Oxfam Action Corp: Impact of Climate Change event

Last Tuesday, I attended an event/talk on the impacts of climate change, sponsored by Philly Oxfam's Action Corps.  Before I purge my notes, thought I might document some and share it here, more so I won't forget.  Diane Loucks, leading Mayor Nutter's taskforce on hunger spoke briefly and introduced Lance Simmens who currently serves as Gov Rendell's Special assistant for Intergovernmental Affairs.


Diane Loucks

• 1 in 5 in Philadelphia don't have enough food to meet basic needs... that equates to about 300,000 people... that's like all the people in Pittsburgh living in hunger.
• 1 in 3 live in poverty
• this is a slient but real problem here in Philly

Lance Simmens

• there is no issue more important than climate change
• the most vulnerable and worst hit by climate change are always the poorest - look at katrina and the lower 9th ward in new orleans.
• Churchill's comment in the Speech of Commons on November 12, 1936, that "The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to its close. In its place we are entering a period of consequences." is now.  That period has arrived.
• there's enough energy in the sun to power the world
  
• china, usa, and indonesia are top 3 carbon emissions contributors
• the global climate is a non-linear system.  1 degree change at the equator is equivalent to 12 degrees at the poles.
  
• Thomas Friedman: "we have a subprime culture".  we need to change the way we think and act!
  
• if the US had continued to censure oil like we did between 1976-1985, we would not have needed Persian Gul oil in 1995. 
• it's not about politics - this transcends politics - this is so much bigger than politics... it's a global problem.
• deforestation - we lose 1 acre / second.  every 20mins, that's 1200 acres taken down for development.  trees absorb CO2 and covert it into O2.  WE NEED THAT!
• we have to be the "regeneration" - recycle, reuse, reengineer... otherwise our lives will be reduced, redacted, etc. we need to revive America.  Redefine, reenergize, revive this world - grab the challenge and reenergize the world.
• BANANA - build absolutely nothing anywhere near anything!  -Thomas Friedman
• lack of leadership is not the problem - it's a lack of statesmanship.  statesmanship entails wisdom and leadership.  there are very few out there.  
• we need to change the system - the only people capable of changing the system are the ones who benefit most from it.  government exists to correct market deficiencies.  we have the know-how, now we need the political will to do it.  we need to tell politicians its important - that's how we will change the system.  it's a tremendous challenge.  
• 風向轉變時,有人築牆,有人造風車 : when the direction of the wind changes, some (people) build walls, some (people) make windmills.