A Climate Speech-A-Day

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse's 50th Senate speech on the climate crisis
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse’s 50th Senate speech on the climate crisis

A daily message by a high-profile leader or celebrity, hosted by one organization, promoted by hundreds on their websites and through social media. (Boosted by the Senate Talk-A-Thon March 9, 2014.)

Although conventional wisdom says that there’s too much “doom-and-gloom” talk about climate change, in fact, there’s almost none. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/02/24/1631171/apocalypse-oscars-media-myth-constant-repetition-doomsday-messages-climate/. And speeches on the subject by major public figures are still few and far-between. In the past, especially when anti-war movements were getting started, regular speeches were a key ingredient in changing public opinion.

Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse created a big stir in October 2012 with a “wake-up” speech on climate change.  http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2011/10/19/347768/senator-whitehouses-climate-speech/ Since then, he’s gone regular. http://www.whitehouse.senate.gov/news/speeches

Why not organize members of Congress and other high-profile opinion leaders to speak out DAILY on the subject, with different members in turn highlighting important news, campaigns, scientific reports, editorials, op-eds, etc., delivering speeches on the House or Senate floor when during legislative sessions, other times introducing them into the Congressional Record and distributing them to receptive media?

This speech could be promoted and posted on social media by many organizations and individuals. Supporting environmental and other organizations could promote it with a link on their home pages and include it in their RSS feeds, social media efforts, etc. We’d hope broadcast media etc. would pick it up.

Is there a core team or an organization that might spearhead this effort? Might it coordinate with the Congressional Climate Caucus formed in 2006, with a proposal for a revived effort by Sen. Boxer, and with the Safe Climate Caucus recently announced for the House http://waxman.house.gov/video/democratic-members-launch-climate-change-floor-initiative