Snowy Backdrop For Global Warming Protest

By: Michelle Levi
Topics: Domestic Issues

Several inches of snow will be the backdrop in Washington, D.C. today for what could be the largest ever U.S. protest of global warming.

(iStockphoto)

The nation's capital, along with other eastern U.S. cities, closed schools and businesses Monday after being hit by a major winter storm Sunday night. First Lady Michelle Obama cancelled her "Read Across America" event "due to inclement weather," the White House said.

Nonetheless, PowerShift '09 organizers expect thousands to protest global warming outside a southeast Washington, DC coal burning power plant starting at 11:30am E.T. Capital Power Plant provides heating and cooling to Congressional buildings, the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court.

Participants will be joined by lawmakers including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Those rallying include environmentalists from various organizations, including the Chesapeake Climate Action Network and Greenpeace, who will call on Congress to pass a bill to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In a video on Capitol Climate Action's web site, NASA scientist James Hansen encourages people to join the protest.

"The only practical way to solve the problem is to phase out the biggest source of carbon and that is coal. The science is very clear on that but yet the decision makers are not taking the actions that we needed to do that," he says. "We have to send that message to Congress and the president."

The Associated Press reports that the power plant is 99 years old and has been a symbol of climate change legislation challenges.

"Despite repeated attempts by Congress to clean it up, the plant still burns coal and accounts for a third of the legislative branch's greenhouse gas emissions," the AP writes.

While hundreds may still show up for the highly anticipated protest, organizers can't be thrilled that today's effort will be seen against a backdrop of several inches of late winter snow.

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by GODSnLIBERALS March 4, 2009 12:03 AM EST: I wonder if these people would come in t-shirts and shorts to protest global warming.....; Reply to this comment


by markavelli March 3, 2009 11:13 PM EST: Not to mention the European Union is stopping its carbon cap program for 2 reasons.
Euro nations, who are far more advanced in enviro activism than the u.s., are SKEPTICS of the man made warming theory.

The other reason is that IT DOESNT WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It takes a lot more than a slight reduction in co2 output to do anything.
Besides, we are talking about co2 people, not carbon monoxide (smog). Two different compounds. Enviros have led you to believe that cleaning up the air around your city means reducing carbon DIOXDE. Thats simply not true. Carbon dioxide is a needed gas for lifeon earth. It is not a pollutant! Stop treating it like it is...; Reply to this comment


by markavelli March 3, 2009 11:01 PM EST: "I am not completely convinced CO2 has anything to do with Global Warming"

Thats where you should've stopped.
Every scientist on this planet will tell you that it will take 3000 YEARS to reduce the co2 in our atmosphere.
WHy is it you want to start TAXING energy companies again????

You friggin eco morons. Worry about NOW, not 3000 years from now.; Reply to this comment


by gunnerv1 March 3, 2009 11:01 AM EST: Proven fact by your own "Consenus of Scientist" that man only contributes one per cent to Global Warming. Try to kill off all the Termites and cattle in the world and you might make a dent in it. It's all BS just to sucker some more money out us and "The Algore" is in line to make Million$ off of us.; Reply to this comment


by Jerome__ March 3, 2009 6:13 AM EST: [ugly comment formatting, grrr...]
Individuals CAN prevent Global Warming
I am not completely convinced CO2 has anything to do with Global Warming. That notwithstanding, I am certain that reducing our reliance on fossil fuels is both a good idea and necessary, for a large number of obvious reasons.
The good news is that we can all make a difference. It goes way beyond buying a few (polluting) low energy light bulbs, and will have a real impact if even half of those concerned about Global Warming follow the proposals. The beauty is that even if only half do this, it makes no difference what the rest do! Renewable energy will become cheaper than fossil fuels with enough investment in the technology, and everyone will move over naturally!
Firstly, buy renewable energy.
As far as I am aware, you have the choice to buy renewable electricity in all developed countries. If you cannot now, you should campaign for that inalienable right immediately. Currently our own household buys 25% of our electricity as renewable, costing us about US$33 extra per year. 100% would cost US$183)*.
Some argue that if millions of householders (and industries, I would hope) buy renewable energy, there will not be enough. If you do not buy it, there will NEVER be enough. If you do, the money will be used to INVEST in infrastructure for future renewable energy, so making the expense just as effective.
Merely by choosing to buy this, you are immediately and directly investing in the renewable energy industry, and sending a powerful and undeniable message to those who matter ? the people who actually generate electricity, not environmentalists or politicians who may have different agenda.
Secondly, stop investing in 'Big Oil? and 'Big Coal'.
It comes as a shock t o many ordinary citizens to be told that the huge greedy corporations actually make money for THEM, not for some faceless consortium. Sure, corporate flunkies may make millions of dollars, but WE, as investors, make billions, and even trillions. Their huge payouts and massive junkets are insignificant compared to the profits the companies make for their investors.
You may well think that you do not invest in these companies, but if you have a pension or investment fund, you almost certainly are. These funds will, quite obviously, invest in the very companies that make the most profits and returns for their investors. All these corporations are doing is actually acting effectively YOUR instruction, ie to get the best possible return. If WE stop investing in them, they fail, and will be forced to change their practices to survive in a capitalist environment.
The answer is to choose ethical investments (there may be different names). Talk to your financial advisor and make the switch now. ONLY YOU control your investments. Make the choice and stop letting others do it for you.
The message is that YOU control the future of energy production with your wallets. The bad news is that it will cost, but nothing the environmentalists or governments will ever do about this issue will cost you less than this, and most of what they want to do will take control away from you and waste most of your expenditure in bureaucratic bungling and misguided foolishness, in my opinion. This simple two-step approach has all the potential to work and with no complex side effects that I can see immediately. It has a direct and immediate effect.
It is so rare that we are able to do something so straightforward in this complex world. If Global Warming concerns you, I urge you to put your money where your mouth is, and make an immediate difference TODAY, before the power is taken away from you.
* Based on a usage of 5,000 kWh of electricity.
Source: http://www.originenergy.com.au/1142/Green-energy-FAQs#extracost
http://www.carbonclimate.info/2009/03/individuals-can-prevent-global-warming.html; Reply to this comment


by Jerome__ March 3, 2009 6:12 AM EST: Individuals CAN prevent Global Warming

I am not completely convinced CO2 has anything to do with Global Warming. That notwithstanding, I am

certain that reducing our reliance on fossil fuels is both a good idea and necessary, for a large

number of obvious reasons.

The good news is that we can all make a difference. It goes way beyond buying a few (polluting) low

energy light bulbs, and will have a real impact if even half of those concerned about Global Warming

follow the proposals. The beauty is that even if only half do this, it makes no difference what the

rest do! Renewable energy will become cheaper than fossil fuels with enough investment in the

technology, and everyone will move over naturally!

Firstly, buy renewable energy.

As far as I am aware, you have the choice to buy renewable electricity in all developed countries. If

you cannot now, you should campaign for that inalienable right immediately. Currently our own

household buys 25% of our electricity as renewable, costing us about US$33 extra per year. 100% would

cost US$183)*.

Some argue that if millions of householders (and industries, I would hope) buy renewable energy, there

will not be enough. If you do not buy it, there will NEVER be enough. If you do, the money will be

used to INVEST in infrastructure for future renewable energy, so making the expense just as effective.

Merely by choosing to buy this, you are immediately and directly investing in the renewable energy

industry, and sending a powerful and undeniable message to those who matter ? the people who actually

generate electricity, not environmentalists or politicians who may have different agenda.

Secondly, stop investing in 'Big Oil? and 'Big Coal'.
It comes as a shock t o many ordinary citizens to be told that the huge greedy corporations actually

make money for THEM, not for some faceless consortium. Sure, corporate flunkies may make millions of

dollars, but WE, as investors, make billions, and even trillions. Their huge payouts and massive

junkets are insignificant compared to the profits the companies make for their investors.

You may well think that you do not invest in these companies, but if you have a pension or investment

fund, you almost certainly are. These funds will, quite obviously, invest in the very companies that

make the most profits and returns for their investors. All these corporations are doing is actually

acting effectively YOUR instruction, ie to get the best possible return. If WE stop investing in them,

they fail, and will be forced to change their practices to survive in a capitalist environment.

The answer is to choose ethical investments (there may be different names). Talk to your financial

advisor and make the switch now. ONLY YOU control your investments. Make the choice and stop letting

others do it for you.

The message is that YOU control the future of energy production with your wallets. The bad news is

that it will cost, but nothing the environmentalists or governments will ever do about this issue will

cost you less than this, and most of what they want to do will take control away from you and waste

most of your expenditure in bureaucratic bungling and misguided foolishness, in my opinion. This

simple two-step approach has all the potential to work and with no complex side effects that I can see

immediately. It has a direct and immediate effect.

It is so rare that we are able to do something so straightforward in this complex world. If Global

Warming concerns you, I urge you to put your money where your mouth is, and make an immediate

difference TODAY, before the power is taken away from you.

* Based on a usage of 5,000 kWh of electricity.
Source: http://www.originenergy.com.au/1142/Green-energy-FAQs#extracost

http://www.carbonclimate.info/2009/03/individuals-can-prevent-global-warming.html; Reply to this comment


by knyghtwolf March 3, 2009 2:23 AM EST: Weather patters are subject to change, as are atmospheric jet streams. Most of these occur during plate tectonic shifting causing some places to get colder, and others to get warmer. Volcano's will shift the flow of water and ocean currents changing this even more, This causes droughts, heat/cold weather exchanges that seem stronger but yet somehow different in some regions such as the south has been experiencing. It will get worse, and the final effect has yet to be felt, or even survived by our species.; Reply to this comment


by RichardT44 March 2, 2009 3:50 PM EST: budmag06 said "President Obama, please TAX us all to stop this obvious global warming!"

If given the choice of continuing to spend billions of tax $ to subsidize the coal industry and allowing billions of $ in COSTS to be externalized onto the public from mercury pollution, watershed destruction from MTR and underground mining, and the associated health care problems surrounding the burning of coal - taxing us to solve the problem (rather than taxing to continue or hide the problem) seems like a pretty good deal to me. We're going to have to pay for it one way or the other - I opt for the cheaper option, transitioning away from coal.; Reply to this comment


by budmag06 March 2, 2009 1:58 PM EST: Oh no! You mean that global warming fools had to travel in 3-6 inches of snow to get to the global warming protest? President Obama, please TAX us all to stop this obvious global warming!; Reply to this comment


by RichardT44 March 2, 2009 1:55 PM EST: For the last couple of sarcastic comments - what science are you using to base your understanding of global warming? I would love to have the same optimistic outlook and lack of responsibility as you but all the science I have studied concludes that we have a serious man-made crisis going on. A crisis that will continue to get worse even after we stop using carbon-based energy.

I have heard that the carbon industries have hired folks to flood comment sections on media outlets to counteract the science. If "everlaw01" and "hankvreeland" are not being paid to post then please - share your research and knowledge with the United Nations Environment Programme, World Meteorological Organization, National Academy of Sciences and thousands of other researchers that have concluded that we are out of time to deal deal with this problem.; Reply to this comment