Friend,

We have a narrow window of time to stop irreversible harm to our climate.

Without urgent action, the fossil fuel industry will continue to drive climate change (and related disasters like flooding), poison and pollute communities, and violate Indigenous rights.

In Congress, Senator Joe Manchin—who personally profits from the coal industry—is holding back progress on our Build Back Better Act, pushing to cut necessary funding for climate action out of the bill. Over the weekend, I joined Michigan climate activists supporting our bold and necessary bill, including its transformative funding to transition our electric grid to clean energy and create millions of green jobs.

But President Biden doesn’t need to wait on conservative, corporate Democrats. He can take action immediately.

That’s why today, activists across the country are building on last week’s mobilizations in front of the White House, demanding that President Biden use his executive authority to stop fossil fuel projects and declare a climate emergency.

Please sign the petition to President Biden, asking him to take urgent climate action by stopping new fossil fuel projects, declaring a national climate emergency, and acting to deploy 100% clean, safe, renewable energy.

Activists are demanding President Biden act right now, ahead of the United Nations climate summit in November.

Here are their demands for President Biden:

1. Stop approving all fossil fuel infrastructure projects, including pipelines such as Line 3. Follow through on the promise to ban federal fossil fuel leasing and drilling on public lands and waters.

2. Declare a national climate emergency and launch a just, renewable energy revolution.

A new report found that President Biden could immediately halt 24 fossil fuel projects, which would prevent annual greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 400 coal-fired plants.

Ending the fossil fuel era is necessary to ensure a livable climate, and also to protect public health and enact environmental justice.

Due to generations of environmental racism, communities like my majority-Black district often live near fossil fuel production sites. We’re forced to breathe heavily polluted air, which can result in serious health harms including cancer. We’ve had to fight corporate polluters who too often get away with treating our community like a dumping ground. The people most impacted by this crisis often go unheard.

The solution is clear: Our government must act now to transform our extractive, systemically racist economy to one that’s just and renewable.

After declaring a climate emergency, President Biden can do just that—including by invoking the National Emergencies Act and the Defense Production Act. Then we’d be able to target resources and jobs for frontline communities, who are hit first and worst by environmental destruction.

Our communities cannot wait, but our government is not acting with urgency. Fortunately, President Biden can act now. Will you join activists across the country in asking him to take urgent action?

Sign the petition today to demand that President Biden stop approving all fossil fuel infrastructure projects and declare a national climate emergency—before it’s too late.

In solidarity,

Rashida