Dear John,

It’s hard to believe that it’s almost 2020.

This year will mark a full decade for me as a professional climate organizer. I hate to admit it, but I remember telling someone in the fall of 2010 that “if I still need to be doing this work in five or ten years, that means we’re screwed.”

And as you can see, I am still doing this work. Because I still need to be. And I’ll probably still be doing this work in 10 years.

I’m not going to sugarcoat it: things are not looking good. We missed key windows for action and we are not on track to meet the goals scientists say we need to meet to have a livable planet.

But I’ve also seen tremendous movement growth over the past decade. I’ve seen 350 Mass grow from an idea to a network with 4 nodes to a network with 18 nodes, capable of shutting down coal plants, passing ambitious policies in towns and cities all over the state, and blocking new gas pipelines. I’ve similarly seen divestment expand from an idea to a global movement that has moved over $12 trillion in capital away from fossil fuels while training and empowering Generation Green New Deal. The climate movement in Massachusetts and the United States has grown so much. And what we’re doing is working.

We’re not completely screwed because it’s not an all or nothing game. We need to work on tilting the odds as much in our favor as possible. The longer we can push off climate impacts, the more we can reduce our pollution, and the more humane and just we can make society in the meantime, all of these things will lessen the blow, give us more time and better resources to adapt, and give us better odds of building a better future.

I know it’s not the most hopeful message to receive in this season of good tidings. But it’s an honest one.

And here’s another honest one: to do our best work, to have our best chance, we need your financial support. As the decade comes to a close, please think about where you want us to be in another 10 years, and give to support that future.

Because, no matter the odds, the future is always worth fighting for.

Craig S. Altemose
Executive Director
Better Future Project