If your community had a town hall meeting addressing global climate change, would you go?

Question

They would want questions submitted ahead of time, and you only get 3 minutes to ask your question and speak your piece. Civil behavior would be required as in city council meetings, etc.

And have you ever attended a forum or seminar on the topic?

Answer 1

Yes to both of your questions.

Answer 2

A year ago I would not have went, but sure I would go and hopefully we could learn from each other.

Answer 3

I would go to make sure the town did not waste taxpayers money on a fairy tale.

Answer 4

I might.  I would definitely be interested.  It would depend on whether or not I believed the people in attendance had any real power to make positive change; success rate of previous townhall meetings; it would be nice if I could see a list of the proposed questions beforehand, no use asking the same question twice; where, when and date the meeting was being held; public transit access; scheduling conflicts; etc.

I have attended and chaired forums and seminars on similar topics.  I would be more interested in attending a seminar or conference on the topic than a townhall meeting.  I find three minute speeches that don't result in a definitive plan of action aren't that helpful.

Answer 5

Yes. Transition Towns is a Permaculture idea, offering solutions to global climate change, each town/city/area that agrees to take part makes an energy descent plan too.

Answer 6

Protest for wasting tax payers money.

Answer 7

I think I would depending on what time it was held.  Busy family life and there isn't much time after work or on weekends.  But if I could take say my 4 year old daughter - that would rule!

And this sounds rather silly maybe, but if there is food the chances someone like me may attend with family in tow increases.  That way after work we don't have to pick up dinner!  Call me crazy but I personally think all public meetings should honor the guests by providing some type of nourishment.  It should be rule #1!!!

Yes, I have but so far it has been either as a host or during my work hours.

Answer 8

Yes I would go,  I offered my support to a local college simanar on climate change and bio fuels.  I never got a return email.  Maybe cause my email correctly pointed out that bio fuels/ethanol may produce more greenhouse gasses than gasoline.  (The consensus on this neglects the "carbon sink" of the ground and other combustibles that are in fact greenhouse gasses.)  My email was to a professor in giving the seminar.  His background was in agriculture, I offered my background in combustion.  I asked him if he could get me information about the amount of carbon of a dead plant that gets sequestered by the ground, and what is emitted for rotting.  I could then make an honest assessment, by using some pretty standard combustion reactions.  I got no response. I also asked that if I was wrong, to explain how I was incorrect.  I got no response.

I would go to tell everyone we need to reduce emissions most importantly consumption.  We do not need alarmists to tell us this.

Answer 9

Yes I would, Amy.  I have attended a local citizens' get-together not exclusively on CC but on this and other crucial issues (about 6 months ago).  Behaviour was extremely civil and the meeting was productive.  Similar events were held all over Australia on the same date and the ideas were put together and placed before the government for possible action.  We've had some practical outcomes but there is obviously still a lot more to do.

In your fictional scenario, I'd ask how we can stop the destruction of native forests (and it wouldn't take me 3 minutes to think of a question!)

Answer 10

Yes!!!

I've got some land to sell in South Florida,

And

A bridge in New York....

Answer 11

Well, I've been to a few township meetings.  I happen to live in a conservative area.  I've experienced the status quo first hand.  

In this area we are so far behind the curve it's inconceivable that such a meeting could possibly make it on to the agenda.  And if it did it would be a sham.

Here is a long story to try to explain what we are up against here in the states.

For example, we engaged the township and the local police department because of wild reckless speeding on our street, like 60mph in a 35mph zone.  After months of talks, public meetings, community meetings and organizing, guess what the response of the township and police was?  It was determined previously by the police dept. that most common offenders are local residents, there is nothing the police can do because the resources are too expensive, and we need to organize and educate people in our neighborhood to stop speeding. ???   Our street connects two major thoroughfares, with close to 10,000 vehicles per day.  They had no intent of helping us, never did and never will.  They did lecture us quite a bit about community policing and they need us to report incidents, we are partners in this etc. etc.  My brother-in-law is an officer on a neighboring department.  He just laughed.  Man, are they playing you, it's all PR.  

So later, when the loose dogs were roaming the neighborhood and one of them, the pit bull, attacked and injured the Pomeranian my wife was holding in her arms to protect it, while she was 7 months pregnant, and literally held the pit bull at arms length with the other arm while she backed into house, and I called the police to report the incident, it was suggested to me,  by the recently promoted sergeant, a douche bag I knew from high school, that I should be sympathetic to the dogs owner because of how bad he would feel if his dog was destroyed.  Words can't express the shock and disappointment I felt at that moment.  The letter of the law states that since the dog did not attack or injure a person, "only" a domestic animal, the penalties and redress are much lower.  So anyway, I do some research and find out that the dog has been loose before.  The cop who picked it up from before testified at the hearing before the district justice, that was a really upstanding thing to do, he didn’t have to do it.  Happy ending, DJ's story - "I once forgave a pet owner whose pit bull would menace from the end of its chain, right up to the property line.  If the chain ever broke people would get hurt.  I sanctioned the owner remove the dog or to install a fence or some other measure to prevent the dog from menacing passerby. The dog did get loose and attacked someone. The owners moved to Florida before judgment could be passed.  The dog attacked and injured a child in Florida.  I will never let this happen on my watch again.”  The owner was fined the maximum, over $400 and was told that now that a complaint was filed, if this dog ever came before this DJ again the dog would be destroyed.  The letter of the law would not let him have the dog destroyed then and there.  

This is too bizzare to be made up.  And the powers of a pregnant woman and mother should never be underestimated.

I was naive once, and actually believed you could make a difference here.  I've learned, from first person accounts of individuals involved in local government and relatives who have personal relationships with individuals in our local government, that the public forum meetings are an absolute sham.  The decisions are made in back rooms well beforehand; the deals are set in concrete and determined solely by local political connections and predetermined plans. The public is invited to make comment only so that the appearance of propriety and adherence to state law is preserved.  Their only purpose to my mind is so that the troublemakers can be identified.

The issue I attended had to do with open space.  The real agenda of the township is development. Period.  We have the absolute minimum percentage parkland and open space as determined by state law, it is in the worst possible place for civic use and environmental benefit, and is in areas most convenient for developers, the placement of the open space is determined to maximize tax revenue and minimize the burden of the developers.

I decided the only possible way for me to make a difference would be to run for local office. I learned a long time ago that I am not a leader; people have no interest in even listening to me or others who speak inconvenient truths.  I am making my homestead in the middle of a metropolitan area, it will be an example and others can copy it if they desire.