Mass Climate Summer and Greenpeace Partner on Cape Cod to Show Potential Effects of Climate Change

The last-minute planning finally came together: the six Mass Climate Summer participants stood on a dock in Chatham, along with two Greenpeace field organizers, Robbie Gemmel (the director of the Cape Wind documentary who has interviewed and even lived with us part-time these past few weeks), and a reporter from the Cape Cod Today. In a small boat we were ferried across the water to a barrier island, where only days ago, a brisk storm knocked a few picture-perfect cottages off of their foundations. 

While undoubtedly a heart-wrenching site, a picturesque haven struck by the power of the gods, the wreckage was a clear picture of what could happen to many other coast-front properties if anthropogenic (human-caused) climate change is not propelled to the top of the governments' and peoples' "to-do" lists, PRONTO. David Pomerantz, the lead organizer from Greenpeace, had to make an important clarification in regards to our action: "While research cannot tie discrete events like the recent storm activity on the Cape and Islands to global warming, we do know that higher storm surges and coastal flooding are consistent with what scientists say will happen to Massachusetts' coastline if we do not act now." So we all stood in front of the wreckage and held a banner that said, "Global Warming Looks Like This." Then we held signs with pictures of the wind turbines and the word, "Yes." In the photos our expressions were glum. The intention of the action was that the photos would cause people to feel concerned about the effects of climate change and be propelled to take action to address it. 

Media attention on climate change is crucial, especially in Cape Cod where Cape Wind is still up in the air. The hope is that the Cape Wind, when finally implemented, will lead the United States to a greater understanding of the benefits of clean-energy projects and ideally, to a full commitment by the federal government to revamp the infrastructure of electricity production to be 100% clean within ten years.  

Yesterday's action was a worthy example of what can be accomplished by two separate organizations coming together and providing something unique to achieve a common goal. It was just a small picture of what Mass Climate Summer is trying to accomplish, bringing people from various backgrounds together to produce the bold change that we need.