Morning Keynote Presentations

The morning plenary begins with a two-part keynote: "Climate Crisis Science" by Dr. Mark Potosnak and "Ground Zero for Climate Change: America’s First Climate Refugees" by Carl Wassilie.


Climate Crisis Science

Dr. Mark Potosnak

Dr. Mark Potosnak is an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Studies at DePaul University. He will present the science of climate crisis at our opening plenary. The talk will begin with a brief overview of how fossil fuel combustion is driving up global temperatures through an enhanced greenhouse effect. Some of the extensive evidence for current climate change will be presented. The talk will then turn to some of the most likely future impacts of climate change, followed by a discussion of the worst-case scenarios we face in our future.

Mark Potosnak, third from left

Dr. Potosnak’s scientific training is focused on interactions between plants and the atmosphere, and in particular the role of climate change in this interaction. Dr. Potosnak has degrees from Harvard and Columbia Universities, and he was in the Advanced Study Program at the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

More about Mark Potosnak: "The common theme of my research is using field observations to understand the complex interactions between the terrestrial biosphere and the atmosphere. In particular, I design field experiments that test hypotheses of how isoprene emissions are impacted by global change factors. Recent studies have been conducted in tropical, urban/arid and tundra ecosystems. These ecosystems are all understudied and also more susceptible to global change factors. For example, unlike the deciduous forests characteristic of temperate ecosystems, there have been few studies on the seasonal controls of isoprene emissions for evergreen and drought deciduous tropical ecosystems. My studies reveal a strong seasonality of emissions that cannot be explained solely by changes in ambient temperature and light. Preliminary research in tundra ecosystems has revealed surprisingly high isoprene emission rates and the potential for rapid increases induced by climate change. Finally, a recent project focused on land use change in a rapidly expanding urban area of the arid southwestern United States and was published in Atmospheric Environment."


Ground Zero for Climate Change: America’s First Climate Refugees

Carl Wassilie

Carl Wassilie

Indigenous peoples around the world who contributed the least to the climate crisis and who have the fewest resources to deal with it are being impacted the most. In Alaska 86% of Alaskan Native villages are threatened by flooding and erosion, and 31 Native villages are under imminent threat of relocation. Many of these remote, physically isolated coastal and riverine villages primarily depend upon subsistence fishing, hunting and gathering for food security and customary ways of life. Carl Wassilie, a Yup'iaq Eskimo, will share the complex multi-faceted impacts of permanent relocation of whole Alaska villages as a result of climate climate change (climigration). The challenges of climigration in Alaska are confounded by exploitative commercial fishing and mining industries which threaten the cultural survival and bioproductivity of whole global ecosystems in the region. To avoid further humanitarian catastrophes Wassilie argues that climigration must be addressed by institutional systems and legal structures for human rights protections to be in place. He will highlight the Yup’ik village of Newtok which is the first community to intentionally climigrate in the United States.

Carl Wassilie is a Yup’ik Alaskan, community organizer, and musician with a B.A. in biology who is deeply committed to his indigenous heritage and worldview that recognizes the sacredness of the air, land and water. He has been raising awareness on environmental issues since the catastrophic 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. Carl is co-founder and community organizer with Alaska's Big Village Network and has worked extensively on environmental sovereignty with Tribal Governments and communities in Alaska including the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council and the Alaska Inter-Tribal Council.

Climate Crisis: The Roots of the Problem

As part of the February 16, 2013, Climate Crisis Conference, a panel of three speakers will examine underlying economic, political and philosophical roots of the climate crisis. The science is clear: what are the obstacles preventing action commensurate with the crisis? Speakers will address the capitalist economic and political system, the traditional Christian understanding of humanity's relation to the earth, and the inheritance of colonial domination and the settler mindset.

Barney Bush

Barney Bush is a Native American poet, author, musician and activist. He is a member of the Shawnee and Cayuga tribes and the current Chairman of the Vinyard Indian Settlement in southeast Illinois. Considered a “critical author” in the 'Native American Renaissance,' Barney Bush holds a B.A. in Humanities, and a dual MA in English and Fine Arts from the University of Idaho. He has taught Native American history and literature at numerous colleges in the US and has been a guest speaker abroad on Native American literature and human rights issues. He is currently involved in the fight to stop fracking, coal mining, drilling, and hilltop removal throughout his tribe’s Ohio River homelands.

More information is available on Barney Bush's web page.

Bob Goldstein

The Rev. Dr. Robert Goldstein is an ordained Lutheran minister who has served congregations in San Francisco, New Jersey, and Chicago. He received his M.Div and S.T.M. degrees from Yale and his PhD from Princeton Theological Seminary and has long been a proponent of equal rights for women and LGBT people in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He is now working on a book on God's non-existence.





Orpheus Reed

Orpheus Reed is a writer for Revolution newspaper. He has covered the anti-globalization movement and the environment, reporting on the Seattle WTO protests, the Fukushima nuclear disaster and the global climate crisis. In May 2010 he traveled to the Gulf region to report on the BP oil disaster and in 2011 participated in the mass civil disobedience against the Keystone XL pipeline at the White House. Reed was a contributor to the special issue of Revolution newspaper on the environment, "State of Emergency: The Plunder of Our Planet, the Environmental Catastrophe and the Real Revolutionary Solution".

Breakout Sessions: Approaches for Activism and CHANGE!

Which approaches to bringing about change make sense to me, and how concretely will I be involved in the days ahead? How can I get involved with key activist groups and make a real contribution?

Divestment

With participating group 350.org . . .

Why divestment? In short: it just doesn’t make sense for universities to invest in a system that will leave their students no livable planet to use their degrees on, or for pension funds to invest in corporations that will ruin the world we plan to retire in. The one thing we know the fossil fuel industry cares about is money. Universities, pension funds, and churches invest a lot of it. If we start with these local institutions and hit the industry where it hurts — their bottom line — we can get their attention and force them to change. This was a key part of how the world ended the apartheid system in South Africa, and we hope it can have the same effect on the climate crisis.

Read more about "McKibben, 350.org, Outlaw Fossil Fuel Companies, and the Divestment Strategy "


Pressuring Our Government

With Stop the Frack Attack on Illinois and others . . .

This workshop will discuss how citizens can pressure their governments on these major causes of the climate crisis. It will include an overview of energy production, transportation and big agriculture; some of the related issues in each of those areas; some of the bigger groups dealing with this issues at the Chicago city, Cook County, Illinois State and Federal government levels; and strategies and tactics for dealing with them at those and the international levels.

Participants will break up into action-oriented groups focused on each of those three causes and come back with proposals on how to address them. Read full session description here.

Direct Action

With participating group Rainforest Action Network and others . . .

Moving a campaign forward through direct action:

Direct Action can be a crucial part of the success of a campaign, but it must be used strategically. A successful action can help build a power base, shift public perception, and put pressure on power holders. We’ll be joined by several seasoned organizers to explore how to use direct action strategicaly to move a campaign. We will examine the Tar Sands and Keystone XL direct action campaigns, as well as others, to examine how to use an escalation of tactics to move your opponent. We’ll explore why and when to use direct action, what makes an action “stick,” and how to organize a successful action.

Read full session description here.


Law and the Fight to Save the Planet

What does the legal face of the fight to save the planet look like?

Speakers will address different tactics used by activists in the struggle against climate crisis and those used by the government against them, and the role of the legal industry in protecting polluters, asking too: Is “environmental law” really a discipline? The discussion will begin with a general address by each speaker based on their experiences under current law, and will develop into an open discussion between attendees and presenters. Moderation and scheduling will be provided by the Chicago-Kent National Lawyers Guild.

Read full session description here.

McKibben, 350.org, Outlaw Fossil Fuel Companies, and the Divestment Strategy

[Sign up now for the "DIVESTMENT" action session at the FEBRUARY 16, 2013, CLIMATE CRISIS SESSION in Chicago!]

CONFERENCE DIVESTMENT BREAKOUT SPEAKERS

Brendan Leonard - UChicago Climate Action Network, University of Chicago

Dylan Amlin - Chicago Youth Climate Coalition, Roosevelt University

BACKGROUND

In recent months, Bill McKibben and 350.org have started talking about a divestment campaign directed at the "outlaw" fossil fuel companies. At our September 23 meeting, we started discussing this idea, identified pros and cons, and agreed to discuss the idea in greater detail at future meetings.

Bill McKibben will be in Chicago on November 28 as part of his national speaking tour (November 7 - December 3, 2012).

KEY LINKS
SELECTED FAQs
DISCUSSION TOPICS FOR FUTURE CLIMATE CRISIS CHICAGO MEETING

KEY LINKS

Global Warming's Terrifying New Math: Three simple numbers that add up to global catastrophe - and that make clear who the real enemy is - by Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org, in Rolling Stone. In this article, which went viral on the Internet during the summer of 2012, McKibben wrote, "We have five times as much oil and coal and gas on the books as climate scientists think is safe to burn. We'd have to keep 80 percent of those reserves locked away underground to avoid that [catastrophic temperature increases]."

Bill McKibben: Go After the “Outlaw” Fossil Fuel Companies - Quotes from McKibben's talk at Fighting Bob Fest in Madison, WI, September 15, 2012: “It is possible to stand up to the fossil fuel industry. But it will take compassion, spirit, and creativity. We’ve run out of fingers to put in the dike. Now we need to make a fist.” . . . “These guys are outlaws. They are outlaws against the laws of physics and chemistry. And it’s up to us to bring them to justice.” . . . “We can’t do it politically, because the system is owned by people with unlimited money, including the fossil fuel industry. That’s why we’ve had a perfect bipartisan two-decade record of accomplishing nothing.”  . . . “The only language they understand is money. We need to tell them, ‘If you want to take away the future of our planet, we’ll take away your money.’”

For more resources, see the list at Is It Time for a Climate Crisis Summit in Chicago?.

SELECTED FAQs

Selected FAQs from the 350.org website:

Why divestment?
In short: it just doesn’t make sense for universities to invest in a system that will leave their students no livable planet to use their degrees on, or for pension funds to invest in corporations that will ruin the world we plan to retire in. The one thing we know the fossil fuel industry cares about is money. Universities, pension funds, and churches invest a lot of it. If we start with these local institutions and hit the industry where it hurts — their bottom line — we can get their attention and force them to change. This was a key part of how the world ended the apartheid system in South Africa, and we hope it can have the same effect on the climate crisis.

How much money do universities and pension funds have wrapped up in the fossil fuel industry?
It’s hard to say exactly — many endowments and funds suffer from a lack of transparency, so it’s impossible to get precise numbers on this question. Here’s what we do know: according to the Carbon Tracker Institute, at today’s market value, the 2,795 gigatons of carbon that the fossil fuel industry already has in its reserves are worth about $27 trillion. If we need to keep 80 percent of those reserves in the ground, that’s a $20 trillion write off for the industry. We’ll need a lot of pressure.

How can I divest my own money from fossil fuel companies?
We’ve heard a lot from people who want to divest their own savings from fossil fuel companies. That’s a good place to start, but remember that the impact of getting your University’s $1 billion endowment to divest is much, much larger than divesting $100 of your own money.That said, there are a number of great resources to compare and contrast Socially Responsible funds. As with any investment, take the time to read through all the fine print, and make sure you’re making the right financial choice for you. We’re not money managers, so before you make any decisions, make sure to talk to a professional.The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment has the best comparison of Socially Responsible Mutual Funds available.


DISCUSSION TOPICS FOR FUTURE CLIMATE CRISIS CHICAGO MEETING

* What are the range of opportunities for participation in a divestment campaign? e.g. research, public education, local organizing, mass protest, direct action?

* What do we need to understand about the relationship of fossil fuel companies to capital markets? What are the mechanisms that might be responsive to the arguments of a divestment campaign? Which ones would not be?

* What do we need to understand about government support for the fossil fuel industry? To what degree must a divestment campaign take on this government support (as well as investment in the companies themselves)?

* How would the nuclear industry fit into such a campaign?

* Can a campaign of divestment be a mass movement? Or would it inherently be limited to a small subset of the population? (Is it "elitist"?)

Workshop: Pressuring Our Government on the 3 main causes of Global Warming; Energy Production, Transportation and Big Agriculture

This workshop will discuss how citizens can pressure their governments on these major causes of the climate crisis. It will include an overview of energy production, transportation and big agriculture; some of the related issues in each of those areas; some of the bigger groups dealing with this issues at the Chicago city, Cook County, Illinois State and Federal government levels; and strategies and tactics for dealing with them at those and the international levels.

Participants will break up into action-oriented groups focused on each of those three causes and come back with proposals on how to address them.

[Sign up now for the "PRESSURING OUR GOVERNMENT" action session at the FEBRUARY 16, 2013, CLIMATE CRISIS SESSION in Chicago!]

PART ONE:  PANEL WITH Q&A

Dr. Lora Chamberlain, Protect Chicago’s Water and Stop the Frack Attack on IL.
Outline of 12-grid organizational chart for approaching climate change. Overview of the 3 main causes of Climate Change with the most salient issues, also the largest, most active environmental groups already acting on these issues with their typical tactics and the 4 basic levels of engaging Governments: International, Federal, State and City.

Beverley Walter, Citizens Act to Protect Our Water (CAPOW!)
Strategic approaches to pressuring the governments at these various levels, why would activists pick the City over the State over the Federal and a brief discussion of why lobbying is crucial for activist groups.

Owen Brugh, legislative director for John Arena
Effective Lobbying Tactics at the City Level.

Tom Sheperd, organizer for the SE Environmental Task Force
Effective Lobbying Tactics at the State Level.

PART TWO:  BREAKOUT GROUPS

1) Energy Production Issues
2) Transportation issues
3) Big Agriculture issues

We want all the Energy people talking to each other, and the Transportation people talking to each other and the Big Ag people talking to each other. Then the groups can further subdivide themselves into City, State or Federal levels if they so desire.

Think Big! We will ask each group, to decide about what issues they want to deal with, what levels of Government they see as the most essential to engage, what groups might they partner with, what tactics and strategies that they see most crucial and effective, and what next steps to take, including exchanging contact information, setting up a follow up meeting, and designating an individual or group to take leadership in convening a meeting.

“Think globally – Act Locally”

Workshop: Moving a Campaign Forward Through Direct Action

Direct Action can be a crucial part of the success of a campaign, but it must be used strategically. A successful action can help build a power base, shift public perception, and put pressure on power holders. We’ll be joined by several seasoned organizers to explore how to use direct action strategicaly to move a campaign. We will examine the Tar Sands and Keystone XL direct action campaigns, as well as others, to examine how to use an escalation of tactics to move your opponent. We’ll explore why and when to use direct action, what makes an action “stick,” and how to organize a successful action.

Debra Michaud - Founder, Rainforest Action Network Chicago (RAN Chicago) Debra Michaud has organized for social change for the past 15+ years. She cut her teeth as an activist while an undergraduate at Hampshire College where she started a campaign to challenge racist lay-offs on her campus, a movement that spread to the neighboring 5 colleges and gained national attention. In the years 2000-2002 she helped to build the Pacifica Movement in NYC, a winning nationwide corporate campaign to reverse the power of the largest progressive radio network in the country. She continues to work with RAN Chicago since its founding in 2008. RAN Chicago has been instrumental in shutting down Chicago's 2 coal-fired power plants and continues to raise awareness through campaign work and community education on the climate, tar sands, fracking, and environmental justice.

Workshop: Law and the Fight to Save the Planet

What does the legal face of the fight to save the planet look like?

Speakers will address different tactics used by activists in the struggle against climate crisis and those used by the government against them, and the role of the legal industry in protecting polluters, asking too: Is “environmental law” really a discipline? The discussion will begin with a general address by each speaker based on their experiences under current law, and will develop into an open discussion between attendees and presenters. Moderation and scheduling will be provided by the Chicago-Kent National Lawyers Guild.

Jerry Boyle, National Lawyers Guild (NLG) Chicago - Chicago attorney
Jerry will speak about defending street activism.

Kevin Gosztola - Journalist for Firedoglake.com
Kevin regularly covers civil liberties/national security issues and has written extensively about information released by WikiLeaks, including the sabotage of the Copenhagen climate talks by the Obama administration.

Kari Lydersen - Environmental journalist
Kari is a Chicago-based journalist and professor who did a fellowship studying climate change and mining at the University of Colorado last year. She is the author of several books and teaches journalism at Columbia College and the School of the Art Institute. She has written extensively on the environmental damage of coal-powered plants in the Chicago Little Village community.

Coal plants across the US are closing because of federal environmental regulations (and competition from cheap natural gas). But US laws meant to reduce emissions harmful to public health, and federal efforts to regulate carbon dioxide, do not of course apply overseas. So US coal companies hurt by the closing of domestic coal plants are pushing the development of sweeping infrastructure to export coal to power plants in China. Opponents have a few legal avenues to try to block this maneuver, namely demands for comprehensive Environmental Impact Statements on the effects of coal exports; legal challenges to the subsidizing of coal on federal land in the Powder River Basin; and tribal treaty rights in the Pacific Northwest where the export terminals would be built.

Steve Horn - Research Fellow for DeSmogBlog
Steve was previously a reporter and researcher at the Center for Media and Democracy, and he is now based in Madison, WI. See "Merchants of Doubt Deny Climate Change Connection to Hurricane Sandy". Steve Horn will speak about how the shale gas/oil industry, with the helping hand of groups like ALEC, the Council of State Governments, and the Big Green group Environmental Defense Fund, uses the regulatory framework as a weapon to push through its agenda, blocking federal regulations, gutting zoning laws (aka getting rid of local democracy), and leaving everything at a state-level that's under-funded and that isn't doing its job. It's by design. He will also provide different avenues activists have been taking - at least the smart ones - to fight back against this regime, including pushing "Nature Bill of Rights" bills and bills that criminalize fracking.

Climate Crisis Chicago - Participating Groups

Participating groups currently include:

• 350.org
• 8th Day Center for Justice
• AddATree
• Blacks in Green
• Chicago Buddhist Peace Fellowship
• Chicago Chapter, World Can't Wait
• Citizens Act to Protect Our Water (CAPOW!)
• Democracy Action Chicago
• Eco-Justice Collaborative
• IIT Kent College of Law Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild
• Illinois Environmental Council
• Illinois Student Environmental Coalition
• Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO)
• National Lawyers Guild, Chicago Chapter
• Nuclear Energy Information Service (NEIS)
• NW Indiana Veterans for Peace
• Oak Park Coalition for Truth and Justice
• Occupy Kent
• Peace Committee of St. Clement's Episcopal Church/St. Joseph's and St. Aidan's Episcopal Church
• Protect Chicago's Water
• Rainforest Action Network Chicago
• Rising Tide Chicago
• SEIU, Local 73
• St. Luke's of Logan Square, Social Justice Ministry
• Stop the Frack Attack on Illinois
• Wellington Ave. United Church of Christ (UCC)
• World Can't Wait
• www.ChicagoVeg.org
• www.eco-living.us

Please consider becoming an important part of this crucial summit. If you have any questions or wish to join, please contact Gail Ferraris at shugaze@gmail.com or 708-309-4626.

Updated: February 15, 2013