Focus the Nation
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Focus the Nation is the name of a national nonprofit organization and also of a teach-in, sponsored by that organization, that took place nationwide in the United States on January 31, 2008. Its organizers intended to engage millions of students, faculty, staff and visitors at a thousand or more educational institutions around the country in a discussion of Global Warming solutions. Teach-in events were also sponsored by faith and civic organizations.
The January date coincided with the beginning of the 2008 primary election season. Elected officials, candidates for federal, state and local offices, and other decision-makers were invited to join the discussions. The intent was to create a serious and sustained, non-partisan national discussion about confronting the challenge of climate stabilization. (See Mitigation of Global Warming)
As of November 2007, more than 1000 organizing committees around the country had started to plan the day’s events. These included addresses by major speakers available through webcasts, panel discussions among researchers, university administrators and representatives of student organizations, and individual classes in every department dedicated to solving Global Warming problems from the perspectives of their respective disciplines.
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[edit] Rationale
The goal of Focus the Nation was to strengthen the growing momentum worldwide for a clean energy revolution that can avert future potential catastrophic effects of climate change, as well as address declining oil reserves, air pollution and political instability brought about by reliance on carbon fuels. Climate scientists agree that continuing on our present course of increasing the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere will lead to a global temperature increase of up to 10.5 degrees F by the end of the century. Immediate caps on carbon emissions with a reduction on the order of 80% by mid-century can reduce that rise to a damaging but nevertheless manageable 3 or 4 degrees F. Massive investment in alternative energy technologies now will allow for reduction of carbon emissions that can stabilize longer-term warming trends.
[edit] History
Focus the Nation was founded in 2006 by Eban Goodstein, Professor of Economics at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. Author of several books, including Economics and the Environment, now in its fourth edition, Goodstein took a two-year leave of absence from teaching to devote himself full-time to this cause.
[edit] Supporters
Focus the Nation’s Advisory Board includes former Senator Gary Hart,[1]; David Orr, Professor of Environmental Studies at Oberlin College; Denis Hayes, founder of Earth Day; Hunter Lovins, CEO of Natural Capitalism Inc.; Dr. James "Gus" Speth, Dean of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies; and Billy Parish, Director, Energy Action.
Business Partners include Clif Bar, Stonyfield Farm, and Green Dime.
[edit] The Resolution
The Focus the Nation resolution, endorsed by College Presidents, Faculty and Staff organizations and Student Governments, reads as follows:
Global warming poses a serious threat to people and natural systems across the planet. Public and private policy decisions about global warming this decade will have impacts lasting for generations. To focus the nation's attention on this crucial issue, [institution], in conjunction with colleges, universities, and high schools across the country, will organize a symposium about "Global Warming Solutions for America" on or around January 31 2008. On that day, faculty are strongly encouraged to travel with their classes to attend scheduled programs about climate change or to discuss it with their own students. The symposium program committee will work with interested faculty to develop appropriate material for their classes, and to insure that diverse disciplines are represented in symposium panels and workshops.
[edit] Partners
Focus the Nation joins other grassroots organizations that have sprung up within the last few years to promote public education and political action about global warming, among them
The American Institute of Architect’s 2030 Challenge
The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education
The National Wildlife Federation
[edit] Nonpartisanship
Focus the Nation is not a partisan organization. Prominent Republicans and Democrats, as well as Business, Military and Labor leaders have called for national action on Global Warming. Despite residual objections by Global Warming Skeptics and some organizations, general consensus among scientists and politicians has been achieved about its urgency and its being triggered by human influence. Agreement is also widespread that massive investments in presently existing technologies can reduce damage to the planetary climate equilibrium if undertaken now. Investments on this scale require the will of the people and government action.
[edit] External links
"Easter in Las Vegas," an impressionistic report on the organization's first national conference.
