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This morning I spent some time reflecting on the most memorable moments of the past decade. My own roots as a climate activist began at age 20 when I had the privilege of attending a Student Climate Summit in the Hague in November 2000. Since that time the youth climate movement has grown from a small but dedicated group scattered across a few college campuses to a bona-fide movement of millions worldwide now shaping the agenda of global politics.
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This morning I spent some time reflecting on the most memorable moments of the past decade. My own roots as a climate activist began at age 20 when I had the privilege of attending a Student Climate Summit in the Hague in November 2000. Since that time the youth climate movement has grown from a small but dedicated group scattered across a few college campuses to a bona-fide movement of millions worldwide now shaping the agenda of global politics.Here are ten moments that remind me most of how far we’ve come:
- December 2009 - Youth sit-in, refuse to leave while reading 11 million voices for a strong climate deal in Copenhagen
- October 2009 – 15,000 school kids march for climate in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in One of over 5000 climate demonstrations in 181 countries
- March 2009 – 2,500 Protest Capitol Coal Plant after historic Power Shift Conference
- December 2008 – Youth climate journalist breaks story of Tennessee Coal Ash spill 100 times bigger than Exxon Valdez
- April 2007 – 1350 “Step It Up” Demonstrations put 80% by 2050 carbon target on the map
- December 2005 – International Youth launch popular climate blog ItsGettingHotinHere.org at Montreal Climate Talks
- June 2004 – Youth leaders from more than 20 organizations in U.S. and Canada form the Energy Action Coalition
- November 2003 – Students at 65 colleges and universities organize the first National Day of Action for Clean Energy
- April 2001 – Seven-Day Student Sit-in for “Kyoto Now!” Wins Cornell University Climate Commitment
- December 2000 – Over 200 students pressure governments at UN Climate Talks in The Hague
This list is admittedly skewed toward a U.S. perspective. While researching the list over the last several hours, I came across so many other inspiring stories. If you, like me, just can’t get enough of climate history, take a look at 17 more incredible moments from the past decade…
- Activists Temporarily stop blasting of Coal River Mountain (December 2009)
- EPA Finds Greenhouse Gases Imperil Health (December 2009)
- Navajo Nation passes historic green jobs legislation (July 2009)
- NASA Climate Scientist James Hansen Arrested Protesting Mountaintop Removal in West Virginia (June 2009)
- Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.Youth actions put Survival on the agenda at Poznan Climate Negotiations (December 2008) - Tim DeChristopher bids up oil and gas leases in Utah (December 2008)
- Bank of America pulls out of Mountaintop Removal Coal Investments (December 2008)
- “Dream Reborn” Conference in Memphis marks national launch of green collar jobs movement (April 2008)
- Al Gore and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change win Nobel peace prize for climate change awareness efforts (October 2007)
- Climate Tipping Points Get Scarrier (August 2007)
- 11 Arrested at WV Governor’s office for protesting approval of second coal silo near elementary school (March 2007)
- 10 States Sue Bush EPA for refusing to regulate power plant CO2 (April 2006)
- Hurricane Katrina kills 1,836 in largest natural disaster in U.S. history (August 2005)
- With Russian ratification, Kyoto Protocol enters into force (February 2005)
- Record Heatwave Kills 35,000 Across Europe (August 2003)
- University of California passes green building and clean energy policy following year-long student campaign (July 2003)
- President Bush refuses to ratify Kyoto Protocol, breaking campaign promise (March 2001)
That’s all I’ve got. What are your favorite climate moments of the ’00s? Please share.
Posted in Act Locally, Copenhagen 2009, Direct Action, global warming, Green for All, Impacted Communities, Montreal 2005, News and Media, Oct 24, Poland Climate Talks, Power Shift 2009, Poznan 2008, Youth Leaders Image may be NSFW.
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Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
