Activist Fasts for Action on Climate Change

And you really plan to fast until this happens? Quick action seems unlikely.

As of now, I've pretty much decided after discussing it with family and co-workers that I am definitely going to continue this at least until Congress adjourns either in November or December. That's on the assumption -- and it's a 99 percent certainty -- they're not going to pass anything close to what is needed.

I'd imagine there's a kind of loneliness that goes hand-in-hand with a hunger strike.

Honestly, that doesn't bother me. This is something that is really deep within me. It's extremely internalized. I feel better doing this because I really know I'm doing everything I can. It's not that I'm just working in the traditional ways every day; I'm kind of using everything I have to try to move things on this issue. There really is a deep inner peace I have about that. It's not that I don't feel the effects sometimes. I definitely sometimes feel the weakness. There are definitely times I wish I could eat. I long for food; that's certainly true. But this other reality is much stronger. I really feel this is a cause worth taking a risk for.

Speaking for people who don't have the fortitude to fast, what can we do?

Get serious about bringing pressure to bear on legislators at all levels. People need to speak up. Join organizations that are working on this. It's important for us not to be hypocritical. If we believe in conservation, we should shift over to a much more sustainable lifestyle. That can be done with very little sacrifice. One of the positive, hopeful things about renewable energy is that in the long run it saves money, so this is a win-win situation.

Unlike 10 or even five years ago, the media are saturated with climate change stories. How do we stay sensitized to the issue?

Through the continued organizing at the grass roots of society and linking together into a national movement. That's happening among young people, who are a critical force in any movement. [On Friday] there's a big conference at the University of Maryland called Power Shift [ http://www.powershift07.org]. There will be thousands of young people there. Two thousand have already registered. . . . We're going to see extreme-climate events just keep happening. It's very scary. We cannot avoid climate change. The real thing we're trying to avoid is truly catastrophic climate change. That's the race we're on.