The new 350.org climate strategy – convince small towns to make “Climate Emergency” declarations

Where I live, Chico California is often referred to as the “Berkeley of the North” in deference to its highly progressive and alternate viewpoints espoused here. We have quite a collection of zealots, spanning topics such as chem trails, anti-vaccination, anti-fracking, GMO mania, and anti-nuclear. We even have a law on the books from the 1980s that provides for a $500 fine for setting off a nuclear weapon within the city limits. I kid you not.

“No person shall produce, test, maintain, or store within the city a nuclear weapon, component of a nuclear weapon, nuclear weapon delivery system, or component of a nuclear weapon delivery system under penalty of Chapter 9.60.030 of the Chico Municipal Code.” 

So it’s not really a surprise that after Bill McKibben visited here a couple of years ago, that a local chapter of 350.org sprang up. Of course these people seem to think that we are right near the end of the world due to climate change, mainly because they don’t have the needed faculties to separate fact from fiction.

Such is the case with the latest climate madness to be foisted upon my town: getting the city Council to declare a “climate emergency”.

You can read the whole thing here in the city files:
https://chico-ca.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=828&meta_id=65058

I had prepared a PowerPoint to try to factually refute some of this madness last week and a local city counselor was going to present it. I won’t go into the Council chambers anymore because the last time I was there it was nearly impossible to make my point due to the screeching mob that shouted me down while I was trying to speak. So, it’s much more effective for me to send letters as emails and make presentations to the council-members electronically.

Here’s the PowerPoint I put together:

Some notes and data about climate change (PDF)

Unfortunately that PowerPoint presentation never made it to the council-members during the session. Ironically we had a strong spring thunderstorm occurring right during the time of the meeting, and while the thunderstorm itself was nothing unusual or unprecedented it gave some very strong precipitation to a very narrow area which included downtown Chico. This caused some street flooding and the street flooding spilled into the shop owned by the city Council member who was carrying my presentation to present. She had to leave to deal with the issuse, so, it never saw the light of day.

Of course the fact that a thunderstorm was occurring right then immediately catered to the weak-minded people there who seized on the opportunity to claim that the thunderstorm itself was evidence of climate change due to the flooding it was making. Some of the city Council members are what I would describe as mental midgets, in particular one council-member Ann Schwab, who was the sponsor of this bill. She said during the meeting:

“….the impact we’ve had tonight is a very potent example of what we’re going to have unless we make some very significant changes.”

Then Mayor Randal Stone chimed in:

” I have kids, I’m going to vote for it.”

…what we saw here tonight, the reason for the closure of the meeting—is exactly the type of thing we’re trying to combat.

If there was ever a time when I wanted to reach through the television and bop somebody on the head and say Wake Up! that moment was it. Sheesh, the stupid, it burns.

It probably would not make any difference if my presentation was made or not as the motion passed 5 to 1 to declare a climate emergency. But I wanted to pass it on so others could see the sort of antics Bill McKibben and his merry band of rabble-rousers are pushing now in case it comes to your town.

Fortunately, the resolution is not just pointless and stupid, but also toothless; there’s nothing binding in it. But just watch, they will use it as a vehicle for some other absurdity, like a climate tax.

I did though get a few licks in with a letter to the editor today. Well worth a read:

Letter: On Chico’s feel-good ‘climate emergency’ declaration