communities and planet ruined by the voracious appetite of extreme profit from energy extraction at a time when we should be creating a carbon-free/nuclear-free energy environment. People are learning they have more power than they realize and are being inspired to use it.
This article is produced by Popular Resistance in conjunction with AlterNet. It is a weekly review of the activities of the resistance movement. Sign up for the daily news digest of Popular Resistance, here.
Kevin Zeese, JD and Margaret Flowers, MD are organizers of PopularResistance.org; they co-direct It's Our Economy and co-host Clearing the FOG. Their twitters are @KBZeese and MFlowers8.
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