Call for Climate Action Hiker Missing in GMNF Pride on Parade Teen Killed in NY Crash Musicians held the microphone, but the spotlight of this weekend s Live Earth concert was on the environment. The 24-hour musical marathon aimed to build worldwide awareness about climate change. It was billed as the biggest musical event ever staged.
But local activists said it s not enough. "What we ve got to do now is translate all that good will into real action," Ripton author Bill McKibben said. McKibben took his call to action to a town hall meeting organized by Senator Bernie Sanders.
McKibben has been warning about climate change for two decades, most notably in his 1989 book, "The End of Nature." "Global warming is happening more quickly than we thought 20 years ago, and we have to act more decisively," he said. "The good news is we can do it.
" McKibben said people have to be as passionate as they were about the civil rights movement a generation ago, and most are not there yet. But he told the crowd of more than 250 people gathered in the cafeteria of Montpelier High School that he s optimistic. "The last year and a half has seen more progress than the 20 years that came before it," he said.
"All of a sudden, the mood is starting to change." McKibben pointed to the heat wave in the west and the drought in the south as proof climate change is not a problem for future generations, but one to be addressed now. "The mood has shifted, and shifted dramatically.
Part of that was Hurricane Katrina; part was Al Gore and his movie; mostly, it s people finally understanding we can afford to make these changes and we can t afford not to make these changes." It s nice that the debate is no longer about whether it s happening," said Sarah Bertucci, who had a front-row seat for the town hall meeting. "It s about what to do about it.
" Bertucci and Jason Cushner, both teachers visiting from Colorado, helped put solar panels on their school in Boulder. Sanders said action like that -- not just talk -- will make a difference. "We have the technology now in terms of solar energy, in terms of wind energy, and other sustainable energies.
It is sitting there ready to happen. We ve got to make it happen," he said. "Yes, there is a lot of momentum, but we ve got to keep pushing.
" Sanders said even Congress is taking more serious action toward combating climate change than ever before. He pointed to legislation to increase energy efficiency in automobiles and support the use of biofuels.
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