All around the world today people are coming together to call for international action against climate change. The focus has been on the number 350, which is the parts-per-million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that scientists, including the UN's top climate scientist Rajendra Pachauri, believe we need to stay below in order to avert disaster. 350.org has organized a series of events around the world calling attention to the target, and they're giving visitors and participants alike some real time gratification through Twitter feeds and Flickr slideshows. We've blogged about Maldivian officials holding a cabinet meeting underwater to raise awareness of rising oceans, and now the Divers Association of the Maldives is hosting an underwater rally with the goal of having 350 divers stay underwater in teams for 24 hours. You can find out what's going on near you at 350.org.

At Link TV we've been exploring how climate change is already having an impact in the US and elsewhere through a series of short videos called Climate Change Hits Home.

Many environmental activists claim to be neck-deep in their work, but few go so far as to submerge themselves completely; officials of The Republic of Maldives recently held a cabinet meeting underwater in an effort to raise awareness about the imminent threats of climate change.

The Republic of Maldives has been cited as a potential victim of rising sea levels, theoretically being completely submerged by 2100, according to CNS News. The Maldives' own Miadhu News talked with President Mohammad Nasheed, who asserted that "the work of drawing to the attention of the world the problems Maldives face due to climate change, should be something every Maldivian should do for the country."

Amy Goodman discussed the event on Democracy Now, including President Nasheed's comments on the eve of UN General Assembly opening session:

Here at Link TV, we are trying to raise awareness about the immediate effects of climate change with our new bite-sized series: Climate Change Hits Home. Learn how the environment has been affected in your neck of the woods and how you can activate yourself. The latest episode highlights the problem of melting polar ice, which will, of course, raise sea levels.

You don't even need to learn how to scuba.

It seems that more and more people are talking climate change these days, but why is it important? How will global warming really affect us? Moving the global warming conversation from the esoteric to one that requires everyone's immediate attention, Link TV's new series Climate Change Hits Home brings you weekly stories of climate change's direct effects on us. As we inch closer to the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this December, check out the facts, videos and action ideas for improving the adverse impact of climate change on our planet.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (“IPCC”), government officials and scientists from more than 100 countries, wrangled for weeks in Brussels  in early 2007 as to whether global warming was a man-made or a natural phenomenon.  They argued over droughts, air circulation patterns, snowfall, icecaps and a thousand other indicators of whether global warming was “likely” or “directly” our fault.  In spite of the strong belief in the scientific community that all of our cars, factories and other activities were speeding up global warming at an alarming rate, the politicians managed to get the official word to be “likely”.

High in the Sierra Nevada (“Snow-Capped Mountains”) of Colombia, indigenous Arhuaco coffee farmer Javier Mestres had no such doubts.  He did not see things in parts per million.  He had never heard of the Global Circulation Model that tried to measure increments of change in the temperature of the ocean or dynamics of the atmosphere.  He was unaware that the IPCC report stated that Colombia would heat up dramatically in the next twenty years, and lose ninety percent of its glacial snow caps by 2050.  Javier saw the results of a warming planet clearly in the premature flowering of his coffee plants on his four-acre family farm in the slopes above Nabusimake, the capital of the Arhuaco nation. He showed me the smaller, weaker berries that dotted the stems and wondered why the outside world wanted to harm these beautiful plants.  Why were we changing the world? 

For centuries, the Arhuaco spiritual elders, the Mamos, known in their language as the “Elder Brothers”, have carried out monthly rituals in sacred sites throughout the Sierra Nevada, which they call “the Heart of the World”, to insure that the planet is kept in a geo-spiritual balance.  But for the past two decades, the Mamos have been observing rapid changes in the Heart of the World.  They have watched the snow caps on their sacred peaks shrink over time and have seen the plant life change.  They have felt the lessening of the water in the air and soil, and noted the changing migration patterns of the birds and butterflies.  They have shared these observations with the tribe, and increasingly with the outside world, with us - the “Younger Brothers”.

I was in Colombia to learn about the impacts of global warming on the Heart of the World.  I was there to assist the Arhuaco in their struggle for self-determination, supported (and challenged) in part by coffee.  I was there to heal the wound in my heart from the kidnapping and murder of my dear friend, renowned indigenous rights activist Ingrid Washinawatok, in 1999 by the leftist rebel group FARC (“Armed Revolutionary Front of Colombia”).  It was a visit that had been delayed many times by war, weather or fear.

I met with Moises Villafanes, a young Arhuaco whom the Mamos had sent to university to learn to be an advocate for his people in the world of the Younger Brothers.  I asked Moises about how the impact of changing temperatures on Arhuaco lands and coffee production.  Moises talked for a long time about the drying up of rivers due to the lessened snow at the peaks and the erratic rainfall of the past few years, and the movement of plant species up the mountains as a result of greater heat and less water at the lower altitudes.

“It is as if you can see the plants trying to run from the sun and the heat, which should not be so strong in the lower zones.”  Moises spoke with a combination of scientific awareness and poetry that made things incredibly clear.  He introduced me to an 83 year-old Mamo, Don Faumbautista, who shared his insight with me.

“Beyond the Heart of the World, the Younger Brother is changing the whole earth.  I don’t know everything they are doing, but they are changing the whole earth,”

“Are you talking about global warming?” I asked.

“I don’t know what you call it, but, yes, the Mother is getting warmer.  The rain falls differently than before.  It is later, but it falls harder.  It is destructive sometimes when it should be nurturing.  Many of the rivers are dry before they reach the sea.  And the snows on the peaks that replenish the rivers are less each year.  It is all happening very quickly.  First, you took our gold.  Then you took our land.  Now you are taking the water and the air itself.  The Younger Brothers are waging a war on the earth and it must stop!”

There is a lot of other evidence on the impact of global warming on coffee production (and, therefore, producers!) around the world.  The United Nations estimates that 90% of Ugandan low-altitude coffee will disappear in twenty years.  A similar report documents the impacts of erratic rainfall and increased temperature and withering forests on coffee production in India.  But what you have just read comes from the farmers themselves, who are painfully aware of global warming and can’t do anything about it.

We can.

The term "Green Revolution" is associated nowadays with the increased level of environmental consciousness: businesses changing their operations to incorporate more environmental practices, and the advent of environmental consumerism. Actually the "Green Revolution" was a 1960's term that referred to new varieties of rice and wheat for developing countries that were more drought and pest resistant, more responsive to advanced fertilization methods, and ultimately produced higher yielding crops. A comprehensive report [PDF] on the Green Revolution by the International Food Policy Research Institute describes the background and history of this movement.
 
This "Revolution" was a great way to increase yields of wheat and rice production, alleviate hunger and provide an income to poverty-stricken farming communities in developing countries. But now, 4 decades later, other problems are arising. The land is no longer arable due to the excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides, polluted waterways, salt build-up and eventual loss of biodiversity on farms. The people forced to leave their land are known as environmental migrants or climate refugees. More details on the environmental impacts of the Green Revolution can be found on Wikipedia.

Developing countries, such as Bangladesh and Ethiopia, that could be considered to be among the least responsible for major climate change, are the ones that are being the hardest hit. A video report created by the U.N. Development Program explains the relationship between human development and climate change.

Rice farmers in Bangladesh have lost their crops due to excessive flooding, while farmers in Ethiopia are praying for rain, all resulting in more poverty, starvation and refugees as land becomes less and less arable.
 
However, Indian farmers have taken matters into their own hands by shunning modern agricultural technologies and going back to their traditional ways of farming. According to this article on NPR’s website, an Indian farmer named Sharma enjoyed 20 years of an increase in crop yields and subsequent income as a result of the Green Revolution. Then his soil began to deteriorate and he needed to buy more and more fertilizers to grow the same amount of crops. He soon realized that the only way to sustain his crops was to go organic. In another article, the Guardian states that "Sustainable agriculture involves hard work and does not guarantee huge profits, but it will not harm the farmers' health, brings personal satisfaction, and involves fewer financial risks."
 
The U.S., as one of the world’s largest consumers, can take a stand in reducing its own unsustainable agricultural practices and become a model for other nations, by increasing the demand for organic farming and native plant propagation. The Slow Food Organization is a great international proponent of eating locally grown and prepared foods. Furthermore, if we as citizens of this country demand more government subsidies for organic farmers, then perhaps sustainable farming will gain significant momentum. Here is an article that points to how little the government supports organic farming. The International Society for Cow Protection talks about how the future lies in organic farming, and industrial farming practices are becoming less and less attractive, especially for small farmers. This video indicates how the future might look if we adopt organic farming practices fully. It seems bright indeed!

And learn more about the current state of the food crisis on our dedicated Issue page.