By Ted Glick

The 2nd International Day of Action to Stop Global Warming on November 4th was a very important day. Approximately 125,000 people took action worldwide in almost 50 countries, with major actions taking place in Australia (80,000) and London (25,000). In addition, 2500 people marched in Nairobi, Kenya on Nov. 11th. Nairobi was the site of this year's United Nations Climate Change conference.

In the United States there were at least 55 actions in at least 23 states, with 29 actions in Vermont alone.

2005 was the first year of coordinated international actions on the climate crisis. On December 3rd, 2005, during the UN Climate Change conference in Montreal, Canada, 80,000 people took action in about 20 countries around the world. At least 30,000 marched in Montreal, and there were 35 actions in localities around the U.S.

Highlights of U.S. actions include:

Los Angeles, Ca., where the Labor Community Strategy Center did outreach on November 4th to defeat a proposition on the ballot, a $20 billion giveaway to the highway, trucking, and port industries-public money used to expand private property and a massive expansion of air pollution, toxic contaminants, greenhouse gases, and environmental racism.
Golden, Co., where Greenpeace's Project Hot Seat brought together 130 people who were organized into a giant "aerial image," spelling out the message, "Save Our Snow."
Ft. Lauderdale, Fl., where another Greenpeace action brought together 330 people who braved powerful winds blowing off the ocean to create an aerial art image of Florida flooded by rising sea levels and a drowning giant human holding an umbrella as a symbol of weather and of the lack of effective congressional action on the issue.
New Orleans, La., where a "Save New Orleans, Stop Global Warming Frenchmen Street Block Party" was hosted by 5 local music venues, the Alliance for Affordable Energy, New Orleans Group of the Sierra Club, and Gulf Restoration Network. "We distributed 100 Day of Action buttons, DVDs, t-shirts, global warming facts and tips sheets and collected postcards urging our Senators to support action to reduce emissions by 65-80% by 2050."
Southern Virginia where over 160 students from across VA, MD, and DC convened for the first annual Youth Energy Summit November 3rd-5th at William and Mary College, organized by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. On the 4th, students formed an outline of a huge windmill.
Boston, Mass., where close to 300 people congregated on the Boston Commons to watch the "Boston Coal Party," an act of street theater featuring 21st-century patriots squaring off against coal and oil billionaires in a dynamic re-enactment of the Boston Tea Party. St. Louis, Mo. where, at the World Aquarium, close to 2,000 people took materials on global warming such as 10 things people can do to help curb global warming and a fact sheet on the actions of the World Aquarium (such as compact fluorescent lights, thermostat controls, water pump/energy conservation, local and organic purchase feeds for the animals, sustainable seafood to feed the sharks, sea turtle and stingrays).
Essex County, N.J. where young people led chants of, "What Do We Want? Clean Energy! When Do We Want It? Now!," as 50 bicyclists traveled over a 7 1/2 mile route through Montclair and Bloomfield, stopping at eight places along the route that symbolize both the problem and solutions, such as a car dealer selling SUV's, an Exxon gas station and two homes equipped with solar panels
Vermont where, building upon the energy of a successful Labor Day weekend, five-day, 50-mile walk against global warming, local actions were held on farms, mountains, parks, markets, town greens and schools.
Already, coordinators of the Nov. 4th actions from the Climate Crisis Coalition and the U.S. Climate Emergency Council, are discussing next year's actions, to take place in early December of 2007 at the time of the next U.N. Climate Change conference in Bali, Indonesia.

For more information: www.climatecrisiscoalition.org or www.climateemergency.org.