350 CHICAGO Newsletter

Your bi-weekly newsletter for all things climate-related

April 28, 2020

Good morning 350 Chicago! In today's letter we’ll be continuing our Elections Matter segment and providing resources from the climate community. As always, thanks for your continued support, we hope you are all staying safe and well!

- The 350 Chicago Team

350 Chicago has teamed up with Hero Power!

Offset 100% of your home's electricity usage with renewable energy at no extra cost vs. ComEd rates while also funding our group's environmental advocacy work. If you sign up using the below link, Hero Power will give you $25 off your first bill and donate $25 to 350 Chicago. Easy, fast and free to switch, there's never been a better time to make your home energy sustainable.

www.MyHeroPower.com/350

Source: Environmental Graphiti – The Art of Climate Change Exhibition - Alisa Singer – check out her full message and online exhibit at the bottom of the newsletter!

Elections matter

This will be a regular section until November with a focus on current Trump administration actions, Democratic proposals and the Biden campaign. The Trump administration continues to do almost all the wrong things:

Setting up an energy industry panel for COVID-19 recovery. This does not include a single representative from either the environmental community or the renewable energy sector (Energy.gov)
EPA rollback of Obama-era regulations for mercury emissions in coal plants (Independent). The current EPA is headed by former coal industry lobbyist Andrew Wheeler.
Weakening of Obama-era standards for auto emissions, which will lead to approximately 1 billion more metric tons of carbon emissions into the atmosphere (NPR)

Democrats argue for:

No bailout for fossil fuel companies in any recovery bill (The Hill)
A moratorium on new gas pipeline work (The Hill)

In addition, the Biden campaign had significant climate-related news this past week, including what looks like a move to make climate issues much more prominent. Vice President Biden has received a very detailed action plan from several former aides to Jay Inslee and Elizabeth Warren, and upon receiving Bernie Sanders' endorsement has formed a joint task force on climate with former Sanders advisors. Biden also received endorsements from Jay Inslee, Al Gore and a group of more than 50 scientists advocating for climate issues. Read more about Joe Biden and his track record for climate here.

Tipping point risks for ecosystem

Multiple outlets reported on a sobering new study published by Nature last week, in which scientists investigated how climate “tipping points” could lead to escalating biodiversity loss over the next few decades. Dividing the planet’s surface into a grid of 100-kilometer squares, the researchers mapped both wildlife ranges and projected temperature increases for each square. This let them predict when the species in each square would start to experience the effects of record high temperatures.

Their findings are alarming, to say the least: Extinctions could happen abruptly, creating a domino effect that leads to the collapse of whole ecosystems, as species are faced with temperatures to which they can’t adapt but are unable to migrate.

The study’s authors stress that it’s not too late to take action, and that “flattening the curve” applies to more than just COVID-19. Cutting carbon emissions now will delay species’ exposure to dangerously high temperatures and limit the amount of biodiversity loss at any given time, giving ecosystems a fighting chance.

Climate campaigners petition against bailouts as IATA seeks government aid

As COVID-19 continues to pummel airlines, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has been aggressively lobbying governments to introduce measures to soften impact of the coronavirus emergency on airlines, including the possibility of massive bailouts. In response, over 250 trade unions and environmental groups have signed an open letter opposing bailouts of the airline industry worldwide. The spokeswoman for the informal coalition of groups, Magdalena Heuwieser, issued a statement:

“For decades the aviation industry has avoided contributing meaningfully to global climate goals and resisted the merest suggestion of taxes on fuel or tickets…Now, airlines, airports and manufacturers are demanding huge and unconditional taxpayer-backed bailouts. We cannot let the aviation industry get away with privatizing profits in the good times, and expect the public to pay for its losses in the bad times.”

Upcoming 350 Chicago Meetings & Events

***Important: Please note that all meetings will be held virtually for the foreseeable future due to the situation around COVID-19. Please contact committee leads for information regarding remote meeting arrangements.***

5/2 Saturday – 10.00 - 11.00am CST
350 Chicago - General Monthly Meeting (Virtual)

Hero Power will be presenting on renewable energy credits at our next 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.

Join Zoom Meeting at https://zoom.us/j/99826951118
Meeting ID: 998 2695 1118
Password: 076747

5/12 Tuesday - 6.00 - 7.30pm CST

350 Chicago Research Committee Meeting

Interested in getting involved in the Research committee? Contact committee lead Alex McLeese for digital meeting details.

350 Chicago Education Committee Meeting

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!

Clean Energy Leadership Institute Webinars

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 30.

E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs) Newsletter & Webinars

Sign up here to become a member of the E2 community and get on their mailing list, under the ‘Join Now’ panel on the bottom.

Check out the EU Energy Centre

Make the most of your time at home and level up your career by studying the EEC’s Accredited Online Courses in Renewable Energy and Technology flexibly on your computer, mobile phone or tablet with a 1-on-1 live tutorial with an assigned lecturer.

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.

Online Graffiti Art Exhibit

From: alisa singer

Subject: Free Online Climate Art Exhibit for Earth Day

Message:
I am the artist and founder of Environmental Graphiti, a project which uses digital art created from climate change data to help communicate the science of climate change.

Environmental Graphiti – The Art of Climate Change is a series of digital paintings that use contemporary art to enhance public awareness and understanding of the science of climate change. Each piece in the collection of over 80 digital paintings appears to be abstract but is actually derived from a chart, graph, map, word or number relating to a key fact about climate change.

The Environmental Graphiti collection has been exhibited at museums, galleries, conferences and other venues and is held by dozens of universities (some of whom have large collections) as well as a major science museum in Toronto. The art is also featured on the cover of the major IPCC (UN) 2018 report, Global Warming of 1.5C.

Here is the link to the online exhibit.

The art is presented in the form of two PowerPoints with transitions between slides. It is comprised of 20 images divided into 4 categories: Why is our climate changing? How is climate change affecting our world? Who is at risk? What can we do to address climate change? Included with each image is the underlying data source and, in Version A, a slide explaining the message. Version B eliminates the explanatory messaging to create a shorter, more uninterrupted flow. The series concludes with a recent piece I created on climate change and coronavirus. Either version can be displayed, in whole or in part.

You are welcome to use the art, or feel free to share it with others that may find it worth considering. I only ask that you tell me if you decide to display it. (I’d like to know who is exhibiting and how they plan to do it.)

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