Oxfam Action Corps NYC: February 2009

Sunday, Feb. 8: Continue the Change Service Fair

Can’t get enough CHANGE? Good! The election was just the beginning. This campaign was not just about bringing change to Washington, but also about bringing it to Brooklyn. It is up to us to make the change real.
Join us on Sunday, February 8th when more than 65+ local non-profit organizations, charities and advocacy groups will come together for the first-ever “Continue the Change Service Fair.” Organized by Brooklyn for Barack and the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats, the event will be part of an ongoing effort to harness the incredible energy sparked by the Obama campaign. Attendees will have an opportunity to speak with representatives of organizations that are offering concrete volunteer opportunities like writing, teaching, tutoring, filmmaking, phonebanking, mentoring, word processing, stocking food pantries, sewing clothes for survivors of domestic violence, working w/ animals, canvassing, gardening and farming, ushering at performances, photography, and job search mentoring.

There will also be a Make and Take arts table for kids and roundtable discussions on the following subjects: Local Environmental Activism, Using Technology to Monitor and Influence the Legislative Process, Health Care, Voting Rights, and Food Justice.

What: Continue the Change Volunteer Fair
When: Sunday, Feb. 8, 2 to 6 p.m.
Where: Union Temple, 17 Eastern Parkway (at Grand Army Plaza) 3rd Floor ballroom
Cost: Free, but a box of dried pasta for Union Temple’s food drive would be appreciated

To RSVP, please email continuethechange@gmail.com or call 718-757-8572. To join other Oxfam Action Corps NYC volunteers at the fair, email us at newyorkcity@oxfamactioncorps.org.

This is a non-partisan event.
Read more!

Oxfam Action Corps meets to plan uptown Sisters on the Planet screening

From left to right: Isaac, Alexander, Leonel, and Alberto. Oxfam Action Corps NYC, in partnership with the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Center, is planning a roundtable discussion and screening of Sisters on the Planet on International Women's Day, March 8, at the Center.
Read more!

Letter from Oxfam Action Corps volunteer

This letter was written to the staff of WE ACT for Environmental Justice after three Oxfam Action Corps attended their conference last week.
Dear Stephanie, Cecil, Peggy, and everyone else on staff at WE ACT,

Thank you for putting on the Advancing Climate Justice conference last week, and for setting such a hopeful and people-centered tone. So much of my recent climate justice work has been managing email lists, making phone calls, and staring at the computer screen during breaks from my job. And I've been doing this on top of a mound of isolation that I feel in this society and a heap of fear about what's going to happen to us with the changing climate. So being with all those hundreds of people from around this country, hearing people talk all day about things I think about, seeing people's faces, sharing the stories, seeing the links between what's happening in West Virginia and what's happening in West Africa - this was all very exciting. I think what this climate justice movement has going for it is that it's about people and about us all being in this mess together (and our ability to make sure that everyone's included in getting out, starting now.)

I particularly enjoyed my contact with you. Stephanie, I loved talking with you and other young adults about how hopeful we are. I got goose bumps when you were talking about being at Obama's inauguration. Cecil, thanks for singing and letting me have fun while spending the day hearing about mountain top removal and people becoming "toast." Peggy, good to meet you again. And to the office secretary, thanks for your kindness.

Oxfam Action Corps NYC, our 10-month-old grassroots organization, would like to be your partner is working for climate justice. As I mentioned to Stephanie, we'll be screening Sisters on the Planet on March 8, International Women's Day, at the Malcom X and Betty Shabazz Center. We hope you can join us.

Thanks again for the conference last week. At the beginning of it I had been debating with myself whether I was up for another year of this work. Now there's no question.

Warm regards,
Isaac Evans-Frantz
Read more!

Speaker's Corner

Oxfam Action Corps NYC Members Speak Out
Climate Change
By Dave Barwinski

By most all accounts, global warming is for real. Of course it's possible some evidence may appear to refute it; but as it stands, scientific evidence overwhelmingly supports the theory.

Even if it does turn out to be wrong, oil is a finite resource. One day we will need another source(s) (the infrastructure for which will take many, many years to implement), but until then crude oil will undoubtedly continue to rise in price. It's not a conspiracy, it's supply and demand. Expect to pay well over $10 a gallon for gas by 2020.

The third world nations, particularly in South Asia, will be affected most by global warming. In other words, the poorest of the poor. But since they don't factor into the world stage (see Darfur), this will be largely accepted. Us first-worlders will also certainly see more Katrina-like storms and devastating forest fires here in America.

Bush is concerned primarily with "economic growth" and "greater prosperity." The fact is our standard of living is the highest in the world. In other words, the big corporations must continue to make huge profits even it means irrevocable damage to the environment, preventable human suffering, etc. That's the unholy marriage of Wall St. and Washington for you.

We do not own the earth, we are mere stewards. One day we will be gone and posterity will assume stewardship.

Global Warming
by Dave Barwinski

In honor of Earth Day, listed below are the possible
consequences of climate change. I'm not an "alarmist", just stating the most reasonable position based on the available data (science is a good thing!).

First, the evidence, albeit a very abbreviated version. In the last hundred years or so (and at a more accelerated rate in the last 25 years), the earth's temperature has increased, sea levels have risen, glaciers have retreated, changes in seasonal
rainfall patterns have occurred, and extreme weather events have increased. These phenomena are consistent with a greater concentration of greenhouse gases in the lower atmosphere. Every relevant scientific and environmental organization and the vast majority of scientists agree that this increase in greenhouse gases(particularly carbon-based ones), attributable to human activity, is very likely the cause of the accelerated warming in recent years.

The good news is that by altering our behavior, notably by reducing our usage of fossil fuels, increasingly relying on alternative sources of energy, and increasing efficiency and conservation, we can mitigate the effects. There's only so much oil on earth, anyway, and we're running out at an alarming rate (just ask Bush & Cheney!). Here are the possible deleterious effects of a warmer earth (the last 2 sections are far less discussed but of critical importance nonetheless):

WEATHER:
-a greater frequency of the most severe storms
-increased evaporation (due to warmer oceans) will lead to heavier rainfall, which will lead to more erosion This, in turn, can result in desertification due to deforestation (especially in vulnerable tropical areas such as Africa)

GLACIERS:
-"Since 1980, glacier retreat has become increasingly rapid and ubiquitous, and has threatened the existence of many of the glaciers of the world. The process has increased markedly since 1995." -U.K. Met Office
-glacier loss causes landslides, flash floods, and glacial lake overflow
-glacier loss would initially cause floods followed by droughts ("some areas of the most populated regions on Earth are likely to 'run out of water'" - Mauri Pelto, North Cascade Glacier Climate Project)

OCEANS:
-an increase in 1.5 to 4.5 degrees Celsius corresponds to a sea level rise of 6 inches to 37 inches
-increased levels of carbon dioxide lead to acidification (could have an especially harmful effect on coral reefs)
-as the oceans warm they are less able to absorb carbon (oceans currently absorb about 50% of the greenhouse gases we produce)
-retreating of sea ice will contribute to greater warming as the ocean will absorb the light the ice would have reflected back into the atmosphere

FORESTS:
-forest fires may occur on larger scale and more regularly. Besides reducing the forest area, it releases stored carbon into the atmosphere.
-pine beetle infestation, due to lack of severe winters, has destroyed 50% of the pine forests in British Columbia. This will spread east across Canada and eventually into America if left unchecked.

ECOSYSTEMS:
-20-30% of species face increased risk of extinction should the temperature increase exceed 1.5-2.5 degrees Celsius, the percentage jumps to 40-70% should the temperature increase exceed 3.5 degrees Celsius (relative to 1980-1999 earth temperatures)
-possible loss of carbon from terrestrial ecosystems, leading to increase in carbon dioxide in atmosphere
-melting permafrost already occurring in Canada, Alaska, and Russia will increase bacterial activity in the soil and could lead to areas becoming carbon sources rather than carbon sinks (permafrost melting also releases methane, a gas far more harmful than carbon dioxide)

AGRICULTURE:
-"Rising atmospheric temperatures, longer droughts and
side-effects of both, such as higher levels of ground-level ozone gas, are likely to bring about a substantial reduction in crop yields in the coming decades" -Paul Brown, The Guardian
-Africa will probably be the worst hit since 70% of the populace rely on rain-fed agriculture

DISEASE:
-higher incidence of infectious disease such as dengue fever and malaria
-increase in insect-borne diseases in Europe
-150,000 deaths annually as a result of diseases related to climate change, according to the World Health Organization

ECONOMIC:
-global growth could be cut by 20% if sweeping changes are not made, according to the former Chief Economist of the World Bank, Nicholas Stern (as opposed to a cost of 1% of global GDP to combat the effects of climate change)
-"The combined effects of global warming may impact particularly harshly on people and countries without the resources to mitigate those effects. This may slow economic development and poverty reduction, and make it harder to achieve the Millenium Development Goals." -Michael Richards, Overseas Development Institute

SECURITY:
-"Climate change may be one of the causes of the Darfur conflict. The combination of decades of drought, desertification and overpopulation are among the causes of the conflict..." -John Vidal, The Guardian
-"...150 million environmental refugees will exist in the year 2050, due mainly to the effects of coastal flooding, shoreline erosion and agricultural disruption." -Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
-"An unstable climate will exacerbate some of the core drivers of conflict, such as migratory pressures and competition for resources." -U.S. Military Advisory Board
-"Armed conflict between nations over resources, such as the Nile and its tributaries, is likely..." -Center for Strategic and International Studies & Center for a New American Security

In the United States, we can expect greater water scarcity in the southwest, forest fire proliferation, more Katrina-like storms, and possible flooding of low-lying coastal regions. Besides, of course, the economic and security repercussions detailed above.

The Human Faces of Climate Change

Climate change is forcing vulnerable communities in poor countries to face unprecedented climate stress, including water scarcity and drought, severe weather events and floods, reduced agricultural productivity, and increased disease. The U.S. can improve our standing in the world community by showing that we are willing to take responsibility for the consequences of our greenhouse gas emissions. Adaptation is a critical issue for many vulnerable developing countries in international negotiations on a post-2012 climate treaty.

Sunday, Feb. 8: Continue the Change Service Fair

Oxfam Action Corps meets to plan uptown Sisters on the Planet screening

Letter from Oxfam Action Corps volunteer

Calendar

Get Involved

Our Mission

Oxfam en español

OAC Monthly Meeting @ McNally's Bookshop 10/07/09- Largest Turnout!

Climate Voice: The Human Countdown Sept 2009

Climate Change and its effects on Poor Communities

2009 Bronx Parade

Great Dominican Parade 2008

Letter Writing Party

Oxfam Action Corps NYC at the Coldplay Concert

Letter Writing in Union Square

The Oxfam Action Corps Community

Tabling at the Bell X1 Concert

Tabling at the Crowded House Concert

Walk for Climate Justice Toolkit

News

Adaptation in the Phillippines

Archive

Speaker's Corner

The Human Faces of Climate Change

Farmers in Papua New Guinea

Rising Sea Levels

Flooding in Cambodia

Video Bar