Dear NRDC Activist,

No doubt about it, 2020 has been a challenging year.

Our nation is being ravaged by a pandemic that has taken the lives of more than 258,000 people and and has left millions more ill. Racial injustice has reached a boiling point, with a nationwide call for equality and an end to police brutality against Black people ringing louder than ever. Millions of people are out of work, and our economy is suffering. All of these issues are exacerbated by the devastating impacts of the worsening climate crisis.

In a year of so much darkness and pain, it may be difficult to find something to be thankful for this year, especially when many of us will not be sitting down with our loved ones over a holiday meal.

But hope is on the horizon. As we break for the Thanksgiving holiday, I will be personally giving thanks that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be inaugurated as our next president and vice president in just a few short months.

With Biden and Harris at the helm, NRDC stands ready to help build a brighter, healthier, more equitable, and prosperous world. And this hope-filled future would not have been achievable without millions of people — including NRDC supporters like you — making their voices heard and their votes count.

So I will also be giving thanks for you. Because we did this together. We elected leaders who will tackle the climate crisis and fight for racial justice and equity.

This was a year of hard work — but it's not over yet.

Donald Trump is not out of the White House yet and continues his efforts to wreak havoc on our environment, climate, and health, even in the final days of his presidency. In fact, just this past week, Trump pressed ahead with climate-busting plans to force open the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil and gas development before Biden takes office. And many Trump administration agencies are rushing through plans to solidify anti-environment measures and to make it harder for the President-elect to nullify their attacks on clean air, clean water, our health, and communities.

But rest assured — NRDC is ready to fight back, just as we've always done, and will continue to do, right up until Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are inaugurated on January 20, 2021.

And from that point on, we are going to be focused on turning promises into progress.

The Biden/Harris climate plan is the strongest climate plan we've ever seen from any administration in our nation's history. And NRDC is working to make sure the new administration gets started on day one making that plan a reality by rebuilding our federal agencies, reversing Trump's environmental rollbacks, restoring U.S. climate leadership at the international level, and more.

So as we look toward a new year that brings with it a promise of hope and change, I am so grateful for the millions of climate voters across our nation who elected a new administration that will tackle the climate crisis, and put health and equity at the forefront.

NRDC remains as committed as ever to building that better world. And I am thankful that NRDC supporters like you continue to fight alongside us.

Have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving.

With thanks,

Gina McCarthy
President, NRDC