Courtney Martin on why the grass-roots movement shouldn’t be forgotten in the debate on climate change:
The House spent last week arguing over the specifics of the pending climate legislation, which is now headed to the Senate. Will it be done in time for the big meeting in Copenhagen so the U.S. can rescue its reputation? Are the standards high enough? Low enough? What else can be squeezed in to please constituencies and campaign funders?
Environmental concerns, tied in with economic recession, have become the great equalizers of our time. For those on the ground, they are not a matter of trendy green packaging or of long-term improvements to our national energy policies but an acute crisis of health and safety.