Gandhi Worldwalk Part 3a

Gandhi Worldwalk is not dead - it's just been delayed.

Starting out from the Guildwood GO station.

Until today (Nov. 20, 2014) the walk consisted of two parts: in 1987 I walked from my home in Clearwater, BC to the north shore of Lake Superior; and in 1989 I walked from where I had left off in 1987 to Toronto.

Today I walked from where I left off in 1989 – the Guildwood GO light rail station just east of Toronto – to the next GO station at Rouge Hill. The distance was only about eight km and, with detours and photo stops, took just under two hours. 

The walk ended in 1989 when I developed plantar fasciitis in my left foot - a tear in the ligament that runs under my arch. The foot still bothers me and I usually wear a night splint (if I don't, after about a week my foot feels as if it's ready to fall apart).

I do a fair amount of walking around Clearwater but it's nearly always on trails - walking on pavement bothers my foot. Today's walk was almost all on pavement and, by the end, I could feel that I had done enough for one day.

One thing I learned on the walk was the importance of giving yourself time to heal if injured or sick. Resting is part of the journey too and, if you don't give yourself enough time to recover, you will accomplish less in the end.

I knew when my walk ended in 1989 that I would return and do some more. Today I did just that. I feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment, even though the distance covered today was trivial. To me, it's the coming back and trying again that is important.

Tomorrow I will take the train to Ottawa to participate in a weekend conference being put on by the Canadian branch of Citizen Climate Lobby. About 70 people have signed up. After some orientation we will fan out and speak to as many M.P.s and senators as will listen about the importance of implementing a carbon fee-and-dividend system as a first step towards controlling global warming.

It's all part of the same journey.

Finishing up at the Rouge Hill GO station.

This video by an American politician is worth watching. It's basically about Hansen's fee-and-dividend proposal, but he uses the term "carbon rebate" rather than "carbon tax" - focussing on the dividend side of the proposal. His comparison of the rebate cheque with the deniers' lump of coal is particularly effective. A fee-and-dividend system would have to be global to have much effect, but national systems would be a good place to start

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-ESU3srToo

Global carbon tax petition breaks 100

My global carbon tax petition finally broke 100 yesterday, with 10 new names. Five of them are from Belgium, one from Netherlands, and so I think they're connected. The first to sign today was a Mrs. Christina Lambrecht from Belgium. She seems to be an expert on Basic Income, which means this idea would appeal to her.

A few days ago I put a comment about my petition on a posting on the Basic Income News website. Soon after that a Dr. Karl Widerquist signed. He also seems to be a Basic Income expert. So maybe things are starting to snowball a bit.

The petition is at www.thepetitionsite.com/286/384/042/petition-for-a-referendum-on-a-global-carbon-tax/

At Louis Enfield's cabin, Vavenby, BC – Walk 1987

 Here I am on the first day of my walk in the spring of 1987. Although you can't see it, I'm standing in front of a cabin on Moilliets' sheep ranch near Vavenby, B.C. (the structure you can see is a corner of the woodshed). I lived in the cabin for several years in the late 1970s. It was built by Swiss fellow named Louis Enfield, who I never met.

Thistle emerging through pavement

As I recall, I took this photo near Borden Bridge in Saskatchewan during my walk in 1987. To me, it carries meaning regarding the power of life to overcome obstacles

Here's a comment I just posted on Care2 in response to an article about the Trans-Pacific Partnership:
 

The Trans-Pacific Partnership appears to be another example of globalization being done for the benefit of the 1% and only incidentally for the rest of us. We - meaning the people of the world - need to get more control over our international institutions. That means more democracy - direct democracy on an international scale.

Climate scientist James Hansen has proposed a global carbon tax with the proceeds to be distributed to everybody (he calls it fee-and-dividend). I have posted a petition on Care2 that calls for a worldwide referendum on a global carbon tax based on Hansen's proposal.

You can view the petition (and hopefully put your name on it) at www.thepetitionsite.com/286/384/042/petition-for-a-referendum-on-a-global-carbon-tax/www.thepetitionsite.com/286/384/042/petition-for-a-referendum-on-a-global-carbon-tax/

Feasible vs. expedient

We need to be careful when we use the word "feasible" that we don't confuse it with "expedient". The opposition is strongest around the fee-and-dividend approach proposed by James Hansen precisely because it is by far the best approach that would make a meaningful difference in our society's wasteful use of fossil fuels. Fee-and-dividend is the most practical approach, but it will not be easy or convenient.

Once again, I have posted a petition on Care2 that calls for a global carbon tax based on Hansen's fee-and-divident proposal. You can view it (and hopefully put your name on it) at www.thepetitionsite.com/286/384/042/petition-for-a-referendum-on-a-global-carbon-tax/