McKibben nationwide tour hits Boulder Dec. 2

Some analysis, and an invitation to attend

| Oct 2, 2012

On December 2, a nationwide tour by Bill McKibben and 350.org comes to Boulder at the Glenn Miller Ballroom on the University of Colorado campus. The organizers predict that, in the future, attendees will look back to this night as the moment things really kicked into high gear, with 350.org helping lay the groundwork for an epic fight that lies ahead for us.

The climate change math is fairly simple: We can burn 565 more gigatons of carbon and stay below 2°C of warming — anything more than that risks catastrophe for life on earth. The problem is, the fossil fuel corporations now have 2,795 gigatons in their reserves, five times the safe amount. And they’re planning to burn it all, because the industry thinks that their bottom line is worth more than a livable planet like the one we grew up with.

McKibben at 2010 Boulder talk (Boulder Reporter photo)

McKibben at 2010 Boulder talk (Boulder Reporter photo)

All of the climate catastrophes we witnessed this summer — the nation’s breadbasket drying out, the historic Arctic melting, and fires sweeping the West — are the product of that calculation by the fossil fuel industry.

The nationwide trek that McKibben and 350.org are embarking on in November — the Do the Math Tour — will explain the scary math of climate change, and lay out the plan to take on the fossil fuel industry before they trade away our future for a quick buck.

This will be a different kind of event. For one, it’s not just Bill talking — it’ll have music and special guests both in person and via video, plus all of the best climate organizers 350.org can find in and around Colorado.

It’s also the springboard to the next phase of climate change organizing in the US. All across the country people are planning new campaigns targeting the fossil fuel industry’s financial might, using divestment, civil disobedience and strategic pressure campaigns. It’s quite a task — and if we expect to have a shot at success, we’ll need everyone we can find to be working together.

Early registration is recommended, since the energy is already running high (a few of the other tour dates are beginning to sell out). Click here to RSVP: www.eventbrite.com/event/4507249304

Submitted by Jamie Henn, 350.0rg