There are many ways you can contribute to the effort to halt ocean acidification and invest in a clean energy future. We have a menu of actions to help you do what you can in the time that you have.
The Ocean Acidification Action Menu
1 Minute Action Menu:
Sign an online petition to your congressperson, keep educated, etc.
10 minutes: Make contact with your representative
1 evening: Host a screening of A Sea Change
1 Minute Actions
Because of the scale and scope of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, we’re highlighting several steps you can take that relate to off-shore drilling. This disaster isn’t of course directly related to ocean acidification, but it’s having the same end result.
- You can sign Oceana’s petition here to ask President Obama to institute a permanent ban on off-shore drilling. They are trying to gather 500,000 signatures, so please consider adding yours.
- For those of you on Facebook, here’s another group organizing around offshore drilling.
- The National Wildlife Federation has made it easy for you to make a quick $10 donation to help wildlife effected by the spill. You can text “wildlife” to 20222.
- Check out Rep. Jay Inslee’s important legislation (HR 989) to study and address ocean acidification. He first introduced the legislation in December, 2009, and reintroduced it on June 8th, 2010, World Oceans Day. If you’re from Washington State, please write Rep. Inslee and tell him you support his efforts.
- As part of their Acid Test initiative, Oceana has a petition here that specifically asks congress to take immediate action to protect the oceans from the devastating impacts of ocean acidification.
- Subscribe to the Ocean Acidification blog sponsored by EPOCA, the European Project on Ocean Acidification.
10 Minute Actions:
Contact your Senators and Representatives
Despite what we all may have hoped, the COP-15 negotiations in Copenhagen were only one stop on the way towards a strong international accord to address climate change and ocean acidification. COP-16 is coming up in Mexico during the fall of 2010, and like Copenhagen, the crew from A Sea Change will be there to make sure that the oceans are on the agenda. The framework that is continuing to emerge will be critical to the survival of our oceans and our planet, and it will also lay the groundwork for longterm economic growth and energy independence. However, the U.S. Senate continues to delay climate change legislation. Please send a postcard or make a phone call to your Senators to demand that they not delay.
Here is all the contact information for the Congress: (www.congress.org)
Here are some talking points and suggested text for a postcard, letter, email, or phone call to a legislator:”CO2 is a grave threat to the health of our oceans and our planet. As your constituent, I urge you to support binding legislation that would result in at least an 80% reduction in CO2 emissions from 1990 levels by the year 2050. The United States must take a leadership role at the COP16 negotiations in Denmark, and the time to act is now. We need a fair, ambitious and binding (FAB) agreement in Mexico.”
Here are additional talking points and actions that will reduce carbon emissions, promote energy independence, and prevent massive die-offs from acidification.
- Adopt a policy of stabilizing atmospheric carbon dioxide at 350 parts per million or below
- Promote energy efficiency and low carbon fuels
- Transition quickly to alternative energy sources
- Regulate carbon releases
- Preserve natural resilience of marine ecosystems by protecting them from overfishing and pollution
1 Day Actions:
Arrange a Screening, Host a Houseparty or bring A Sea Change into your school
This web-resource was recommended as a great resource for climate change activities by a visitor to our website, and we concur:
http://www.guidetoonlineschools.com/library/weather-resources
Check out this sample curriculum, written by a NYC LAB schoolteacher for middle schoolers. The lesson plan uses A Sea Change to help teach school children about ocean acidification.
ASC Curriculum (75 KB) Host a houseparty during one of our national broadcasts, or anytime. You can sign up here.
“as much time as you have to give” actions: Ride your bike, carpool, or take public transportation instead of driving alone.Also, you can get educated about the issues. Some good places to start:Center for Biological Diversity
Climate Change Education, a portal with scores of resources about climate change/global warming CO2 Now, where you can see most current atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and find information about their implicationsCheck out Ultimate Civics, a group run by Riki Ott (featured in A Sea Change for her work in Cordova, Alaska). Ultimate Civics which is a project of Earth Island Institute, works to eliminate the corporate influence that hampers our ability to transition off of fossil fuels. UC seeks to abolish the doctrine of “Corporate Personhood” through a grassroots movement to amend the U.S. Constitution.