Citizens Press for Climate Awareness, Action

SOMERS POINT – About 30 environmentally concerned residents gathered at Kennedy Park in Somers Point Nov. 29 to heighten awareness in their words, “Of how much more needs to be done to protect the planet.” Many participants are also active in other environmental issues including protests to ban the proposed gas pipeline project to B.L. England generating station.
In opening the outdoor event, Georgina Shanley, representative of CURE (Citizens United for Renewable Energy) said, “Our action and many others around the globe related to international negotiations on climate is the next major step to protect what is left in nature. We are hoping to awaken the masses and our representatives to climate change and the urgency for change.
“We are participating in a global initiative with communities from all over the world on the day before the Paris Climate Summit which starts Nov. 30. We have hooked up with the group who organized the huge marches last year. The idea is to form a worldwide fellowship of ordinary people in order to put pressure on delegates to the summit, as well as raise consciousness about climate change.”
The group Shanley referred to above is AVAAZ, which means per its website, “Voice or song in many languages” and whose slogan is a “world in action,” identified as the worldwide gathering of citizens in similar events held in 2,500 communities throughout the world.
AVAAZ stated that through this biggest climate summit of the decade “Our leaders could agree to a revolutionary target to get the world off fossil fuels. It would be a guiding star to navigate away from climate catastrophe, signaling to politicians, boardrooms and stock-markets everywhere that the era of dirty energy is over. Winning won’t be easy, but if we make leaders feel the power of this movement then we can win.”
The group invited Richard Boney, a Cherokee Native American from Bridgeton to conduct a “healing ceremony for the Earth” with drum at Kennedy Park.
Also there was a retired Army chaplain, originally from Ireland, to offer the invocation and a local band called Green Language to perform.
The non-governmental organization, Food and Water Watch, also supported the program. Lena Smith of that organization said, “We are really pleased that we have been able to be a part of this climate awareness initiative and hope through it that more citizens will take seriously the threats to our planet overall and to our beautiful local area.”
As a kick off, the group marched in solemn silence around the park’s perimeter with signs and banners calling for awareness of climate protection and many specifically with placards seeking a ban to the gas pipeline proposal that will run through part of the Pinelands.
The Climate Summit runs until Dec.11. Governments of more than 190 nations will gather in Paris to discuss a possible global agreement on climate change aimed at reducing global greenhouse gas emissions and thus avoid the threat of climate change in the opinion of many scientists.
Current commitments on greenhouse gas emissions expire in 2020 and it is hoped that in Paris government representatives will produce an agreement on what happens for the next decade and possibly beyond.
To contact Camille Sailer, email csailer@cmcherald.com.