Dear John,

Climate Justice Alliance has always stood against imperialism, colonization and oppression. This includes opposing all forms of violence, war and genocide. 

As environmental justice communities based in the United States, we call on Biden and the US Congress to demand an immediate end to the violence by actively working for a ceasefire within the region. 

We stand firmly on the side of peace and support the Palestinian people's right to self-determination, decolonization and life. Read our full statement here and learn about what's happening in your area here.

Last month, environmental justice communities came together in person at the 2023 Celebrate Our Power Member Convening, hosted by the Kheprw Institute, a community based organization focused on building community wealth through self-mastery in Indianapolis, Indiana!  CJA's 88 member organizations celebrated, danced, and strategized together, all in support of boldly moving towards the next 10 years of building Just Transitions in all of our communities, cities and states. Thanks to everyone who joined us and supported this inspiring gathering within the environmental justice movement. Stay tuned for a video highlighting the convening later in the year!

Earlier this month, Climate Justice Alliance supported and attended the second annual Making Waves Summit in Guåhan organized by the Micronesia Climate Change Alliance and their partners in the region. It brought together over 100 participants from Turtle Island (the U.S.), Hawaii, Japan, Micronesia and New Zealand who gathered to talk openly about increased militarization and climate impacts in the region. 

Over the course of two days, grassroots organizers attended breakout groups to share proven community climate solutions and develop a declaration of Peace and Unity. While the declaration is still in the drafting stage and won’t be available until November 20th, it will include specific calls to action in the following areas: establishing a peace and prosperity zone in the Pacific, demanding Indigenous sovereignty, decolonization and cultural healing, environmental health and ecological regeneration as well as Just Transition, recovery and climate justice. 

Climate Justice Alliance and the New School’s Tishman Environment and Design Center will support the Declaration which will be presented at the United Nations annual climate meeting, COP28, later this year.

Reinvest in Our Power, CJA's ambitious campaign to move philanthropic and investment resources into frontline climate solutions through the Our Power Loan Fund (OPLF) and other non-extractive loan financing vehicles, has raised over 2 million for the Our Power Loan Fund, has supported CJA members in securing additional financing for their projects, and has commitments to significantly increase and grow the OPLF in the next year. Co-Executive Director Marion Gee wrote of the imperative for philanthropy to support Just Transition in the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy's summer issue on climate justice. 

This summer, we also launched the Regenerative Economies Network with fellow network members Seed Commons, NDN Collective, People's Solar Energy Fund, Invest Appalachia, Appalachian Solar Finance Fund, New Economy Coalition, Mountain Association, and The Chisholm Legacy Project, to build power and coordination around moving public funding available for climate projects to community-led climate solutions grounded in justice, equity, and sustainability. Network members shared this transformative approach in a webinar briefing at the Peoples' Climate Week in New York in September. Watch the recording here. View the slides here.

This summer, Creative Wildfire, the cultural organizing collaboration between Climate Justice Alliance, Movement Generation, and New Economy Coalition, announced the artists and organizations selected for the 2023-24 cohort. Seven artists have been paired with seven frontline climate and economic justice organizations to build relationships and collaborations that embody our liberatory values. Meet the artists and organizations here.

This summer, we also organized a day of action in Chicago with Earthjustice, Just Transition Northwest Indiana (JTNWI), Chicago Jobs with Justice, and others, to demand the EPA close a loophole that allows toxic coal ash to remain in communities across the country. 

Read stories of the folks living on the frontlines of coal ash here. Learn of JTNWI executive director Ashley William's story about the impact of coal ash on her home's Lake Michigan, and the importance of holding corporations accountable for cleaning up their messes. Read more here.