Climate Update for Cedar Valley - Book Event May 17

Senator Rob Hogg's new book on climate change, America’s Climate Century, is now available. It is short (120 pages) and affordable ($10.95).  It is a fresh, concise, readable book about climate science, the real life consequences of climate change, doable solutions for sustainability, and how Americans can think about the issue and take action based on our values, our history, and our culture – to finally take the national climate action we so urgently need for our future.

Saturday, May 4 – Cedar Rapids – New Bo Books, 1105 Third Street SE, at 7 p.m.

Friday, May 17 – Cedar Falls – University Book & Supply, 1009 West 23rd Street, at noon.

Friday, May 17 – Dubuque – River Lights Book Store, 1098 Main Street, at 6:30 p.m.

Monday, May 20 – Newton – Mattingly Music & Books, 113 West 2nd St North, at 4:30 p.m.

Monday, May 20 – Des Moines – Beaverdale Books, 2629 Beaver Avenue #1, at 6:30 p.m.

http://thegazette.com/2013/04/28/learn-the-facts-about-climate-change/

http://homegrowniowan.com/book-review-americas-climate-century/

If you like the book, please let your friends, family, and colleagues around the country know about it.  Senator Hogg hopes the book will become a national best seller and serve as an organizing tool for climate education and advocacy around our state and our country.

Earth Day Climate Rally At State Capitol, Wednesday, April 17

Rally Kicks Off Week Asking Congress to “Do Something On Climate Change”

DES MOINES – Senator Rob Hogg of Cedar Rapids, coordinator for an all-volunteer group Iowa Climate Advocates, announced today four events April 17 to 24 where Iowans will ask Congress to “do something on climate change.”  The events include:

> Capitol Rally for Climate Action, Des Moines, Wednesday, April 17, 3:00 p.m. – This rally will include speeches by 14-year-old Glori Dei Fillipone from Des Moines with the iMatter Youth Council – Kids vs. Global Warming, Steve Bender, Regional Representative for the National Wildlife Federation, and other youth, parents, and grandparents.

> Speak Up for Climate Action, Iowa City Pedestrian Mall, Thursday, April 18, 4:00 p.m. – Climate advocates will meet outside the office of Congressman Dave Loebsack, 125 South Dubuque St., in downtown Iowa City, to show support for climate action. This event is being coordinated by Ingrid Belding, ingrid-belding@uiowa.edu.

> Speak Up for Climate Action, Davenport, Monday, April 22, 3:15 p.m. – Climate advocates will meet outside the U.S. Bank Building, 201 W. Second Street, in Davenport, where Senator Chuck Grassley’s office is located, to show support for climate action. This event is being coordinated by Pam Kaufman, (563) 349-0888. 

> Speak Up for Climate Action, Cedar Rapids, Wednesday, April 24, 3:00 p.m. – Climate advocates will meet outside the office of Congressman Bruce Braley, 310 3rd Street SE, in downtown Cedar Rapids, to show support for climate action. This event is being coordinated by Mike Wyrick, (319) 350-1063.

IOWANS CALL ON PRESIDENT OBAMA TO CONVENE SUMMIT ON CLIMATE CHANGE

WATERLOO

Congressman Bruce Braley
219 East 4th Street
Waterloo, IA 50703
Phone: 319-287-3233

Senator Chuck Grassley
210 Waterloo Building
531 Commercial Street
Waterloo, IA 50701
Phone: 319-232-6657

Presidents Day Rally in Washington DC, Sunday, February 17

If you are interested in going to the Presidents Day Rally in Washington, DC, to support climate action by President Obama, please contact Steve Shivvers at stevesh@grm.net.  Steve is coordinating van pools to DC from Iowa for the event.

For those of you who are not able to attend the DC rally – for time, money, or carbon budget reasons – please contact Rob Hogg about local climate action in connection with the Presidents Day Rally.  You can email Rob at robhogg@earthlink.net

Also, we are encouraging Iowans to contact our Congressional representatives and Senators to support the Presidents Day Rally and to encourage them to take climate action in 2013.  Congress should:

>        Make the renewable energy production tax credit permanent to reflect its climate, health, and national security benefits.

>        End billions in fossil fuel subsidies to slow down fossil fuel use and save our tax money for fighting global warming and climate disasters.

>        Stop the Keystone “Export” pipeline which, if built, would increase global dependence on the dirty tar sands of Canada, endanger America’s water and waterfowl, and take American property for a pipeline for a foreign oil company to ship oil from Port Arthur, Texas, into the global market.

>        Stop oil drilling in the Arctic Ocean to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect the Arctic environment from oil spills.

>        Adopt comprehensive climate legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and invest in future disaster mitigation.

Below are the local mailing addresses and phone numbers of our Iowa delegation:

Senator Chuck Grassley

Federal Building Room 721

210 Walnut Street

Des Moines, IA 50309

(515) 288-1145

Senator Tom Harkin

Federal Building Room 733

210 Walnut Street

Des Moines, IA 50309

(515) 284-4574

Congressman Bruce Braley

219 East 4th Street

Waterloo, IA 50703

(319) 287-3233

Congressman Steve King

526 Nebraska Street

Sioux City, IA 51101

(712) 224-4692

Congressman Tom Latham

2700 Grand Avenue Ste. 109

Des Moines, IA 50312

(515) 282-1909

Congressman Dave Loebsack

125 South Dubuque Street

Iowa City, IA 52240

(319) 351-0789

You may not have seen it, but Congress extended the wind energy production tax credit for one year in the agreement on the so-called fiscal cliff.

This is big news because it keeps our renewable electricity industries going for another year and because it shows Congress can work together to get things done for our energy future.  It also gives us a year to educate the public and our Congressional representatives about the national security and air pollution benefits of homegrown renewable energy.  In 2013, Congress should make the tax credit permanent to reflect the real economic, environmental, and national security benefits of homegrown renewable energy.

Please call our Congressional representatives and Senators today to thank them for passing the extension.  Here are their phone numbers:

Congressman Bruce Braley, 319-287-3233

Congressman Tom Latham, 866-428-5642

Congressman Dave Loebsack, 319-351-0789

Congressman Steve King, 712-224-4692

Senator Chuck Grassley, 515-288-1145

Senator Tom Harkin, 515-284-4574

Thanks again for your calls, and let's build on this momentum.

In case you missed it last night, Mitt Romney said in his nomination acceptance speech that “President Obama promised to begin to slow the rise of the oceans and heal the planet. My promise is to help you and your family.”

I tell you this not to ask you to vote for Obama – that is not what Iowa Climate Advocates is about – but rather to highlight the urgency of our education and advocacy efforts. Keep writing letters to the editor and op-eds and talking to candidates for Congress about the importance of climate action.

There is something wrong when, in 2012, a major party candidate for President uses global warming and the environment as a quip – especially when much of the State of Louisiana is under water from Hurricane Isaac, which brought huge storm surges and record rain falls that were literally pulling parts of the Gulf Coast back into the ocean.

It is surreal. It ignores the reality of what is happening. But it does give us an opportunity to explain better to our fellow Iowans and Americans why rising seas and the planet’s declining health hurt us and our families.

If you are concerned about yourself and your family, you ought to be concerned about fossil fuels, climate change, and the sustainability of the planet. Here’s why:

Jobs and our Economy – The single most important reason that our economy remains sluggish is high gas prices and the high cost of imported oil. We import the same amount of oil into this country as we did in 1997 – but it now costs us nearly $300 billion a year more, a five-fold increase.

That is nearly $1,000 more per American each year. If we had that money here, rather than sending it out of the country, we could employ almost 5 million people with jobs that pay wages and benefits worth $60,000 per year.

Increasing our dependence on expensive oil, domestic or foreign, will not help our economy. The most expensive oil in the world, both economically and environmentally, is offshore oil and oil extracted from the tar sands of Canada.

By contrast, energy conservation, energy efficiency, fuel efficiency, and clean renewable energy are all creating jobs, saving consumers money, and growing prosperity right here in Iowa.

Health Care Costs – One of the causes of increasing health care costs is pollution from coal and other fossil fuels – a cost of more than $175 billion a year from coal alone according to research led by Paul Epstein of the Harvard Medical School. That figure is more than $560 per American every year.

The pollutants from coal and other fossil fuels cause or contribute to bronchitis, asthma, respiratory disease, heart disease, and neurological disorders. When people suffer these problems, they and their families not only incur substantial health care costs, they also lose economic productivity from the need for medical care and treatment.

Climate Disasters - In 2011, the United States was hammered by a record 14 billion-dollar disasters at a total cost of $52 billion - damages of more than $160 per American from just those 14 disasters.

In Iowa, we have suffered floods, drought, and severe storms. Around the country, Americans have suffered damage from hurricanes, tropical storms, floods, droughts, severe storms, wildfires, infestations of pests, and outbreaks of disease. These disasters cause severe property damage, endanger people, and disrupt our economy. Their numbers are growing and will continue to grow until we deal effectively with climate change.

As sea levels continue to rise, it is projected that more than 3 million Americans will be displaced from their current homes over the coming century. Globally, the number is much, much higher. If we do not stop sea level rise, you and your family will be affected by the disruption of our global economy and an influx of environmental refugees from other places.

Loss of Natural Resources - Unusual weather and habitat loss are combining to disrupt ecological areas across the state and our country. At its web site, Ducks Unlimited states that it has examined "the best available science" and concluded that "climate change poses a significant threat to North America's waterfowl that could undermine achievements gained through more than 70 years of conservation work." If you and your family enjoy hunting and fishing, you should be concerned about rising sea levels and the planet's health.

Finally, I am not afraid to say that I care about the health of the planet simply because I care about it. I want my children and someday my grandchildren and future generations to have the opportunity to live in a world where there are forests in the Rocky Mountains, glaciers in Glacier Park, polar bears, cheetahs, and Monarch butterflies.

The health of the planet matters to me and my family. It should matter to all of us and all of our families.

Oglala Vice President Tom Poor Bear from Pine Ridge in South Dakota will be touring Iowa on Wednesday, October 10 and Thursday, October 11, to share why the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline is a threat to the Oglala Lakota Nation and other native peoples and native lands.  On October 10, he will be joined by Randy Thompson, a farmer and rancher from Merrick County, Nebraska, who has been the leading opponent of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline in Nebraska since TransCanada first threatened to condemn his family’s farm to construct the tar sands pipeline.

Here is the schedule of events for Vice President Poor Bear:

Wednesday, October 10

2:30 p.m. – Press conference at the State Capitol (west steps or, in case of rain, Room 116)

3:30 p.m. – Discussion at Drake University in Des Moines (Room 206 Olin Hall)

8:00 p.m. – ISU National Affairs Lecture Series in the Great Hall, Memorial Union and Iowa State

Thursday, October 11

10:30 a.m. - Press Conference at corner of 3rd Street and 11th Avenue SE in Cedar Rapids

11:00 a.m. - Community Discussion at Brewed Cafe, 1101 Third Street SE, in Cedar Rapids

1:30 p.m. - Lecture at University of Iowa, S401 Pappajohn Business Building, corner of Jefferson and Clinton

4:30 p.m. - Press Conference at Marquette Boat Landing in Centennial Park, Davenport

5:00 p.m. - Community Discussion at Fresh Deli, 421 West River Drive, in Davenport

Please mark your calendars now and plan to attend one or more of these events.

Sponsors of this tour include Iowa Interfaith Power & Light, Iowa Wildlife Federation, National Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club, Central Iowa Sierra Group, Priairiewoods in Hiawatha, the ISU National Affairs Lecture Series, the UI Office of Sustainability, and the Drake Environmental Science and Policy Program.

Below is a reminder about why the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline is bad for Iowa and bad for America

*****

IOWA CLIMATE ADVOCATES

www.iowaclimateadvocates.org

Why The Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline Is Bad For Iowa & America

1. Oil from tar sands is very energy-intensive to produce – at least 30-60% higher greenhouse gases than regular oil – taking the atmosphere far beyond safe limits for greenhouse gases (350 ppm CO₂)

2. The pipeline would endanger the Ogallala Aquifer, the Sand Hills of Nebraska, and the Great Plains from tar sands oil spills – worse than conventional oil spills.

3. The pipeline and the tar sands will ruin wetlands and other areas essential for North American waterfowl – it is bad for hunting and birding.

4. Mining the tar sands ruins the boreal forests of Canada – an important habitat and “carbon sink” to hold carbon dioxide that otherwise goes into the atmosphere.

5. The pipeline would continue the displacement of Native Americans and desecrate native lands - both here and in Canada.

6. The pipeline would require condemnation of thousands of American farms and ranches by a foreign oil company (TransCanada).

7.  The pipeline is being built for export on the global market from Port Arthur, Texas, and will bypass Midwest refineries, driving gas prices in Iowa even higher.

8.  The tar sands pipeline would help foreign oil companies at the expense of biofuels produced right here in Iowa.

9.  The tar sands pipeline would cost billions of dollars that should be used for fuel efficiency, clean renewable energy, and other transportation solutions.

10. The tar sands pipeline is unfair to future generations - our children and grandchildren should decide whether to burn the tar sands, not us.

Iowans Should Not Believe These Oil Company Misrepresentations

“We should build it because otherwise it will go to China.”

Not True – TransCanada will not – and cannot – build the pipeline to the coast of British Columbia because of many legal, economic, and environmental barriers.

“We need the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline to create jobs.”

Not True – the pipeline would create few jobs, mostly temporary – alternatives would create more jobs without long-term damage to health and the environment.