Dear John,
Tens of millions of people across the majority of the East Coast and Midwest have been dealing with hazardous air quality caused by unprecedented wildfires in Quebec, where almost 10 million acres of forest are burning.1
It was during the peak of this crisis that New York experienced its worst air quality on record, canceling outdoor events and sending students home for virtual learning, and in Washington, D.C., where the right-wing-controlled Congress is trying to repeal climate advocacy actions, it was harmful to breathe the air.2 And the haze didn’t stop there–it spread through Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa.3
Add your name: Wildfires are fueled by climate change, and President Biden must declare a climate emergency now!
This public health disaster is an undeniable effect of the climate crisis, as catastrophic wildfires will become only more extreme as our climate warms. That's why it's critical for President Biden to do everything in his power to prevent this crisis from getting worse and help communities mitigate the current impacts of climate change. Declaring a climate emergency would unlock a range of executive actions and provide a guiding principle to mount the scale of response that we're depending on, bringing more of the power of the federal government to bear in combating this crisis and keeping our communities safe.4
Sign the petition demanding that President Biden declare a climate emergency now.
Sign Now
Republican legislators are committed to advancing a world powered by fossil fuels (read: dirty energy that overheats our planet) to help their Big Oil friends make record profits. In response to these latest massive wildfires, Fox News brought on a coal and tobacco shrill to spread lies that smoke from the wildfires pose “no health risk” and that the wildfires have “nothing to do with climate change.”5 It’s clear they will go to any length to deny the climate crisis, for their own gain, and we need President Biden to act boldly for the rest of us.
The science is clear: We need to make sweeping changes to save as many people as possible from climate catastrophe. Will you add your name to call on President Biden to declare a federal climate emergency?
Thanks for all you do.
–MoveOn
Sources:
1. "Air quality concerns continue as Canadian wildfire smoke covers the Northeast," NBC News, June 8, 2023 https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nyc-officials-announce-advisories-5-boroughs-alarming-air-quality-conc-rcna88090
2. "New York City air becomes some of the worst in the world as Canada wildfire smoke blows in," CBS News, June 7, 2023 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-york-city-second-worst-air-quality-in-world-canada-wildfire-smoke/
3. "New round of smoke from Canada fires prompts air quality alerts across the Upper Midwest," CNN, June 15, 2023 https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/15/weather/canada-wildfires-air-quality-upper-midwest/index.html
4. "Biden could unlock new powers by declaring a ‘climate emergency,’" Al Jazeera, July 27, 2022 https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/7/27/biden-could-unlock-new-powers-by-declaring-a-climate
5. "With Canadian wildfires, Fox News follows its COVID playbook," Media Matters, June 8, 2023 https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/canadian-wildfires-fox-news-follows-its-covid-playbook
PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG CIVIC ACTION
