[Southern California Permaculture] Sun Dec 13/Climate March in Santa Barbara/Noon

[Margie Bushman, Santa Barbara Permaculture Network]

CLIMATE MARCH SANTA BARBARA

WHAT: "Drawing the Line" March for Climate Justice
and a participatory, public art project by the ocean

WHEN: Sunday, December 13 beginning at 12PM NOON

WHERE: Santa Barbara Courthouse to Stearn's Wharf area

WHO: 350 Santa Barbara, SB Climate Justice Hub,
Blue Line SB, Concerned Citizens, and YOU

WHY?: We have the tools needed to address the climate crisis,
now we are creating the political will to do so!

SPEAKERS INCLUDE: CA Assembly member Das Williams,
local grassroots leaders and others.

[]


Bringing the Reality of Climate Change to Santa Barbara by Per Hoel

This weekend, hundreds of thousands, if not 
millions, of people around the world are 
marching, protesting and acting creatively in 
solidarity to demand bold solutions that will 
actually curb climate change now and for future 
generations. This movement includes Santa 
Barbara. On Sunday, December 13, concerned 
citizens of Santa Barbara county will rally at 
noon at the downtown courthouse and march down 
State Street towards Stearns Wharf. Anyone is 
welcome to participate and express their worries, 
hopes, and show our community that climate change 
is both a global and a local challenge that we can't ignore.
After the march, there will also be a 
participatory, artistic action near the ocean 
demonstrating what a future water line in our 
city could look like, if we don't change course. 
The community is invited to take part in this 
safe, interactive experience. Indeed, we will 
need volunteers to help us hold 1000 feet of 
high-visibility, blue ribbon as a temporary 
depiction of what's at stake in just our town 
alone. What if all of our beaches disappear and 
marine life continues to decline due to dramatic 
shifts in ocean and coastal environments? What if 
droughts get harder and longer and, 
paradoxically, the rains we do get are heavier, 
intensify erosion and create other kinds of expensive damage?Â

The timing of all these global protests is not 
accidental. Right now, 40,000 world leaders, 
journalists, diplomats and others are gathered in 
Paris for “COP21,” a summit to limit the 
devastating effects of climate change. That 
sounds like a good thing, right? Well, consider 
this: Since these talks began in the 90's global 
carbon emissions have increased over 60%, 
according to the Global Carbon Project. Also, 
COP21 is sponsored in part by major fossil fuel 
companies themselves, who are, literally, 
monetarily invested in extracting all their 
reserves. Activists in Paris have attempted to 
point out the hypocrisy, but new security 
measures have allowed French authorities to 
swiftly silence these messages and other protests.

As Bill McKibben points out, 2 degrees C of 
global temperature rise is considered the tipping 
point, beyond which the impacts of climate change 
become more dangerous and unpredictable by orders 
of magnitude. Just a month ago, we reached 1 
degree of warming since the dawn of the 
Industrial Age, and we show no sign of slowing 
down. This should give us pause, considering that 
climate change is already having dramatic impacts 
around the world. Santa Barbara, like many 
places, is experiencing historic droughts and 
successive years of record-setting temperatures. 
Clearly, weather is not the same as climate, but 
the patterns of the former hint at the latter. 
Then, consider this: currently, the world's oil 
reserves are enough to raise the planet's 
temperature more than 10 degrees C, and according 
to the imperatives of our current economy, it must all be burned.Â

By Sunday, we will know the results of the 
summit, which is scheduled to wrap up on Friday. 
Many are hopeful, but from what we've seen, we 
can expect lots of high rhetoric that ultimately 
kicks the can perilously down the road. This is 
what we won't stand for. This is why we march. 
Join us! There is little an individual can do in 
the face of such an existential challenge, so do 
what you can -- add your voice to the growing chorus.









Santa Babara Permaculture Network Logo

(805) 962-2571
P.O. Box 92156, Santa Barbara, CA 93190
margie at sbpermaculture.org
http://www.sbpermaculture.org

P Please consider the environment before printing this email

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