Indivisibles,

Earth Day began in 1970 with the largest single-day protest in history and its significance has been reaffirmed over the decades through actions like the 2016 signing of the Paris Agreement to address the looming climate crisis. So what does Earth Day mean in 2022?

Yesterday, corporations worldwide touted their commitment to a greener future (most, however, without dedicating themselves to concrete actions to make that goal come to pass.) The world took a moment to celebrate the beauty of our planet amid the hustle and bustle of daily life. 

President Biden signed an executive order to help protect old-growth forests nationwide, taking a step to preserve large trees which store vastly more carbon than their younger counterparts. This action is a strong step towards preserving the natural protections we have against climate change.

Is it enough?

Unfortunately, no. According to an April 4 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in order to hold global warming below 2 degrees Celsius -- a limit from the Paris Agreement that would still have drastic implications for our planet -- global CO2 emissions would need to peak by 2025. To achieve a safer 1.5 degrees Celsius limit, we would need to peak sooner. We have, at most, three years to stabilize our global emissions output in order to meet those targets and stave off the worst outcomes of a potential climate catastrophe. 

Daunting, right? It can feel like throwing a pebble in a stream as we do our parts to limit our personal emissions while corporations continue to burn through fossil fuels with no regard for the future of our planet.

But there is hope.

President Biden has the power to drastically ramp up our production of clean energy technologies and build out our renewable energy infrastructure with the stroke of a pen. Through the power of executive order, Biden could boldly steer us in the direction of a greener future while creating millions of good jobs in the process.

This is where you come in. 

The last week has been “Letter to the Editor (LTE) Week” here at Indivisible. We have encouraged you to submit LTEs to your local press addressing today’s pressing issues. LTEs are one of the few actions that work both ways -- they increase public awareness of an issue while also putting public pressure on our representatives to do more. We have seen five times the number of LTEs submitted this week as in weeks prior -- Indivisibles are stepping up and responding! 

Since yesterday was Earth Day, we wanted to give one more strong push on climate -- click here to submit a letter to the editor telling President Biden to declare a national climate emergency and fully invoke the Defense Production Act. Tell your local press why climate change must be addressed immediately. Describe the world you hope to leave for future generations. Challenge your representatives to push Biden to do everything he can to stem the tide of climate change (if you name them, even better, they’ll be more likely to see it).

We have three years to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, but we must act immediately to help communities who are already suffering due to this crisis. Three years feels like no time at all when you’re faced with changing a global culture. But, that means we have to start fighting tooth and nail to save this planet today. If you want to support Indivisible in this work and everything else we do, donate here today so that we can continue fighting for a better world. 

2025 is quickly approaching. The climate crisis is already here. We can’t afford to wait. Do your part to save this world today.

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team