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Bill McKibben: Planetary Emergency December 20, 2012 One of the world’s leading climate activists on the science of dangerous weather, the imperative to organize, and how to get out of bed in the morning on a planet in peril. Images courtesy of 350.org

Climate Justice Advocates Slam Doha's Emerging 'Sham of a Deal' 'Sluggish' climate talks missing essential ingredient—Urgency—as COP18 climate summit in Doha nears end - Jon Queally, staff writer With terms like "sluggish" "tough-going" and "extremely sour" used to describe the tone and progress of the UN climate talks in Doha on Friday, the hope for an agreement that could actually meet the ever-escalating challenges of global warming caused by human pollution was seemingly at an all-time low. On what was scheduled to be the conference's final day, campaigners say the climate agreement being generated in Doha is "an empty shell" and "an insult to our futures." Climate campaigners and civil society groups are convinced that the commitments being exchanged among the international delegates are not nearly enough, exposing the ongoing futility of trying to get rich nations to take responsibility for their outsized carbon footprints or increase their meager financial commitments to developing nations.

By Monday night, the debate about "climate silence" was in full voice. Al Gore weighed in, tweeting during the course of the debate: "Where is global warming in this debate? Climate change is an urgent foreign policy issue."The Green party's presidential candidate, Jill Stein, who went so far as to label Obama a climate change denier in an interview with the Guardian for his failure to discuss the issue on the campaign trail.Other commentators argued allowances should be made for Obama's failure to discuss climate on the campaign trail, and his middling support for environmental concerns while in the White House.Since the rise of the Tea Party conservatives in 2010, energy and climate change have emerged as among the most contentious issues dividing Republicans and Democrats.

A GREEN NEW DEAL The Green New Deal is an emergency four part program of specific solutions for moving America quickly out of crisis into the secure green future. We call these solutions a Green “New Deal” because they are inspired by the New Deal programs that helped us out of the Great Depression of the 1930s. And these solutions are “Green” because they create an economy that makes our communities sustainable and healthy. First, we will guarantee the economic rights of all Americans, beginning with the right to a job at a living wage for every American willing and able to work. Second, we will transition to a sustainable, green economy for the 21st century, by adopting green technologies and sustainable production. Third, we will reboot and reprogram the financial sector so that it serves everyday people and our communities, and not the other way around. Fourth, we will protect these gains by expanding and strengthening our democracy so that our government and our economy finally serve We the People. Take courage. Because of the urgency of these times, I am asking you personally to take courage and to be willing to believe that these major changes to our economy and politics are within our reach.