Dear John,
We’re all reeling from the coronavirus pandemic. Right now, we need to prioritize communities’ health and well-being -- but instead, Trump is exploiting this crisis to line the pockets of Big Polluters.
We can’t let Trump and his cronies in Congress push a coronavirus stimulus bill that bails out polluting industries, such as Big Oil and Gas, cruise ships and airlines. We can’t let them use our own taxpayer money to help the corporations driving pollution and climate chaos.
So Friends of the Earth has sprung into action, launching an urgent new campaign to prevent Trump from bailing out Big Polluters. And we need your support.
We need your help to block Trump from exploiting COVID-19 to bail out Big Polluters. Donate $10 to our “Coronavirus Polluter Watchdog Fund” today!
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As author and activist Naomi Klein explains, right-wing governments and their corporate pals often take advantage of the disorientation in the wake of crises to push through predatory “solutions” that exploit and worsen existing inequities -- a process known as “disaster capitalism.”
We’re seeing this happening right now, with Trump and his cronies trying to enrich themselves at our expense.
For years, wealthy polluting industries have tried to evade and weaken environmental regulations, while getting billions of dollars in taxpayer money. Now, Trump is trying to hand a massive handout to these Big Polluters -- in Congress' coronavirus aid package.
Every dollar given to Big Polluters is another dollar that is not spent protecting communities and frontline responders at risk. And it’s another dollar spent propping up industries that harm the environment and climate. Instead, our taxpayer dollars should go to the most vulnerable people impacted by COVID-19 -- for things like paid sick leave, housing security, and immediate cash assistance.
So we’re pushing Congress to keep subsidies to fracking corporations out of coronavirus aid packages, and to prevent bailouts for polluters like the cruise ship and airline industries. And as one of the few environmental groups with expertise on the cruise ship industry, we have an important role to play.
With your support, we can stop this.
In 2017, we blocked Energy Secretary Rick Perry’s ludicrous proposal to bail out failing nuclear and coal projects. After 18,000 of our members like you spoke up, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission listened.
For years, Friends of the Earth members like you have taken on the most crucial issues of our time. Together, we can not only get through this crisis, but also seize this moment to push for the transformative changes we need.
We need your help. We can’t let Trump hide a massive handout to Big Polluters in coronavirus aid packages. Donate $10 to Friends of the Earth’s “Coronavirus Polluter Watchdog Fund” today!
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Thanks to support from Friends of the Earth members like you, we’ve been leading for years as a fearless voice for justice and systemic transformation. We know that our ecological crisis is intertwined with the crises of racial, economic and social inequities. Our bold voice is needed now more than ever, as these interrelated crises intensify with COVID-19’s spread.
Now we need to make sure that the U.S. economic response to the pandemic does not repeat the disastrous response to the 2008 financial crisis. Bailouts to Wall Street were focused on helping corporations and banks, while struggling workers lost their jobs and their homes. In the long run, the policies adopted in the wake of the 2008 Great Recession ended up worsening inequality, concentrating more wealth and power in the hands of the few, and demanding very little in terms of corporate accountability and reform.
We can’t let that happen again. If we don’t act now, we could lose a lot of ground and a lot of people could suffer.
But if we seize this moment, we can actually win major progressive victories. That’s because times of crisis can make the politically impossible suddenly possible. Remember: The original New Deal came about during a crisis like this one, in the Great Depression.
Thanks to supporters like you, Friends of the Earth is ready for this moment. We’ve been pushing for radical, systemic changes -- not merely what’s politically easy. Because the challenges facing our planet call for more than half measures.
With your support, we can stop Big Polluters from exploiting this crisis, and we can push for transformative change -- all while getting immediate help to those most impacted by this crisis. Donate $10 to Friends of the Earth’s “Coronavirus Polluter Watchdog Fund” today!
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Now is the time to push for the connected systemic solutions we know we need. The investments we make now should support long-term solutions that will build our resilience and prevent future crises, while also creating healthy, just and sustainable economies.
This pandemic is a reminder that we’re all human, and our own well-being is tied to everyone else’s -- especially the most vulnerable among us. We are, quite literally, all in this together.
In this moment of increased overwhelm, fear, and isolation, we must turn toward one another. Because the best antidote to hopelessness is action. Because together we have power. If we act now, we can create a better shared future for all of us.
Now is the time to fight harder than we ever have. With your support, we can rise to the challenge.
Donate $10 to Friends of the Earth's “Coronavirus Polluter Watchdog Fund” today!
If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:
Express Donate: $10
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Or, donate another amount
Regards,
Erich Pica,
President,
Friends of the Earth
