Author Archives: Ed Fallon

In defense of survival, is any action too radical?

July 25, 2019 by Ed Fallon
318 comments
Dear Friends, Earlier this month in testimony about climate change before the British Parliament, renowned naturalist, David Attenborough, said, “We cannot be radical enough in dealing with the issues that face us at the moment.” Indeed, as people wake up to the utter urgency of our situation, it’s easy to understand how desperation might set in. I witnessed that five years ago on the Great March for Climate Action, when marchers proposed actions that, to me, seemed crazy: Blocking Chicago commuter trains at rush hour. Continue reading →

An error of judgement

July 18, 2019 by Ed Fallon
404 comments
Dear Friends, This past weekend, Bold Iowa held an action intended to dramatize the severity of the climate crisis. Our inspiration came from students in Germany, who stood on melting blocks of ice in a gallows with nooses around their necks. Our message — As the Arctic melts, the climate noose tightens — was well received by many. Yet we inadvertently hurt some individuals whom we had hoped to inspire, either because the image of the noose raised the specter of lynchings or because it kindled sadness over a Continue reading →

Climate warnings from the North

July 11, 2019 by Ed Fallon
325 comments
Dear Friends, With human survival on the line, we all need to be as fully engaged as possible. There’s just no way to sugar-coat it: Earth’s climate news is not good, especially up North: Wildfires burned across the Arctic last month. Anchorage recorded a record-high temperature of 90 degrees. Greenland is seeing unprecedented ice melt. It’s easy to feel despair, but we can’t give up. The stakes are too high. Now more than ever, we need climate action at both the personal and political levels. Continue reading →

Bold Iowa to Host Climate Debate

June 28, 2019 by Ed Fallon
423 comments
Bold Iowa today announced it will host a debate this fall specifically focused on the climate crisis. Bold’s 270 Iowa Caucus volunteers, known as Climate Bird Dogs, are shifting their focus to get Democratic presidential candidates to commit to participate in the climate debate, even at the risk of being barred from future DNC-sponsored debates.

Bakken Oil Fuels Chinese Repression

June 27, 2019 by Ed Fallon
No comments
Dear Friends, Last week, Bold Iowa achieved a small victory in regard to the Dakota Access Pipeline. Dakota Access wants to drastically increase the flow of oil across Iowa — from 570,000 barrels per day to 1.1 million! The carbon emissions from this increased capacity would be the equivalent of thirty coal-fired power plants. Our planet simply can’t take any more. The only path to sanity and survival is to leave the oil in the ground and quickly reduce our fossil-fuel consumption to net zero. Continue reading →

A Candid Assessment of Some Presidential Candidates

June 19, 2019 by Ed Fallon
369 comments
Dear Friends, Remember how the Republican field shifted in the 2012 and 2016 Iowa Caucuses? The lead changed so many times that emergency rooms across Iowa saw a drastic increase in whiplash cases. Ok, I made that last part up. But seriously, remember one-time 2012 front runner Herman Cain? I didn’t think so. How about 2016 flash-in-the-pack leader Ben Carson? Or shoe-in-for-the-nomination Scott Walker? And oh, how I miss Michele Bachmann. The horde of Democrats running for president this year may or may not experience Continue reading →

Dakota Access Proposes to Increase Oil Flowing Through Iowa

June 13, 2019 by Ed Fallon
35 comments
“Dakota Access’s proposal raises so many unanswered questions it is not possible for Bold Iowa, the general public, the IUB, nor concerned state and local elected officials to fully grasp the impact of the proposed expansion without adequate time and study. The involvement of landowners along the route, Story County residents, and all Iowans concerned about the broader impacts of the pipeline is essential. Thus, Bold Iowa requests that the IUB hold a public hearing in Story County where DA officials and IUB representatives are available to answer any and all questions from Iowans who have concerns about DA’s proposed expansion.”

Dakota Access Announces Pipeline Expansion

June 13, 2019 by Ed Fallon
No comments
Dear Friends, As predicted, Dakota Access (DA) announced yesterday that it wants to increase the amount of oil flowing through its pipeline across Iowa. DA claims it needs no additional authorization from the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) to proceed. Bold Iowa disagrees. Today, we filed the following request with the IUB. We need YOU to take action, too. Here’s our five-step action request, which should take you about half an hour. It’s important, and your voice is needed NOW! 1. Read Dakota Access’s filing. 2. Continue reading →

Climate activists arrested blocking access to Trump fundraiser

June 11, 2019 by Ed Fallon
40 comments
“With the recent science-based prediction of a million species facing extinction by the end of the century - very likely including human - we have a moral duty to do everything we can to halt and reverse the growing greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. And we now know we have a very short window of a dozen years in which to do it,” said Miriam Kashia of 100Grannies for a Livable Future.

Protesters prepare for President Trump’s visit to Iowa, call out his climate denial

June 10, 2019 by Ed Fallon
78 comments
"Fresh off his trip to Britain, where President Trump found new ways to embarrass us with his profound climate illiteracy, the Denier-in-Chief makes a rare visit to Iowa. We’ll be there— peacefully, nonviolently, yet with determination,” said Ed Fallon, director of Bold Iowa. “We’ll impress upon the attendees the urgency of the climate crisis, and encourage them and the President to accept the reality of climate change and take action.”