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John,
For many of us, a hallmark of this holiday is the unavoidable uncomfortable political conversations with family. Well, we thought we’d try to help make that a little easier this year.
When a relative starts saying nonsense like, “climate change isn’t real” or “the government should spend our money elsewhere,” here are a few real-world examples you can use to dispel that narrative and illustrate the importance of our mission to protect people and nature as one:
- The Climate Commitment Act (CCA) is an historic polluter-pay law which cuts carbon pollution and invests in local communities. Dollars generated by polluters are going right back into climate solutions across the state. Just this year, millions in CCA funds have been allocated to programs including forest management, clean transportation, tribal adaptation grants, and more.
- The extinction of salmon is a dire existential threat to businesses, fishers, Native Nations, and communities across the region. The ecological and economic devastation would be catastrophic, which is why the removal of four dams on the Lower Snake River is so critical. Salmon recovery helps all of us.
- Transitioning to a clean energy future is not always straightforward, and we must always consider environmental justice consequences – we saw this earlier this year with the state’s approval of a permit for the Goldendale Pumped Energy Storage project. This project will destroy irreplaceable religious and cultural sites of the Yakama Nation, going directly against tribal sovereignty and treaty obligations. Clean energy isn’t clean if it harms Tribes.
Of course, there is much more to each of these topics and beyond, but we hope it’s a helpful starting point.
Wishing you a happy, peaceful, and conflict-free holiday!
– The Whole Team @ Washington Conservation Action
