Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the US, a holiday that’s very much about sharing gratitude. So, we wanted to take a moment to share some gratitude with a few of our US partner organizations for the great work they’re doing to create a 350 future. We are also incredibly grateful for the thousands of organizers across the United States – who organized over 2,000 actions in every state on Oct. 24th, making it the biggest day of action in the country’s history. We hope you’ll join us in showing gratitude by taking action with 3 of our friends below!
Thank you GreenforAll!
Green For All has been working hard on the House of Representatives’ climate and clean-energy legislation. They recently broke it down in an easy new graphic: Learn what’s good, what’s lacking, and what’s green about the climate and energy legislation — and win climate art via a Twitter contest.
Thank you Sierra Club!
The Sierra Club is working to support the Environmental Protection Agency in holding coal plants (mega polluters and major contributors to global warming) responsible for their share of the dirty air. The EPA is proposing The Big Polluters Rule to crack down on the worst offenders, but they need your help. Right now the bill is open to public comment — and your comment of support can help make the Big Polluters Rule a reality! Take action here.
Thank you Mobilization for Climate Justice!
On November 30th, the Mobilization for Climate Justice is coordinating a day of action on climate justice across the US — one week before the upcoming UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen. Nov 30th also marks the 10 year anniversary of the WTO protests in Seattle. In San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle & other cities activists will gather together for grassroots actions–many have asked if these protests are aimed at shutting down the UN, which is many ways unlike the WTO. Instead of aiming focus on the UN, the N30 protests will call out the fossil fuel companies and investors who have made record profits, and spent millions to lobby against strong climate policy. Meeting local activists on Nov. 30th is also a great way to connect with people to support and join your Dec 11th vigils. Find a Nov 30th action near you.
We’re extremely grateful for the work of our partners and allies in the US, especially as the US represents a major obstacle yet holds so much potential to be a real leader on the global climate crisis. Writer Rebecca Solnit beautifully articulates the important role of US citizenry (of which US orgs are composed) in fighting for climate action in an article "Learning how to Count to 350" published yesterday. Here’s a relevant excerpt:
The “we” that could win and needs to win in the climate change wars isn’t the United States itself…
"The citizens of the U.S. need to revolt, again, against their nation’s failure of vision and responsibility, in solidarity with the rest of the people of the world, and the animals, and the plants, and the coral reefs, and the coastlines, and the rivers, the glaciers, the ice caps, and the weather as we now know it, or once knew it…
"Everything is going to change either as runaway climate change takes hold, with its concomitant destruction and suffering, or because a set of programs will be embraced that forestall the worst and return our planet to an atmospheric carbon level of 350 parts per million, now considered the necessary standard to avoid environmental catastrophe."
We couldn’t continue to build and support this movement without the organizations and organizers who work tirelessly everyday to get us closer to a safe and sustainable future. Thank you, and a happy Thanksgiving.