Power Shift
Encyclopedia
For the book by Alvin Toffler
, see Powershift: Knowledge, Wealth and Violence at the Edge of the 21st Century
. For the driving technique, see Powershifting
.
Power Shift is an annual youth summit which has been held in Australia
, Canada
, the United Kingdom
and the United States
. Other Power Shift Conferences are also being organised by members of the International Youth Climate Movement
including Africa
, Japan
and India
. The focus of the events is on climate change policy.
. The second American
conference occurred two years later on February 27 to March 2, 2009.
Following on from the success of the American format, the Australian Youth Climate Coalition
organised a Power Shift event in Sydney
, Australia
on July 11 to July 13, 2009. Similarly, the UK Youth Climate Coalition
has scheduled the first British version of the event to run from October 9 to October 12, 2009.
The aim of the Power Shift Conferences is to build the youth climate movement in their respective nations, which is achieved through workshops, expert panel discussions, keynote speakers, and a lobby day or a "Day of Action" as it is alternatively known.
, a rally of between 2,000 and 3,000 people on the steps of the Capitol building
and a Lobby Day. The event was also attended by a number of keynote speakers which included Al Gore
. The main aim of the first conference was to urge elected officials to pass legislation which would include three planks taken from the platform of the climate advocacy coalition 1Sky
:
On February 27 to March 2, 2009, the second American Power Shift Conference took place. Similarly to the first summit, it included workshops, panel discussions, and speakers focusing on addressing climate change and environmental justice
. Casper ter Kuile the co-director of the UK Youth Climate Coalition states that it is more than a youth movement, it is "social movement
" . This time, keynote speakers included Van Jones
, Bill McKibben
of 350.org
, Ralph Nader
, and Speaker of the House
Nancy Pelosi
.
The third American Power Shift took place April 15 to 18, 2011 in Washington, D.C. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The conference had over 10,000 attenders. People came to support various environmental movement
s, many in protest of President Barack Obama
's weakness on environmental issues. Guest speakers included former U.S. vice-president
Al Gore and environmental advocate Van Jones
.
were organized under the name PowerShift by the 20/20 Vision Education Fund, a 501(c)3 organization based out of Maryland. (They were not affiliated with the 2007 and later Power Shift conferences organized by the Energy Action Coalition
.) Over 250 people participated in the first conference which took place in Kalamazoo, MI on April 1st, 2006 and featured former Central Intelligence Agency
director Jim Woolsey giving a keynote speech on U.S. oil dependence and national security
. The conferences also featured a simulated energy wargame called Oil Shockwave
, developed by non-profit groups Securing America's Future Energy (SAFE) and the National Commission on Energy Policy. The website for the conference series has been taken down, but is viewable using the Internet Wayback Machine.
, GetUp
and Greenpeace
, organised the Australian Power Shift Conference on July 11 to 13, 2009. Guests included the swimmer Ian Thorpe
and the actress Brooke Satchwell
. The event concluded with a gathering outside the Sydney Opera House
.
In 2010, the AYCC has planned three Power Shift Conferences in Adelaide
, Canberra
and Geelong. In 2011, the AYCC is hosting Power Shift Conferences in Perth
and Brisbane
.
event was held from October 23 to October 26, 2009 in Ottawa
, Ontario
.
in London
. Modelled on a similar event to one organised by the Australian Youth Climate Coalition
and carrying the same name as the Energy Action Coalition
event in the USA, the event intended to develop the youth climate movement and provide young people with training on public speaking. The training was based on the techniques developed by Marshall Ganz
, a civil rights activist who is credited with devising the successful grassroots
organizing model and public narrative training for 2008 Barack Obama
presidential campaign. The Power Shift event intended to serve as a feeder to the International Day of Action organised by 350.org on October 24.
Alvin Toffler
Alvin Toffler is an American writer and futurist, known for his works discussing the digital revolution, communication revolution, corporate revolution and technological singularity....
, see Powershift: Knowledge, Wealth and Violence at the Edge of the 21st Century
Powershift: Knowledge, Wealth and Violence at the Edge of the 21st Century
Powershift: Knowledge, Wealth and Violence at the Edge of the 21st Century is the third book in a trilogy written by the futurist Alvin Toffler, following on from Future Shock and The Third Wave. The hardcover first edition was published October 1, 1990. ISBN-10 0553057766....
. For the driving technique, see Powershifting
Powershifting
Powershifting is a method of shifting used with manual transmissions to reduce the time where the driving wheels are not powered....
.
Power Shift is an annual youth summit which has been held in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Other Power Shift Conferences are also being organised by members of the International Youth Climate Movement
Youth Climate Movement
The Youth Climate Movement or International Youth Climate Movement refers to an international network of youth organisations that collectively aims to inspire, empower and mobilise a generational movement of young people to take positive action on climate change.- Formation :Since the Rio Earth...
including Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The focus of the events is on climate change policy.
History
The first Power Shift conference was held from November 2 to 5 2007, in Washington D.C., and was organised by the Energy Action CoalitionEnergy Action Coalition
The Energy Action Coalition is a North American non-profit organization made up of 50 partner organizations in the U.S. and Canada that runs campaigns to build the youth and student clean energy movement and advocate for tangible changes on local, state, national and international levels in North...
. The second American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
conference occurred two years later on February 27 to March 2, 2009.
Following on from the success of the American format, the Australian Youth Climate Coalition
Australian Youth Climate Coalition
The Australian Youth Climate Coalition is a youth organisation in Australia. The coalition consists of 25 other youth organisations, which includes the National Union of Students amongst many...
organised a Power Shift event in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
on July 11 to July 13, 2009. Similarly, the UK Youth Climate Coalition
UK Youth Climate Coalition
The UK Youth Climate Coalition is a grass-roots, non-profit youth organisation in the United Kingdom. The organisation is run entirely by unpaid volunteers, who are all under the ages of 25....
has scheduled the first British version of the event to run from October 9 to October 12, 2009.
The aim of the Power Shift Conferences is to build the youth climate movement in their respective nations, which is achieved through workshops, expert panel discussions, keynote speakers, and a lobby day or a "Day of Action" as it is alternatively known.
American Power Shift conferences
The first Power Shift Conference took place from November 2 to 5 in 2007 with between 5,000 and 6,000 students and young people in attendance. It is claimed that due to the number of young people who attended the conference, it became the largest activist youth event on climate change in history. At the University of Maryland, College ParkUniversity of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
, a rally of between 2,000 and 3,000 people on the steps of the Capitol building
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
and a Lobby Day. The event was also attended by a number of keynote speakers which included Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
. The main aim of the first conference was to urge elected officials to pass legislation which would include three planks taken from the platform of the climate advocacy coalition 1Sky
1Sky
1Sky is a United States based campaign in support of federal action to stem global warming and promote renewable energy.1Sky was founded in the spring of 2007 when thirty climate campaigners were on a retreat in the Hudson Valley of New York state...
:
- The creation of a 5 million-strong Clean Energy Job Corps
- The reduction of greenhouse gases to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, which scientists say is the baseline for mitigating the worst effects of global warmingEffects of global warmingThis article is about the effects of global warming and climate change. The effects, or impacts, of climate change may be physical, ecological, social or economic. Evidence of observed climate change includes the instrumental temperature record, rising sea levels, and decreased snow cover in the...
- A moratorium on new coal plants and divestment from fossil fuelFossil fuelFossil fuels are fuels formed by natural processes such as anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms. The age of the organisms and their resulting fossil fuels is typically millions of years, and sometimes exceeds 650 million years...
and highway subsidies.
On February 27 to March 2, 2009, the second American Power Shift Conference took place. Similarly to the first summit, it included workshops, panel discussions, and speakers focusing on addressing climate change and environmental justice
Environmental justice
Environmental justice is "the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, sex, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies." In the words of Bunyan Bryant,...
. Casper ter Kuile the co-director of the UK Youth Climate Coalition states that it is more than a youth movement, it is "social movement
Social movement
Social movements are a type of group action. They are large informal groupings of individuals or organizations focused on specific political or social issues, in other words, on carrying out, resisting or undoing a social change....
" . This time, keynote speakers included Van Jones
Van Jones
Anthony Kapel "Van" Jones is an American environmental advocate, civil rights activist, and attorney. Jones is a co-founder of three non-profit organizations. In 1996, he founded the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, a California non-governmental organization working for alternatives to violence...
, Bill McKibben
Bill McKibben
William Ernest "Bill" McKibben is an American environmentalist, author, and journalist who has written extensively on the impact of global warming. He is the Schumann Distinguished Scholar at Middlebury College...
of 350.org
350.org
350.org is an international environmental organization, headed by author Bill McKibben, with the goal of building a global grassroots movement to raise awareness of anthropogenic climate change, to confront climate change denial, and to cut emissions of one of the greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide,...
, Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader is an American political activist, as well as an author, lecturer, and attorney. Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer protection, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and democratic government....
, and Speaker of the House
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives...
Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi is the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives and served as the 60th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011...
.
The third American Power Shift took place April 15 to 18, 2011 in Washington, D.C. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The conference had over 10,000 attenders. People came to support various environmental movement
Environmental movement
The environmental movement, a term that includes the conservation and green politics, is a diverse scientific, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues....
s, many in protest of President Barack Obama
Presidency of Barack Obama
The Presidency of Barack Obama began at noon EST on January 20, 2009 when he became the 44th President of the United States. Obama was a United States Senator from Illinois at the time of his victory over Arizona Senator John McCain in the 2008 presidential election...
's weakness on environmental issues. Guest speakers included former U.S. vice-president
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
Al Gore and environmental advocate Van Jones
Van Jones
Anthony Kapel "Van" Jones is an American environmental advocate, civil rights activist, and attorney. Jones is a co-founder of three non-profit organizations. In 1996, he founded the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, a California non-governmental organization working for alternatives to violence...
.
The 2006 PowerShift Conferences
In 2006, a series of student conferences on energy securityEnergy security
Energy security is a term for an association between national security and the availability of natural resources for energy consumption. Access to cheap energy has become essential to the functioning of modern economies. However, the uneven distribution of energy supplies among countries has led...
were organized under the name PowerShift by the 20/20 Vision Education Fund, a 501(c)3 organization based out of Maryland. (They were not affiliated with the 2007 and later Power Shift conferences organized by the Energy Action Coalition
Energy Action Coalition
The Energy Action Coalition is a North American non-profit organization made up of 50 partner organizations in the U.S. and Canada that runs campaigns to build the youth and student clean energy movement and advocate for tangible changes on local, state, national and international levels in North...
.) Over 250 people participated in the first conference which took place in Kalamazoo, MI on April 1st, 2006 and featured former Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
director Jim Woolsey giving a keynote speech on U.S. oil dependence and national security
National security
National security is the requirement to maintain the survival of the state through the use of economic, diplomacy, power projection and political power. The concept developed mostly in the United States of America after World War II...
. The conferences also featured a simulated energy wargame called Oil Shockwave
Oil Shockwave
The Oil Shockwave event was a policy wargaming scenario created by the joint effort of several energy policy think tanks, the National Commission on Energy Policy and Securing America's Future Energy. It outlined a series of hypothetical international events taking place in December 2005, all...
, developed by non-profit groups Securing America's Future Energy (SAFE) and the National Commission on Energy Policy. The website for the conference series has been taken down, but is viewable using the Internet Wayback Machine.
Australian Power Shift conferences
Two years later in 2009, the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, in partnership with the University of Western SydneyUniversity of Western Sydney
The University of Western Sydney, also known as UWS, is a multi-campus university in the Greater Western region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
, GetUp
GetUp
GetUp! is a left-leaning Australian activist group that campaigns on issues important to its members. It was launched in August 2005, the week that the Coalition took control of the Australian Senate....
and Greenpeace
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
, organised the Australian Power Shift Conference on July 11 to 13, 2009. Guests included the swimmer Ian Thorpe
Ian Thorpe
Ian James Thorpe OAM , nicknamed the Thorpedo and Thorpey, is an Australian swimmer who specialises in freestyle, but also competes in backstroke and the individual medley. He has won five Olympic gold medals, the most won by any Australian, and with three gold and two silver medals, was the most...
and the actress Brooke Satchwell
Brooke Satchwell
Brooke Kerith Satchwell is an Australian actress, model, and environmental spokesperson.-Early life:The first of two children of Andrew Satchwell, a real estate agent and Jane Satchwell, a school teacher. Satchwell has lived on the Mornington Peninsula for most of her life...
. The event concluded with a gathering outside the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
.
In 2010, the AYCC has planned three Power Shift Conferences in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
and Geelong. In 2011, the AYCC is hosting Power Shift Conferences in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
and Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
.
Canadian Power Shift conference
The CanadianCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
event was held from October 23 to October 26, 2009 in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
UK Power Shift conference
From 9-12 October 2009, the UK version of Power Shift was held at the Institute of EducationInstitute of Education
The Institute of Education is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom specialised in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It is the largest education research body in the United Kingdom, with...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Modelled on a similar event to one organised by the Australian Youth Climate Coalition
Australian Youth Climate Coalition
The Australian Youth Climate Coalition is a youth organisation in Australia. The coalition consists of 25 other youth organisations, which includes the National Union of Students amongst many...
and carrying the same name as the Energy Action Coalition
Energy Action Coalition
The Energy Action Coalition is a North American non-profit organization made up of 50 partner organizations in the U.S. and Canada that runs campaigns to build the youth and student clean energy movement and advocate for tangible changes on local, state, national and international levels in North...
event in the USA, the event intended to develop the youth climate movement and provide young people with training on public speaking. The training was based on the techniques developed by Marshall Ganz
Marshall Ganz
Marshall Ganz is a lecturer in public policy at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He worked on the staff of the United Farm Workers for sixteen years before becoming a trainer and organizer for political campaigns, unions and nonprofit groups...
, a civil rights activist who is credited with devising the successful grassroots
Grassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
organizing model and public narrative training for 2008 Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
presidential campaign. The Power Shift event intended to serve as a feeder to the International Day of Action organised by 350.org on October 24.
See also
- Politics of global warmingPolitics of global warmingThe politics of global warming have involved corporate lobbying, funding of special interest groups and public relations campaigns by the oil and coal industries which have affected policy decisions and legislation worldwide...
- Youth Climate MovementYouth Climate MovementThe Youth Climate Movement or International Youth Climate Movement refers to an international network of youth organisations that collectively aims to inspire, empower and mobilise a generational movement of young people to take positive action on climate change.- Formation :Since the Rio Earth...
External links
- American Power Shift 2007
- American Power Shift 2009
- http://powershift2011.org