The People’s Ratification of the Kyoto Global Warming Treaty

The US Government won’t sign it – let the people say that they’re for it

Dear Friends,

The Kyoto Protocol went into effect on February 16th. Since the United States’ absence from this important and historic treaty is so notable and regrettable, we are asking you to sign and to help us circulate the People’s Ratification of the Kyoto Global Warming Treaty.

The People’s Ratification is a nationwide petition drive designed to give Americans a voice in support of responsible climate stewardship. By signing, we are telling our local officials, our nation’s leaders and the international community that we reject the Washington status quo. We want to take responsibility for the viability of our planet. We are ready to commit ourselves to a clean energy future.

On December 3rd we will deliver the People’s Ratification petition to the United Nations climate conference, taking place in Montreal. It is the first official meeting of the signers of the Kyoto Protocol. Since Kyoto is at best only a first step, this meeting will also be a critical forum for laying the groundwork for what happens after Kyoto. Once again the United States delegation will be obstructing progress on all fronts.

Throngs of people will assemble in Montreal to express their concerns about global warming. We too will be there on behalf of all of you who signed the petition. Our petition will inform the international delegations, the NGOs, the media, and our political leaders that as U.S. citizens, we support the Kyoto Protocol and demand that our elected representatives follow suit. We hope to do this in a dramatic fashion.

The petition was written and inspired by Ross Gelbspan, noted the author on global warming (The Heat is On and Boiling Point). You will be joining a growing list of supporting organizations and individuals, including Greenpeace, 1199 SEIU, United for Peace and Justice, Organic Consumers Association, Global Exchange, Rainforest Action Network, Energy Action, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, Barry Commoner, Bill McKibben, Vivian Stromberg (MADRE), Lester Brown (Earth Policy Institute), Damu Smith (National Black Environmental Justice Network), Catholic Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, Pete Seeger, and Edward Asner.

In the online Grist Magazine, you will find an article by Ross Gelbspan about the People's Ratification: http://www.grist.org/comments/soapbox/2005/02/16/gelbspan/.

This petition drive is coordinated by the Climate Crisis Coalition, founded last year to meet the urgent need for intensified public awareness and political action on the climate crisis. CCC is also coordinating efforts in the US efforts for international December 3rd Call to Action. In cities around the world, people will be protesting against the United States and Australia for not joining the Kyoto Protocol. For updates, please check our website: www.climatecrisis.us.

Now it is clearly time to push this the petition drive into a higher gear. If you can help us either through your email contacts or by collecting signatures in person, please send us an email (tstokes@kyotoandbeyond.org) with “sign me on” as the subject.

We greatly appreciate the feedback and the encouragement we’ve received.

Sincerely yours,
Connie Hogarth, Father Paul Mayer, Ted Glick, Ross Gelbspan, Ibrahim Ramey, Tom Stokes, CCC Steering Committee

>>> see petition
>>> see who support the petition