350 CHICAGO Newsletter
Your bi-weekly newsletter for all things climate-related
March 31, 2020
Good morning!
As we continue to live through the COVID-19 pandemic, new questions emerge over how optimistic we should be over its impact on climate. Climate emissions fall while world leaders postpone climate talks and commitments to emissions reduction goals.
A big congratulations to 350 Board Member Kyle Burkybile!
Congratulations to our 350 Board Member, Kyle Burkybile for being admitted as a 2020 Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI) fellow! In addition to other philanthropic efforts, Kyle has been a board member for 350 Chicago since early 2019. He hopes to use his career & skill set to help shift the energy economy towards renewables and advanced energy battery storage. Check out Kyle Burkybile on his LinkedIn page or visit his website, www.DoGood4Chi.com.
You can also check out the full list of CELI fellows here.
All 350 Members – Here’s how you can help pass CEJA (Clean Energy Jobs Act)!
Per our colleagues at the Illinois Sierra Club, here’s what you can do to push for the Clean Energy Jobs Act:
Right now, the best thing you can do is call your governor, state rep, and state senator and let them know that you support the Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA - Senate Bill 2132/House Bill 3624). Depending on whether your legislator is already supporting or cosponsoring CEJA, you can either thank them or encourage them to support/cosponsor the bill:
Find your legislators and their contact info here.
Find out if your state rep is a cosponsor of HB3624 here.
Find out if your state senator is a cosponsor of SB2132 here.
The Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition has some helpful info about CEJA here.
Source: GETTY
COVID Crisis Meets Climate Crisis
Right now everything in life is viewed through the COVID crisis lens, and rightly so. The world of climate activism is no exception. There has been a torrent of writing about the connections between these two crises and how future climate efforts will be affected. So much, in fact, that it is difficult to know where to start – but a communal human perspective through video is always a good entry point. Next up are words from our very own wise man, Bill McKibben, in this thoughtful piece that closes with these words:
“We seem to have a great deal of control, right until the moment that we don’t have any. Things can go very, very wrong, and very, very quickly. That’s precisely what scientists have been telling us for decades now about the climate crisis… That planets get sick slightly slower than populations do—over a few decades, not a few weeks—doesn’t change the basic calculation. Biology doesn’t really care what we think of it, any more than physics or chemistry does. Reality is capable of biting, and biting hard.”
Even though so much has temporarily come to a screeching halt, we still need to remain active and prepare for the battle after COVID. We hope to have a blog post for the next newsletter with more details, but right now we can focus on the
principles for a just recovery which will hopefully give
opportunities for green shoots to flourish.
“Every cloud has a silver lining.” This old adage has gained new popularity lately, with some people arguing that lower greenhouse gas emissions during the coronavirus pandemic are a “silver lining” for the climate. But James S. Murray
warns against this attitude in BusinessGreen: Not only are the lasting climate impacts of the pandemic uncertain, but idealizing such a disastrous event can easily hurt the climate movement’s message.
Can optimism be helpful, then? Former UN climate leader Christiana Figueres says yes. In an interview about their new book,
The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis, Figueres and coauthor Tom Rivett-Carnac call for
“stubborn optimism”—not a passive belief that everything will work out all right in the end, but a determination to act even in the face of overwhelming challenges. The question is not whether this pandemic is good or bad for the environment, but whether, amidst great suffering, our response has given us a glimpse into an economic system that could work in balance with climate goals necessary to maintain life on earth, writes Meehan Crist in the
NYTimes Opinion.
And even now, as we grapple with climate change and COVID-19, there is news to be optimistic about. The coal industry’s economic viability is
declining, and investors and insurers are
increasingly reluctant to finance it, making the transition to
wind and solar ever more cost-effective and appealing.
For a longer read, check out the
Grist 50. Each year, Grist honors 50 “Fixers” who are working to protect the planet in innovative ways. This year’s Grist 50 are an eclectic group, with projects that include an Earth-friendly bioplastic, an indigenous ecovillage, and a play dramatizing the Flint water crisis.
Upcoming 350 Chicago Meetings & Events
***Important: Please note that physical in-person meetings are subject to change due to the situation around COVID-19. Please contact committee leads for information regarding remote meeting arrangements.***
350 Chicago Research Committee Bi-Weekly Meeting
*See above bolded text regarding COVID-19.
Interested
in getting involved in the Research committee? Contact committee leads Alex McLeese for digital meeting
details.
4/4 Saturday – 10.00am
350 Monthly Meeting
In light of the situation around COVID-19, join us for our first-ever virtual monthly meeting! This is a great way to make positive connections with other environmental activists and get energized in the midst of a difficult time. We will be joined by leaders from the Illinois Youth Climate Strike, who will speak about their upcoming actions.
Note: if you prefer to use a telephone instead of your computer’s audio (speakers/mic), you may dial-in with the info below:
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago); Meeting ID: 689 044 431
350 Chicago Education Committee Meeting
*See above bolded text regarding COVID-19.
Interested in getting involved in the Education committee? Contact committee lead
Melissa Brice for more details!
Resources for Members
Stuck at home but still eager to learn and get involved in the climate space? Check out these online webinars and resources below!
Register for the Clean Energy Leadership Institute Webinars
4/2 Thursday – 6.00 - 7.00pm CST
CELI WEBINAR - EMISSIONS OVERSHOOT: The Role of Negative Emission Technologies and Solar Geo-Engineering in the Climate Crisis
4/29 Wednesday – 1.00 - 2.00pm CST
CELI WEBINAR – The Intersection of Climate Change & Equity
Lunch & Learn with the Illinois Environmental Council
IEC is teaming up with many of their affiliates, elected leaders and other experts to offer educational sessions about the issues facing our environment, food systems, infrastructure and good governance EVERY DAY during lunch through April 10.
Register and view the full schedule of events
here.
Check out the EU Energy Centre
In adapting to the current circumstances, the EEC is giving all participants the opportunity to advance their knowledge safely through distance learning with a limited 25% funding. Upskill now and gain a competitive advantage in the months to come. You can study 3 accredited online courses and achieve the EEC’s Renewable Energy Expert Certificate.
