May 2024: Building a Clean Energy Workforce in Illinois, EcoFest, and a Call to Action

In This Issue

• Upcoming Events

  • 5/22- SPEAKER SERIES: CEJA Webinar with Linda Larson

  • 5/30- 350 Chicago Happy Hour

  • 5/31- IEC’s ‘Civics for Environmentalists’

  • 6/1- 47th Ward Eco-Fest

  • 6/10- SPEAKER SERIES: The Dark Side of Light with Ken Walczak

• In Brief

  • World Temperature “Blasting Past” 1.5 degree target

• Main Article

  • CALL TO ACTION: Ask President Biden to Declare a Climate Emergency

Events

Looking to stay on top of 350 Chicago’s event calendar? We list events, protests, speakers, team meetings, and more on our Meetup page here: 350 Chicago Meetup

CEJA Webinar

• Wednesday May 22nd, 7:00pm - 8:00pm

• Online Registration: HERE

Illinois passed CEJA (Climate and Equitable Jobs Act) in 2021 and established a goal to reach 100% carbon-free power by 2045. But what does it take to get there and what does it mean for Illinois’ existing workforce?

For answers to these pressing questions and more, please join us on May 22nd at 7:00pm where Linda Larson, Associate Director of Research at the Climate Jobs Institute, will discuss how CEJA’s workforce programs could transform our state’s clean energy workforce. For those unable to attend but still interested, please register and you will receive a recording of the talk afterward.

350 Chicago Happy Hour

• Thursday May 30th, 6:30pm - 8:30 pm

• District Brew Yards, 417 N. Ashland Avenue Chicago, IL 60622

Hey there, eco-enthusiast! We’re excited to invite you to our first Happy Hour of 2024, where you can meet like-minded individuals, share ideas, and learn more about 350 Chicago. This is a perfect opportunity to unwind, enjoy some great drinks, and get to know each other in a casual setting. Whether you're a long-time supporter of 350 Chicago or new to the cause, we’d love to have you join us and bring your friends along too! Let’s enjoy a great evening together, forge new connections, and find out how we can fight for decarbonization in Illinois and beyond.

IEC’s ‘Civics for Environmentalists’

• Friday, May 31st, 12:00pm - 1:30pm

• Online registration HERE

Per the Illinois Environmental Council:

We're back again with Civics for Environmentalists, this time for the City of Chicago. Our own Iyana Simba teams up with Daley Strategy's Managing Director Tiffany Sostrin to dive into the ins and outs of Chicago's City Council. In this informative session, you'll not only gain a comprehensive understanding of Chicago's political landscape, but also acquire skills essential for advocating for local environmental initiatives and other causes that are important to you! Let's embark on a journey of empowerment and transformative civic engagement together! Attention Illinois attorneys: IEC is in the process of applying for CLE credit for this class.

47th Ward EcoFest

• Saturday June 1st, 10:00am - 2:00pm

• Welles (Gideon) Park

Join 350 Chicago at the 47th Ward EcoFest on Saturday June 1st from 10am to 2pm at Welles Park! EcoFest is an annual environmental festival that brings together small businesses, non-profits, and eco-friendly vendors from across Chicago for a day of learning, family-friendly activities, and fun focused on a sustainable future.

The Dark Side of Light: How Lighting at Night Impacts the Climate Crisis and much More

• Monday June 10, 6:00pm - 7:00pm

• Online Registration: HERE

For more than four billion years our planet has experienced bright, sunlit days followed by dark, star-filled nights. In a little more than a century we've upended that natural pattern with the unconsidered introduction of electric light at night, which has been increasing at a rate of 10% per year. What are the ramifications of our transformation of the night? Ken Walczak, Senior Manager of Far Horizons, a scientific research and engineering program at the Adler Planetarium, will explore a broad range of impacts of light pollution including its connections to climate change and other ecological areas, health, and economic and social justice.

In Brief

World’s top climate scientists expect global heating to blast past 1.5C target

As reported by the Guardian, top climate scientists already expect global heating to “blast past” the internationally set 1.5 degree Celsius target, and the vast majority of scientists (80%) foresee at least 2.5 degrees of global heating. These scientists envisioned a “semi-dystopian” future with famines, mass migration, heatwaves, wildfires, floods, storms, and other planetwide disasters exacerbated by the climate crisis.

CALL TO ACTION: Ask President Biden to Declare a Climate Emergency!

by Larry Coble

We are in a climate emergency right now. Scientists warn us that we’re rapidly approaching a level of climate change which will have drastic consequences for decades and generations to come. Fossil fuel production and combustion is the core cause of the climate emergency and it directly harms our communities and environment. So we’re urging all of our supporters to please send a message to President Biden and ask him to declare a climate emergency HERE: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

We know that burning fossil fuels causes:

• Premature deaths - One in five (that’s 20 percent) of ALL premature deaths worldwide - can be attributed to the burning of fossil fuels

• Climate disasters – droughts, fires, flooding, heatwaves, and more

What can Biden do to stop fossil fuels? 

• Stop approvals for new fossil fuel projects such as the rebuild of the Line 5 oil and gas pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac.

• End existing fossil fuel production on public lands and waters. 

• Restrict gas exports. 

A Climate Emergency Declaration: 

Allows the president to rapidly shift the U.S. off fossil fuels by: 

• Banning crude oil exports 

• Stop the flow of fossil fuel investment abroad 

• Roll out renewable energy and electric transportation funding   

No climate emergency declaration is complete without addressing the leading cause of the climate crisis–fossil fuels. We need President Biden to declare a climate emergency in order to scale back fossil fuels while also building out a more clean, just, and equitable energy system.