Hello John,

There’s a reason that a caring worldview – honoring the sacred – is at the center of the living economy we envision building through a Just Transition. It’s the foundation everything else is built off of: from stewarding our resources through regenerative practices to working together in cooperation and governing through deep democracy, it all serves to maintain ecological and social wellbeing.

We can’t build something new, something sacred, something living if we embrace hatred, death, and violence. Political violence is one of the many abhorrent ways the extractive economy reinforces itself. As Audre Lorde reminded us, "The master's tools will never dismantle the master's house." Part of our path forward is working together to ensure communities, and all of the people within them, are safe and can meet all of their needs.

This month our team has been fighting a dangerous rollback proposed at the EPA, highlighting the links between immigration and climate change, and showing up strong at NYC Climate Week. Learn more about all of this below. 

^{Elizabeth Yeampierre and KD Chavez at a lunch with CJA members and partners, opening New York City Climate Week at UPROSE’ Climate Justice Center.}

In the 2009 endangerment finding, the EPA acknowledged that current and projected greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere “threaten the public health and welfare of current and future generations.” This finding reinforced the Clean Air Act and was ultimately upheld by the Supreme Court.  

At a time when climate-fueled extreme weather events continue to ravage our communities – from flooding in Texas and wildfires in California, to super Typhoon Ragasa in China and massive floods in France, Italy, and Spain – the United States, the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases, needs to work harder to solve the problem, not pander to billionaires and powerful corporations. 

On September 21st we submitted this comment letter with organizations representing communities on the frontlines of climate change, joining every Democratic member of congress to demand that the EPA maintain the endangerment finding so it can continue to carry out its mandate and protect our health. To spread the word you can share this IG post and read our letter here. 

Just as a rising tide lifts all boats, migrant rights and climate justice benefit everyone.

They are also deeply interlinked — as climate change and the causes of climate change make homelands unlivable or nonexistent, more people will be displaced and migrate within or across borders.

Fighting for climate justice includes fighting for social systems to be accountable to the most vulnerable communities, because climate solutions are not solutions unless they ensure equitable access to, and self-determined, dignified and good lives for all. The frontlines draw the line — if they are sacrificed, it’s not worth it.

Earth is still our one and only home. We have a right to – and must actively – take stewardship of our planet and protect our right to exist and dream and be human by protecting our neighbors. 

Follow this link to share the IG carousel with your people. 

^{[Plane flying banner over Sunset Park, Brooklyn neighborhood protesting NYC Economic Development Corporation's BATWorks plan that community residents say has been top down and could usher in harm and displacement. Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images.]}

For nearly 60 years UPROSE has been promoting sustainability and resilience in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn. In 2023 they released GRID Plan 2.0, a bold, operational framework for a Green Resilient Industrial District in Sunset Park, and they are behind the city's first community-led solar project that’ll provide discounted energy to 200 homes and businesses. The solar project is being installed on top of the Brooklyn Army Terminal. 

In May, the NYC Economic Development Corporation announced the creation of, and major investment in, the BATWorks climate innovation hub at the Brooklyn Army Terminal. The initial announcement included partners from across the country, but it lacked involvement from the local community where this project is based. That is what inspired UPROSE to fly a banner over the Brooklyn Army Terminal this Saturday to close their week-long Climate Justice Lives Here! programming during NYC Climate Week. 

This intervention highlighted growing concerns from Sunset Park residents and advocates who oppose top-down development models that accelerate displacement and environmental injustice. The protest follows the release of UPROSE’s Mayoral Briefing on Climate Justice, which calls on city leadership to reject extractive development and adopt GRID 2.0.

“New York City cannot build its climate future on the backs of the very communities most impacted by environmental injustice. The BATWorks plan reflects a top-down model that sidelines frontline leadership and accelerates displacement,” said Elizabeth Yeampierre, Executive Director of UPROSE. “With GRID 2.0, we’re offering a real, community-rooted alternative—one that centers equity, creates good green jobs, and builds true climate resilience."

UPROSE is urging city leaders to prioritize a Just Transition that addresses inequality, climate disruption, and the erosion of good-paying industrial jobs—by centering frontline leadership in economic and environmental decision-making. They need a just, community-led approach to climate and economic policy in New York City.

At the same time, members and staff were busy ensuring that community and frontline voices were heard throughout Climate Week. Last Saturday our members at NJEJA hosted the beautiful FutureFEST and our very own KD Chavez started off the week with the BIPOC Climate Justice Summit. From panels on AI and data centers to film screenings and philanthropic discussions, along with rallies and fashion shows, we made sure our voices were heard.

Check out more of the events we were involved in here and highlights on our Instagram timeline here.