Editorial Working Group

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MINUTES OF EDITORIAL BOARD MEETING  

11/25/2009
 
Attending:

Larry Roeder, Moki Kokoris, Judy Lerner (host), Bill Gellermann, Chuck Hitchcock., Jeffery Huffines.   Richard Jordan was absent.  

Dr. Scott Carlin and Aaron Etra were guests.

NEXT MEETING

July 10, 2008.  3pm, 420 East 54th Street, Apt 31a.  Might start earlier.  See notes.

TIMELINES:
 

Timelines were posted on the Deadlines Page.  Editors who have not completed their work need to be reminded.

1.      August, 2008.   Drafts of chapters are due.  The Editorial Committee then uses the period between then and October to coordinate edits with the various Coordinators, as well as make sure that the introductory chapters are completed and the design of the Report.

2.      October 15, 2008 --- edited chapters, introduction, and two lead chapters go to Executive Committee and Congo.

3.      November 15, 2008 --- alterations from Executive Committee and Congo due; if none are received by that date, we will assume that there are none to be made.  

4.      December 1, 2008 --- Report to the Secretary General --- Larry said he would see if he and Jeffrey could set up a meeting where the Chapter Coordinators and the Editors the editors might attend.  If all of the Coordinators are not allowed in the same room for the official handover, it was recommended that a reception; but that the Secretary General be invited.  Similarly, these also dates apply to the Chairman of the IPCC.

URGENT ACTION

Larry is to submit a summary progress report to Richard Jordan by Thursday for use in the ExCom.  The plan is to regularly make such reports to ExCom.

BIBLIOGRAPHIC AND REFERENCE ISSUES

Chuck Hitchcock reported that he had talked to a number of the chapter editors and agreed on a font and style for the bibliographic references, lists and will now develop that information for Larry to post.  This will be submitted in Word, Arial 12 pitch.  This work also needs to be coordinated with Bill Gellermann, who in the previous meeting had agreed to work on expanding how we list information on participating organizations.  The recommendation by Chuck, which was accepted, was that each organization would be allowed to submit a paragraph of 4-5 lines and an email and web address..

POST REPORT PERIOD

Larry reminded the group that production of the Report to the Secretary General is but one deliverable.  This led to a general discussion and an agreement that a special meeting just on this topic will be held by the Editorial Working Group in the Near future.  The next meeting is scheduled  for July 10^th, which will cover normal Business. It may make sense to have a separate meeting the following day on this topic, as the discussion will be lengthy, or begin the discussions earlier in the day than the normal 3pm time.  Recommendations are requested.  Send them to Larry Roeder at roederaway@yahoo.com.

Some of the post report suggestions that have been received so far are – in no special order.

1.       Incorporate the project, in order to allow it to raise money on its own.  This will be important in the future given the agreement with DPI that the project would be self-sustaining.  If the Working Group is amendable to this, Larry is prepared to submit the appropriate paper work to the IRS.

2.       How is it Done Paper  An effort to develop a post Conference paper and collaborative effort has never been done before.  To make any future such project easier, the group asked Larry to develop a short paper that examines how this effort was done and include a set of recommendations for future editorial bodies.  (This paper might actually be included as part of the report).

3.       Regional Conferences  Several of the organizations have long seen the post period as a way of expanding the influence of civil society, DPI and CONGO in other regions of the world.  To that end, it may make sense to hold small regional gatherings that expand the discussions begun in the report and partner with other climate change initiatives.

4.       DPI Briefing in 2009  The group agreed to ask Geoffrey to request DPI to allow the project to make a special DPI briefing in 2009 in order to draw attention.

5.       Marketing   A paper needs to be developed on how to market the work of the coalition.

CHAPTERS IN DEVELOPMENT AND NEWS

1.       National Security and Global Security Issues Were combined into the War Chapter led by Judy Lerner’s working group.  The new text was also submitted to the group and will be posted within the week.

2.       Report to Secretary General Event:  Jeffery Huffines is looking into how best to set this up. to set up appointment with Secretary General for Editors.

3.       Spirituality and the Environment:  Dr. Scott Carlin, Associate Professor of Geography, Earth and Environmental Science, Long Island University, made a request to set up a chapter that examined how spirituality could be used as a tool to fight climate change and protect the environment.  Spirituality was one of the topics raised by a number of participants at the DPI Conference; so the Working Group endorsed the recommendation; however, cautioned that the chapter can’t advocate a spiritual belief system or that people must be spiritual – given that participants in the climate change discussion come from many faiths and are even agnostic and atheist at times.  All of those belief systems must be respected.

As part of the discussion of the Spirituality chapter, Bill Gellermann suggested he might be able to combine some of his ideas for a new chapter into Carlin’s.  The two agreed to work on that idea. 

• Bill’s ideas were framed this way. “ One item we need to discuss at Thursday's meeting is my Group's proposal for a chapter under the heading "Leveraging Global Unity."  For now all I (and my Group) need is an OK to proceed so we can draft something for closer consideration.

• • As I've said, our purpose in the Chapter is to get more specific about a comprehensive approach to coping with the problem -- and the essence of that approach -- in contrast to the generalities of the Tipping Points Chapter.   As I conceive the chapter, I expect we will focus more specifically on:

  •  1) leveraging   --  recognizing that in complex systems there are tipping points we can influence to change the system's functioning so it moves in the direction we want it to move. [Not all "tipping points" are "leverage points" we can influence.  Among other questions we expect to address are, "Where are the key leverage points in our global system and how can we address them effectively?"]

  •  2) global challenge --  acknowledging that:

    •  a)  "climate change" is a global problem (potential catastrophe, including increasingly severe weather, flooding, tornadoes, and hurricanes, which we may already be experiencing) and

    •  b) although particular solutions to particular problems in particular places will be important, coping will require a global orientation (including recognizing that "solutions" for one location's problems can cause problems for other locations).

  •  3) global unity --  ultimately the "solution" will require [at least that will be our contention] unifying all the people of our global community to collaborate in "defining" and "solving" the problem.

    •  One view I would like to emphasize is that described by Willis Harman [in Global Mind Change] -- and supported by an increasing number of well-informed people [such as the 27 people interviewed in Toward a New World View  by Russell E. De Carlo].  For example, Harman says:

    •  "Perhaps the only limits to the human mind are those we believe it."

    • "Throughout history, the really fundamental changes in societies have come about, not from dictates of governments ... but through vast numbers of people changing their minds -- sometimes only by a little bit."

    •  Our aim is to develop that view further, with the goal of identifying and supporting the kind "global mind change" that seems to be required to cope with the dangers of the climate change crisis.  Simultaneously our aim will be to take advantage of the opportunity to stimulate the global unity that will be fundamental to our ability to cope.

 UNFINISHED BUSINESS

·         Moki Kokoris is contacting the Explorer's Club about possible partnership.

·         Multi-Generational and Youth Chapter:  Richard Jordan plans to discuss with the CONGO Office in New York.  (The Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship to the United Nations ) Richard was unexpectedly absent from the meeting.  This will be handled in the next meeting.

·         Advocacy Chapter.   It was agreed to approach Al Gore on this chapter.  That still needs to be done.

·         Proliferation Chapter was dropped, as not needed.  This topic can be handled in the Sustainable Energy Chapter, to the extent that chapter deals with Nuclear Power as a potential source of energy.  Sustainable Energy:  Moki Kokoris will co-chair working group.   Michel Clerc of Droit a l'energie SOS Future has expressed an interest in joining this chapter.  This needs to be brought together.  Larry Roeder and Moki will discuss how to proceed on this.

·         Poverty: Chapter will be combined with Sustainable Development, which will be developed by Richard Jordan.  Richard was absent from the meeting.