Copy
Logo

Dear <<First Name>>—

Welcome to the first issue of The Climate Activist, brought to you by a group of diverse and dedicated volunteers. For almost three years, we've been stressing the urgency of local action to reduce climate warming emissions and to increase carbon sequestration. And we've created actionable information to help climate defenders move from a sense of urgency to action. For instance, we:

  • Hosted a renowned polar scientist in one of our webinars;

  • Created a freely accessible repository of actions that cities across the country are undertaking to mitigate the climate crisis, complete with contact information;

  • Wrote a series of articles covering such varied topics as species interdependency and electric vehicles;

  • And administered an awards program aimed at recognizing local activists who take bold climate action.

Each quarter, this newsletter will highlight some of the most relevant information to help you make an impact at the local level. Plus, it will be your link to the experiences of other climate activists across the country who are making the transformational changes needed to restore a safe and stable climate.

Please feel free to forward this email to others in your circle. And do let us know if you would like to join our team. We’re always looking for people with the skills to help everyone understand that time is not on our side, and that action is required.

Powerful together,
The Climate Emergency Mobilization Team

P.S. Mark your calendar for our next webinar on August 24th at 5PM (PDT) “Mobilizing Regional Climate Action - Successful strategies and lessons learned from two counties in two different states.”

Photo: Markus Spiske

Source: NOAA Climate.gov

We are overwhelming the natural processes for removing CO2 from the atmosphere. The level of CO2 is higher than any point in at least the last 800,000 years. The last time so much of the gas – 420 parts per million – was in our sky was during the Pliocene era, 3 million years ago, when the climate was hotter by 3.6°–5.4°F above the pre-industrial era, and the sea level was 50-80 feet higher than today. We must do everything possible to begin cooling the Earth – ending fossil fuel production and removing CO2 from the atmosphere. The graph above is based on air bubbles from mile-deep ice cores and other paleoclimate data. (Source: NOAA Climate.gov based on data from Lüthi, et al., 2008, via NOAA NCEI Paleoclimatology Program.)

Want your local government to do more to address the climate crisis, but don't know where to begin? The Climate Emergency Mobilization (CEM) Team has created a Toolbox of Climate Actions that have been implemented in communities across the United States.

Advocate for protected bike lanes, a local ban on natural gas infrastructure, a program like Portland's Clean Energy Fund to help get energy retrofits done on low-income housing, or use any of the additional tools in the Toolbox.

Let us know what you think. And, please alert us to any actions that we might add to the Toolbox.

Photo: Ed Harvey

Electric vehicles are great but they can — and will — be even better

Electric vehicles (EVs) have been slowly gaining ground since the Tesla came on the scene. What’s not to like about getting around without spewing CO2 into the atmosphere? But as with other new technologies, there are issues, and solutions. The future appears bright for EVs, especially in these three areas:

  • New innovations in mining, battery technology and recycling techniques may ultimately generate clean energy and decrease demand for the minerals linked to human rights abuses.

  • New technology is likely to lead to lighter batteries, and ultimately cars, thus decreasing pollution and increasing safety.

  • While fossil fuels remain the primary source of energy required to charge EVs, the shift to renewables is happening and a cleaner grid is on the horizon.

Continue reading >>

How to convert a climate denier (Spoiler alert: Stop trying to convert!)

It can be tough to bite our tongue and avoid adamant lectures when a friend or family member is unwilling to see the logic behind the science of climate change. But a heated argument can be the worst approach.

Continue reading >>

We can do something about climate-caused extinction — our animal friends can’t

The data is stark and dismal: As a result of climate change, “one-third of all animal and plant species could face extinction by 2070.” This is a direct result of the myriad of effects of global warming, including the destruction of nesting areas, the spread of invasive species, damage to aquatic ecosystems, less food, and less successful reproduction. Even if we stop climate change right now, some species and habitats have already suffered irreparable damage. Many animals have shifted their range and altered the timing of key life stages in order to deal with climate change. While these adaptations have helped preserve some species, other plants and animals have already become extinct. The only real solution is to reverse the effects of climate change.

Continue reading >>

The Missing Lynx - One species’ survival story

The population of the unique-looking Canada lynx, with its tufted fur at the top of its ears, has diminished significantly in North America, and its survival within the U.S. is in jeopardy due to habitat destruction and climate change. While the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services removed the lynx from its protected species category, conservation groups are working to protect the cat’s critical habitat from damage or destruction in an effort to stabilize populations. But more needs to be done to protect this majestic big cat.

Continue reading >>

Source: Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett. 2022, 9, 4, 345-350

Left: Mortgage loan appraisal practice in U.S. cities in the 1930s, which defined investment risk in terms of four grades: green representing lowest risk, followed progressively by higher risk areas depicted in blue, yellow, and red ("redlined").

Right: Ongoing exposure to increasing levels of nitrogen dioxide tracks consistently with neighborhoods graded disparately in the 1930s.

Study: 80-Year Old Racially Discriminatory Policy Continues to Impact Air Pollution Disparities

While air quality has improved in the United States over the past several decades, communities of color, particularly Black and Hispanic Americans, continue to be exposed to higher levels of air pollution than whites, according to a new report.

In this first-of-its kind study, the researchers found that levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5), contribute to health problems and premature mortality in historically “redlined” neighborhoods.

Redlining was a discriminatory mortgage appraisal practice that mapped real estate risk according to home values, proximity of industrial facilities, and the presence of racially marginalized populations such as Black people and immigrants. The legacy lives on today in neighborhoods containing a disproportionate share of pollution-emitting infrastructure, including roads, rail lines, industrial facilities, and ports.

These findings indicate a strong need for addressing exposure inequities and identifying solutions that benefit disparately impacted communities.

Learn more about this study >>