”If the world is a dangerous place to live, it is not because of the people who are evil, but because of the good people who don’t do anything about it.” — Albert Einstein
Have you ever heard of the Kyoto Protocol? I’m casting no judgments, if you haven’t; I’ve only just learned of it myself. It seems like I have some fuzzy memory of hearing about it, kind of like the morning after a night of barhopping when I’m lying in bed trying to remember if I actually told so-and-so how I really feel about him, or maybe it was just a delicious dream. The truth is being ignorant of this treaty is pretty American. You see, the Kyoto Protocol is a beautiful thing, and our country is sitting it out.
Delegates from all over the world met in Japan in 1997 with the goal of coming up with a plan to reduce carbon emissions worldwide. The result of this convention was the Kyoto Protocol which aims to reduce global emissions by 5.2% from their 1990 levels. While the protocol was an amazing step in fighting climate change, we have learned since that things are worse than we thought and its goals need to be stepped up drastically.
That fact makes it all the more distressing that, as of November 2009, the United States is not among the 187 nations that have signed and ratified the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012 Yes, let me write that again, and you may re-read it as often as you like: the United States is not among them. Meanwhile we are responsible for 36.1% of the 1990 emissions level. Ouch, right? The treaty has languished in Congress thanks to corporations and special-interest groups who have the ears of our government via the best aural amplification known to politicians: their wallets.
Despair not, my little do-gooders. We have an opportunity to right this wrong in a big way. On December 7, 192 nations will gather in Copenhagen to once again try to come together as a planet and reduce carbon emissions. President Obama is committed to climate change regulation, and he would like us to go into Copenhagen as a leader in international efforts to fight global warming. His aspirations, however, have been hobbled (as the New York Times aptly, and graphically, put it) by our Congress, who say they want to see what countries like China are willing to commit to first. This presents a Catch-22 since so many countries are looking to the US for a commitment before they commit.
“After continued failure to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, and nearly collapsing the entire global economy this year, no one is expecting too much from the United States,” states Good magazine of the upcoming COP15. Ouch, again.
I love doing my part to stymie climate change. Each time I unplug an appliance after use, I feel like someone worthy to break bread with Mother Teresa. I mean, if she were still alive, of course, and I should also point out that we would break the bread, but then give it to the poor; that’s just the way MT and I roll. Whenever Brendan and I can walk, bike, or scooter instead of driving, we do. I always try to buy recycled things, when I can afford it, and try to use environmentally-friendly cleaning products…well, you get the idea. I know that you are doing these things as well. Being conscious of the way we live in relation to our impact on the environment and changing our personal behavior is extremely important, but in the end that alone will not be enough.
In 1958 our atmospheric carbon count was 310 (in parts per million) and today it is 380 and –- are you ready for this? — 350 is considered acceptable. So you see the situation is dire. It is time to put pressure on our representatives, and remind them that they are in Washington to (duh) represent us. So here’s what I’d like you to do. Call or write your representatives before December 7.
Here’s a step-by-step process for writing your representatives:
1. Find out who you need to write and their contact information. Go to Who Is My Representative? where you can find out that information just by entering your zip code.
2. Whether you call or write, make it clear that you are one of their constituents. (If you call, you’re going to be talking to a staffer, and that’s okay.)
3. Urge them to support our President in his efforts in Copenhagen to cooperate with the world to fight climate change. This is not an issue that can be viewed through partisan goggles.
4. Personally, I think it helps to tell them a little bit about the action you are taking, or plan to take, in your own life.
5. Be civil and polite.
6. Why not let President Obama know how important this issue is to you? Mention that you’ve contacted your representatives, too. Tell him Scottie sent you.
When you’re done, I would love it if you would come back here and leave a comment saying that you contacted your representative. A chorus is a stronger than the voice of a soloist; once people see what you’ve done, they’ll want to sing along.
Look, I know we have a lot of things on our “to do” lists. I too want to have the right to walk into an American courthouse, point to my man next to me, and say, “I want to get hitched to this cute, strapping Canadian.” But I know that my civil rights won’t do me a shittah-bittah good, if there’s no planet to be rightfully civil on. Yes, I’m a gay man and that fact is far from inconsequential, but first and foremost I am a global citizen.
Contact your representatives. The world needs us.
