Irish American Climate Team
We are Irish Americans who want to keep Ireland green. We are concerned about the impact of global warming on all people, but feel a particular connection to the Irish landscape. And so it is that our activism focuses on a people and a place we know and love.
We want to keep in touch with family and friends back home. Some of us want to reconnect with our cultural roots. Our climate activism can help us do both of these things.
We intend to reach out to Irish political and cultural leaders -- in the US and in Ireland. We'll push for leadership from both countries. We'll make a difference -- and we'll do it with a bit of poetry, music and storytelling.
My twelve year-old daughter should be away at camp today. For months, she's been looking forward to her first time away from her parents. Her first time at a sleep-away camp. A right of passage.
Today, sadly, she'll awaken indoors.
At 1:00 a.m. on Sunday morning, frantic staff member from the Bar 717 Camp in northern California's Trinity Alps called us to say there would be no bus ride to camp later that morning. A string of dry thunderstorms had sparked scores of fires in the previous 24 hours. The local Sheriff was now advising against bringing kids into camp. With one of the nearby fires now at 4,000 acres and growing, the two week camp session won't start until at least four days have passed, if then. It's possible that the full two-week session will not occur. There is even a chance that the camp itself will be lost.
Forest fires are an important part of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest ecosystem. And a forest fire in California is certainly no surprise. But here we are, still in June, and the number of fires that have already occurred in California is staggering. This is long before the familiar autumn fires cloud the Sierra and coastal ranges. We're seeing the kind of extreme weather that climate scientists have predicted under a warmer global climate. We're seeing the predictions come true -- but sooner than many thought. Intense rainstorms and flooding in the Midwest. Tornadoes in the mid-Atlantic region. And prolonged drought throughout the West. The term "dry thunderstorm" has never been a part of California vernacular - but here we are.
Those of us who focus on climate solutions for our living often try to recall our motives for activism. It's a way of staying focused. It's a way of staying hopeful, particularly in light of increasingly dire predictions. Today, I can't stop thinking of a young woman about to embark on a great journey - that first big trip away from her parents. I can't stop thinking of how the harshness of a new climate intervened. And that is the motivation I need right now. I know we humans have changed the weather. (And how is that for hubris?) I also know we can take action now to stop things from getting worse. We need to act. Now.
My daughter will find ways to break free of her mother and me. And she'll continue to find ways to experience joy in nature. I'll try to honor her courage and spirit by building support for climate solutions. Today.
Today, sadly, she'll awaken indoors.
At 1:00 a.m. on Sunday morning, frantic staff member from the Bar 717 Camp in northern California's Trinity Alps called us to say there would be no bus ride to camp later that morning. A string of dry thunderstorms had sparked scores of fires in the previous 24 hours. The local Sheriff was now advising against bringing kids into camp. With one of the nearby fires now at 4,000 acres and growing, the two week camp session won't start until at least four days have passed, if then. It's possible that the full two-week session will not occur. There is even a chance that the camp itself will be lost.
Forest fires are an important part of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest ecosystem. And a forest fire in California is certainly no surprise. But here we are, still in June, and the number of fires that have already occurred in California is staggering. This is long before the familiar autumn fires cloud the Sierra and coastal ranges. We're seeing the kind of extreme weather that climate scientists have predicted under a warmer global climate. We're seeing the predictions come true -- but sooner than many thought. Intense rainstorms and flooding in the Midwest. Tornadoes in the mid-Atlantic region. And prolonged drought throughout the West. The term "dry thunderstorm" has never been a part of California vernacular - but here we are.
Those of us who focus on climate solutions for our living often try to recall our motives for activism. It's a way of staying focused. It's a way of staying hopeful, particularly in light of increasingly dire predictions. Today, I can't stop thinking of a young woman about to embark on a great journey - that first big trip away from her parents. I can't stop thinking of how the harshness of a new climate intervened. And that is the motivation I need right now. I know we humans have changed the weather. (And how is that for hubris?) I also know we can take action now to stop things from getting worse. We need to act. Now.
My daughter will find ways to break free of her mother and me. And she'll continue to find ways to experience joy in nature. I'll try to honor her courage and spirit by building support for climate solutions. Today.
It is May 25, 2008, and our group currently has one member. That will change.
I'm starting this group as a follow-up to a project I ran a few months back: The Irish American Climate Project. We had a team of three brilliant Irish climate scientists -- more on them in a subsequent posting. We also had the help of poets, musicians, filmmakers and others. (Who but the Irish would think to link the scientists with the poets?)
We produced a report showing how continued climate change will affect both the Irish landscape and Irish culture. In the process of developing this report, we realized we were on to something powerful. The scientists helped audiences know the issue. The artists helped audiences feel the issue. The combination allowed for real transformation.
Our new group within the We Campaign will focus on telling this story to the 40 million Americans who claim Irish ancestry. We will also begin reaching out to political and cultural leaders -- in the US and Ireland -- to push for climate solutions.
In the process, I suspect we'll all discover something I found to be true with the earlier project: It's a great way to connect with family and friends in Ireland. More on that, too, in a subsequent post.
I'm starting this group as a follow-up to a project I ran a few months back: The Irish American Climate Project. We had a team of three brilliant Irish climate scientists -- more on them in a subsequent posting. We also had the help of poets, musicians, filmmakers and others. (Who but the Irish would think to link the scientists with the poets?)
We produced a report showing how continued climate change will affect both the Irish landscape and Irish culture. In the process of developing this report, we realized we were on to something powerful. The scientists helped audiences know the issue. The artists helped audiences feel the issue. The combination allowed for real transformation.
Our new group within the We Campaign will focus on telling this story to the 40 million Americans who claim Irish ancestry. We will also begin reaching out to political and cultural leaders -- in the US and Ireland -- to push for climate solutions.
In the process, I suspect we'll all discover something I found to be true with the earlier project: It's a great way to connect with family and friends in Ireland. More on that, too, in a subsequent post.
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