Join us at 10 am this Saturday, December 3 for our annual Year-End Membership Meeting! It will be held in-person at the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge, which is located at 454 West 155th Street (between St. Nicholas & Amsterdam). As is our tradition for the year-end meeting, we will look back on all that we were able to accomplish this year and give you a preview of what we have planned for next year, including an overview of our key policy initiatives and programs as well as ways you can get more involved in our work.
We are excited to announce the launch of the Justice40rward campaign! This is a community-led effort to ensure transparency and collaboration between elected officials, municipalities, and those who live in disadvantaged communities. It starts with making sure people, including local and state officials, understand the Justice40 Initiative, announced by President Biden in January 2021, and informing them about the billions of federal dollars in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Inflation Reduction Act, and other appropriations that can be accessed to address environmental injustices in their communities. Learn more about the campaign, watch our video about Justice40rward, and share our Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter posts!
Important Decision on Loss and Damage at COP27
Negotiations at COP27 led to a breakthrough deal at the end of the UN Climate Conference. Delegations agreed to create a fund for developing countries to address “loss and damage" - a term for irreversible harms caused by climate change, especially those felt in developing nations. This is extremely important because wealthy countries have contributed to most of the world’s emissions while developing countries suffer most of the impacts. This is a huge step for climate justice on a global scale. This also demonstrates the impact of having a space for climate justice in the Blue Zone of COP for the first time ever with our Climate Justice Pavilion. The Blue Zone is where most diplomats and policymakers gather. It's also where climate justice voices need to be.
While the conference made a huge decision for climate justice, world leaders failed to come to a decision on reducing carbon emissions. This failure puts off for another year critical global action needed to address the climate crisis and prevent catastrophic warming.
Photo courtesy of Chris Jacobs at EarthJustice
Justice40 Screening Tool: Peggy Shepard was quoted in a White House press release about the Administration’s new and updated Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST), which will be used to better identify communities eligible for Justice40 funding.
COP27: Dana Johnson was quoted in this article from The Washington Informer on the "loss and damage" decision at COP27, the failure of a decision to reduce global emissions, and the impact of the Climate Justice Pavilion.
Climate Justice Pavilion: Dr. Bob Bullard, a close WE ACT partner and co-host of the Climate Justice Pavilion at COP27, sat down with Inside Climate News to discuss the important impacts of the pavilion at the UN Climate Conference.
WE ACT Mourns the Loss of Rep. McEachin
We are saddened by the loss of Representative McEachin this week. We worked with Representative McEachin as he co-lead the Environmental Justice for All Act and stood by us to block the Dirty Deal. He was a tireless environmental justice champion whose passion for his community, public service, and the climate were deeply rooted in his faith and commitment to justice. He has left behind a legacy for environmental justice that will on. He will be deeply missed.
Join the Healthy Homes Working Group!
The Healthy Homes working group will begin virtual monthly meetings again starting on Tuesday, January 10th and will meet every second Tuesday. Join the working group to learn about hazardous exposures in your own home, and strategize to advocate for safer and healthier homes for everyone.
As you may have noticed, the WE ACT team has been growing and we need your help to continue this growth! We are looking to hire the following positions:
In our New York City office:
Director of Environmental Health
Chief of Staff
Energy Justice Policy Specialist
Bilingual Community Organizer
In our Washington, DC office
National Coalition Director
National Coalition Manager Federal Regulatory Affairs Manager (Attorney)
Policy Director, Clean Air & Water (Attorney)
Senior Communications Manager
Visit weact.org/careers to download the job descriptions and apply for any of these positions. Join our team!
