From 350 US:
There's no doubt that we are living in
scary and heightened times. Just as we know that climate grief and climate
anxiety can take a very physical toll, so too can political news. So we
encourage everyone to do what they need to ground themselves, process and
channel the anxiety, and rest up so they can keep on in our collective pursuit
of justice. I hope as you read this you're able to take a breath, and know
you're in community with us wherever you are.
You can find resources and trainings for activist care and resilience here.
As we have seen dominating the headlines,
this weekend there was an attempted assassination on the former U.S. President
Trump that tragically killed a bystander, and also caused multiple injuries,
including to Trump. We
condemn all forms of violence and mourn the loss of life.
We also continue to mourn lives lost
to all forms of political violence, including genocide and ecocide.
We remain grounded in the knowledge
that violence and destruction are at the crux of what we are fighting —
the violence of a powerful few deciding that whole regions, whole populations,
are expendable in the name of profit. That, and the decisions that system leads
to, are also deadly. And we seek to end them and to usher in a better, more
sustainable, renewable, and life-giving way.
The complex reality is that most political violence targets
vulnerable and frontline communities, whether climate defenders
in Colombia and Brazil, or folks resisting toxic pollution in the Gulf of
Mexico. We recognize that there is inherent risk in championing justice. There
is no getting around that, and political violence is likely to continue in the
coming weeks and months.
This political violence is laying bare the
contradictions in U.S. society right now. We have a country in which guns are
considered more important than people, the Supreme Court believes it has the
ability to legislate from the bench, and elected representatives deny electoral
results and the reality of science. We are also facing the uncertainties of
whether our nation's leaders are able to lead.
The most powerful interests in the world
would rather we cowered from the uncertainty and backed away. And that's why we
need to do the opposite. We need to keep calling out the corporate and
governmental entities that perpetuate injustice.
So, we are continuing to mobilize and to
connect the dots both in the U.S. and globally. This month, we're joining
Summer of Heat in New York to push back on the East African Crude Oil Pipeline
(EACOP). This week, we also launch REPower Afrika to speed up the global shift
away from fossil fuel projects like EACOP to distributed, community-owned
renewable energy. Next month, 350 groups will be taking action across the
nation to hold utility companies accountable for price-gouging and refusing to
transition to clean energy. And we know that over the next few months,
thousands of us will be encouraging friends, neighbors and strangers to vote.
As we keep on in challenging times, it can
be hard for any of us to assess where our energy is most needed. We vow to stay
true to our mission, to move into action and provide opportunities for you to
join and lead, and to stay nimble in our movement for intersectional climate
justice.
In my Jewish faith, there is a verse that
says "You are not obligated to finish the task, but neither are you free
to desist from it." We need you.
Our team will be right there with you,
sharing resources so you can assess risks and maximize safety, while urging us
all to think about how we rise to this moment. In our own work and upcoming
actions, we will plan for and maximize participant safety every way we can. We
will also continue to offer virtual options for taking action from home.
I continue to have hope and to be buoyed by
all of you. Our movement is strong and growing. There is a growing collective
appetite for a just and more livable world.
Arundhati Roy reminds us,
"Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I
can hear her breathing."
It might not be a quiet day, but she is
still coming, waiting for us to usher her in. And at the precipice of deep,
healing, systemic change, there is often upheaval. Our task is to make sure
that the tide turns for the better. That's why 350 was founded, and that's why
we continue with renewed resolve.
Find
resources for activist care and resilience here,
and stay tuned for more recommendations.
With grace and care,
Jeff Ordower
North America Director
350.org
From Third Act:
In the wake of the election, we hold our working principles close to heart. Third Actors are capable people who have been around the block a time or two. We know how to regroup, and we won’t back down!
“You can’t wring your hands and roll up your sleeves at the same time.”
Former U.S. Representative Pat Schroeder
Follow the links below to news and events on our working group website and elsewhere. As we all adjust to challenging times, we hope you’ll find information and resources that inspire you!
Volunteer to virtually ballot cure in California state races with TAWA’s democracy partner, Common Power. We’re still pushing hard in California to narrow the Republican majority in the House. Ballot curing will continue through November 30.
Sign up for training in state legislative advocacy. On December 12, former state legislator Mary Lou Dickerson and longtime climate activist Selden Prentice will lead a 60-minute online training on how to Zoom to Olympia and make a compelling case for the climate with state legislators.
Celebrate the big win on I-2117 that preserves our state’s Climate Commitment Act! Read about the amazing contributions that Third Actors and others made to defeat I-2117 and a link to an explanation of how cap and trade / cap and invest programs work.
Learn how I-2066 will face a challenge in court. This initiative blocks the state and local governments from taking steps to reduce and restrict natural gas service in homes and buildings.
Check out a graph that shows how far behind Puget Sound Energy is falling in meeting renewable energy targets set by the state legislature. TAWA’s Power Up team collaborated with other advocates in opposing PSE’s recent proposal to reduce their targets.
Be inspired by Jeff Johnston, co-president of TAWA's partner PSARA, past president of the Washington State Labor Council, and part of the US labor delegation to the 2015 Paris climate talks. Jeff makes the case that unions have an imperative to do everything possible to divest their pension funds from fossil fuels.
Take heart from Bill McKibben’s essay, An America-sized hole in the world. Bill offers his perspective on maintaining global momentum in the energy transition and reminds us that we, the American people, still have a key role to play.
Contemplate a reading shared by national Third Act strategists Deborah Moore and Mike Johnson from the book To Bless the Space Between Us-A Book of Blessings, by John O’Donohue, Irish poet in the Celtic spiritual tradition.
“Setbacks are unavoidable, but giving up is unforgivable. This is not the end of our fight for a cleaner, safer planet. Facts are still facts. Science is still science.
The fight is bigger than one election, one political cycle in one country. This fight is bigger, still, because we are all living through a year defined by the climate crisis in every country of the world.”
John Podesta
Senior U.S. Advisor for International Climate Policy
United Nations COP29 / Azerbaijan
From 350.org Climate Justice:
Our incredible conversation last night entitled “Indigenous Resistance to Colonialism, Militarism, and Climate Crisis.” This call was hosted by 350 US and the National Priorities Project, as part of the Global Week of Action for Peace and Climate Justice.
As we enter a new phase of US-led and supported war against the people of Palestine and the Middle East, this conversation highlighted the key connections organizers across movements are making around war and militarism and the climate crisis. We heard about how the historical and ‘hidden’ genocide in the Congo continues to occur for developed nations to profit off of renewable energy technologies. We learned that while Pacific Islands are sinking with rising waters, US-led militarism is destroying the wildlife, customary ways of living, and testing weapons to be used across the world in places like Palestine. And we learned how the livestreamed genocide in Palestine is not just an attack on a people, but an attack on the planet.
You can access the recording here.
Here are some key resources and action items from our guest speakers. We encourage you to join their listservs to learn more about and stay connected to their critical work!
With love and solidarity,
Nico and Taylor for the 350 Team (with Hanna and Alliyah from NPP)
Nico Udu-gama
[email protected]
Signal: +1 (202) 446-6632
