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Irma Omerhodzic
By Alison Cagle
Call it the "People's Climate March, Part III." On Saturday, Sept. 8, thousands of people are expected to converge on the streets of San Francisco to demand that government leaders commit to ending all new fossil fuel projects and accelerating the move toward renewable energy. The march is part of a global campaign calling for environmental justice and a "just transition" to renewable energy that protects workers and frontline communities. Satellite events will happen across the U.S. and around the world, including Indonesia, Turkey, Nigeria and the United Kingdom, among other places.
<p>"We're making sure that politicians see what diverse climate leadership must look like, to successfully serve the entire population of people who are actually affected by climate change," Antonio Díaz, organizational director for People Organizing to Demand Environmental and Economic Justice (<a href="https://www.podersf.org/" target="_blank">PODER</a>), said at an Aug. 8 press conference announcing the upcoming march. Representatives from labor unions, environmental justice groups, faith alliances, and immigrant rights organizations gathered in front of San Francisco's Ferry Building to deliver an unequivocal message: Climate justice cannot wait for a new administration in Washington, DC. Climate-related disasters are becoming the new normal, they said, and political solutions for adapting to them must include the protecting the communities most affected by disasters. </p><p>In comparison to previous Peoples Climate Marches in 2014 and 2017, a heightened sense of urgency surrounds the upcoming mobilization. The first People's Climate March took place in New York City in September 2014, on the eve of the United Nations General Assembly meetings, and marked something of a coming out party for the global climate justice movement: There were demonstrations in 162 countries, and the presence of some 400,000 people on the streets of Manhattan blew away organizers' expectations. The following year was full of heady expectations. Pope Francis published his landmark encyclical on the moral obligation of protecting communities from climate change, "Laudato Si" (Latin for "Praised Be," from a prayer by the pope's namesake, the patron saint of ecology). In December 2015, leaders from around the world signed the Paris climate agreement, a historic pledge to coordinate efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. "It was an exciting time for all of us," said Nana Firman, director of Muslim Outreach at <a href="http://www.greenfaith.org/" target="_blank">GreenFaith</a>, which has participated in all three marches, "to see leaders and communities around the world put their voices together [to say] that this is not just a political issue, but a moral and ethical issue."</p><p>By 2017, the political landscape had shifted—and not for the best. Newly inaugurated President Trump had signed an executive order rescinding the moratorium on coal mining on federal lands, and then-Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt was busy systematically trying to dismantle environmental protections at an alarming rate. On Trump's 100th day in office, tens of thousands of demonstrators united in Washington, DC for the second Peoples Climate March, to send a message to the White House and congressional leaders that <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/indigenous-communities-lead-massive-peoples-climate-march-dc" target="_blank">any attempts to retreat from action on climate would meet stiff resistance</a>.</p><p>Next month's march will take place under even more difficult circumstances. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/09/climate/summer-heat-global-warming.html?rref=collection%2Fbyline%2Fsomini-sengupta&action=click&contentCollection=undefined&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection" target="_blank">Even as global climate change is becoming impossible to ignore</a>, Trump administration officials continue to <a href="http://time.com/5366080/ryan-zinke-climate-change-california-wildfires/" target="_blank">deny basic climate science</a> while enacting policies that are blatantly influenced by fossil fuel interests. The situation is grim for environmental protection: the White House has announced its intention <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/trump-s-paris-withdrawal-one-year-later-all-noise" target="_blank">to abandon the Paris climate agreement</a>, <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/andrew-wheeler-he-still-big-coal-s-errand-boy" target="_blank">the acting EPA administrator is a former coal industry lobbyist</a>, and the Interior Secretary has <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/02/01/trump-administration-tears-down-regulations-to-speed-drilling-on-public-land/?utm_term=.96636ba6f1cb" target="_blank">opened millions of of acres of public land for oil and gas extraction</a>. </p><p>The upcoming march is a direct response to California Gov. Jerry Brown's highly anticipated Global Climate Action Summit, which begins in San Francisco on Sept. 12 and will draw government officials, civil society representatives, and business executives from around the world. (Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a major donor to the Sierra Club, is one of the co-chairs of the summit.) The march is part hello-welcome and part political challenge as protest organizers call on Gove Brown to prohibit any new oil and gas extraction and fossil fuel infrastructure in California. Organizers are asking the outgoing governor <a href="http://brownslastchance.org/" target="_blank">to "set a global precedent"</a> by phasing out oil and gas production and moving toward "a fair and equitable transition that protects workers [and] communities." Many of the environmental justice groups organizing the march have long been opposed to other Brown environmental policies such as California's greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program, which they say allows industry handouts on emissions permits while harming communities of color. </p><p> "Governor Brown's summit is a continuation of the market-based schemes that actually result in increased local pollution and emissions," said Gladys Limon, executive director of California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA). "While they purport to address the collective problems of climate change and reduce emissions in the aggregate, they continue the unconscionable practice of using [frontline communities] as sacrifices." </p><p>A key demand of the September march is for governments to create climate resilience strategies that protect frontline communities located in areas that can be disproportionately affected by climate change and yet are often without resources to rebuild after unprecedented natural disasters. Annie Dobbs-Kramer, organizer for voter engagement at <a href="http://northbayop.org/about/" target="_blank">North Bay Organizing Project</a>, was shocked by the connection between limited disaster relief and communities of color, low income, and immigrant families during the Northern California wildfires of 2017. "It was really apparent how climate change-related disasters create climate refugees," Dobbs-Kramer said. "The same people who get systematically exploited on a daily basis [become] even more so during climate disasters. It was appalling to see that." Families with English as a second language had little way of knowing where to obtain basic necessities, or how to find evacuee centers; low income residents were dependent on dwindling financial services, often from nonprofit organizations instead of municipal disaster funds. "[Climate change] is crystallizing the separation between the haves and have-nots," Dobbs-Kramer said. </p><p>March organizers argue that climate policies that make concessions to fossil fuel industries in the interest of long-term gains are ultimately ineffective, if the communities who are most exposed to climate change suffer in the short-term. "We will be … in solidarity with communities across the state and around the world," said Limon of CEJA, "to challenge and expose the flawed solutions that elected officials and industry have developed. Instead we will raise our voices for community-led solutions." </p><p>The organizers of the march have a blunt message for elected officials: "See you in the streets."</p><p> <em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/climate-defenders-mobilizing-for-3rd-people-s-climate-march" target="_blank">SIERRA Magazine</a>.</em><em></em></p>
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Following the epic April 29 Climate March for jobs, justice and climate, organizers are focusing on building powerful and lasting change at the local and state level.
<p>Organizers plan to harness the momentum from the Peoples Climate March back into their own communities to stop new fossil fuel infrastructure, secure commitments for transitioning to 100 percent clean energy, prioritize solutions in communities hardest hit by the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/">climate crisis</a> and pressure elected officials to choose a side.</p>
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="53877c6041903d9c4978f75e9c77de79"><div class="fb-video" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/EcoWatch/videos/10155307767682708/" data-allowfullscreen="true"></div></div>
<p>Last weekend, on the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/trump-first-100-days-2368417591.html">100th day of the Trump presidency</a>, more than 200,000 people <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/climate-march-expected-to-draw-massive-crowd-to-dc-in-sweltering-heat/2017/04/28/1bdf5e66-2c3a-11e7-b605-33413c691853_story.html?utm_term=.2f11564f734a" target="_blank">mobilized at the Peoples Climate March</a>, surrounding the White House to resist to the administration's attacks on people and the planet, and present a bold vision for the transition away from fossil fuels toward 100 percent <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/">renewable energy</a>. Enduring record heat, heavy rain, and driving snow, more than 370 sister marches took place across the country and around the world. Now, organizers are taking this power back to their communities. </p><p>"The best defense is a good offense. We know we'll get nothing but regression from the executive branch, so we're going to build power in every community across the country to fight for climate justice," said Jenny Marienau, <a href="http://350.org/" target="_blank">350.org</a> U.S. campaigns director.</p><p>"The <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/trump-watch/">Trump administration</a> spent its first months in office rolling back hard-won protections of our communities and our climate. We spent it developing a shared vision of the transition away from fossil fuels toward a 100 percent clean energy that works for all of us."</p><p>In the lead-up to the Peoples Climate March, <a href="http://350.org/" target="_blank">350.org</a> <a href="https://act.350.org/sign/local-action/" target="_blank">launched a pledge</a> to harness the energy of the hundreds of thousands of people already mobilized for the march and channel it back into campaigns for lasting local change. </p><p>"We learned invaluable lessons in the fights for <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/divest">fossil fuel divestment</a> and against the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines," said Marienau.</p><p>"Now, with fossil fuel companies perpetuating climate chaos from the nation's highest office, we're wielding those learnings to make sure the fight to stop fossil fuel projects is a top issue for anyone currently in or considering, elected office."</p><p>This level of building local power is well-underway across the country. The Indigenous-led fights against the risky Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines brought together unprecedented coalitions of groups fighting for justice at every level. <a href="http://www.colorlines.com/articles/how-one-small-tribe-beat-coal-and-built-solar-plant" target="_blank">In Nevada</a>, the Moapa Band of Paiutes—subjected to half a century of toxic coal waste—launched a <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/solar">solar</a> power project while organizing to shutter a nearby coal station. Led by <a href="https://thinkprogress.org/this-northwest-city-just-passed-the-strongest-resolution-against-fossil-fuels-in-the-country-55adef3e34ba" target="_blank">local group 350PDX</a>, Portland, Oregon unanimously passed a resolution banning any new fossil fuel infrastructure from passing through the region. Just days after the Climate March, Atlanta, Georgia became the largest in the U.S. South to <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/atlanta-commits-renewables-2388991449.html">commit to transitioning to 100 percent clean energy</a>, heeding the community's calls for bold solutions. In New York, the broad <a href="http://divestny.org/" target="_blank">Divest NY</a> coalition is building power across the state in escalating the call for the city and state comptrollers to cut ties with fossil fuels and reinvest in New Yorkers.</p><p>Days ahead of the historic Peoples Climate mobilization, Senators Jeff Merkley and Bernie Sanders <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/04/27/laying-a-road-map-for-states-liberal-senators-introduce-bill-to-end-u-s-fossil-fuel-use-by-2050/?utm_term=.4fe829482e90" target="_blank">introduced the "100 by '50 Act</a>," a piece of legislation that <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/clean-energy-bill-merkley-sanders-markey-2381516585.html">calls for 100 percent clean energy by 2050</a>. While recognizing the legislation likely won't move under the Trump administration, the Senators and their supporters view this as a "roadmap for America."</p><p>"If this type of visionary legislation can be introduced at the federal level under the Trump administration, there's no excuse left for officials at the city and state level," said Jason Kowalski, <a href="http://350.org/" target="_blank">350.org</a> U.S. policy director.</p><p>"At the Peoples Climate March, we put forward this vision nationally. Now we'll hold every elected official accountable—no one is off the hook."</p><p>By working at the local and regional level, communities will organize for powerful and lasting change, forcing elected officials to choose a side: that of Trump and his fossil fuel billionaire cabinet or that of the people fighting for a stable climate and an economy that works for everyone. </p><p>"The majority of people in the U.S. support replacing fossil fuels with a clean energy economy, so we're going to make this an issue in every community across the country," said Marienau. "With intensifying storms and droughts, we'll work to make sure those most responsible pay for these impacts. Only with bold demands will we secure the just transition toward a 100 percent clean energy economy that works for all of us."</p>
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EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
Irma Omerhodzic
More than 200,000 people took to the streets in Washington, DC, Saturday for the People's Climate March. Tens of thousands more joined via sister marches across the globe, including Japan, the Philippines, New Zealand, Uganda, Kenya, Germany, Greece, United Kingdom, Brazil, Mexico, Costa Rica and more.
<p>In the U.S., more than 370 marches in nearly all 50 states took place, from the town of Dutch Harbor in Alaska's Aleutian Islands to the streets of Miami, Denver, Los Angeles, Chicago and other major American cities.</p><p><span></span>EcoWatch was there covering the DC march, and interviewing climate experts and marchers from all over the nation. Watch our more than five hours of coverage here:</p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3d7f569968e6e95bf36cce0e0a9d486c"><div class="fb-video" data-href="https://facebook.com/EcoWatch/videos/1529202170426048/" data-allowfullscreen="true"></div></div><p>The Peoples Climate March was led by a coalition of frontline communities, faith leaders, labor activists, civil rights champions and climate justice advocates demanding commonsense protections for the air we breathe, the water we drink and the health of the vulnerable communities who have the most to lose under President Trump's administration.</p><p><span></span>"The sight of more than 150,000 people taking to the streets of Washington, DC, not to mention the thousands more in cities and towns across the country, displays the true power of the climate movement," <a href="http://www.sierraclub.org/" target="_blank">Sierra Club</a> Executive Director <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/community/michael_brune/">Michael Brune</a> said. "We cannot nor will not be stopped. We will speak out, we will take to the streets and we will win. </p><p>"Donald Trump can try to stick his head in the sand when it comes to protecting our clean air and water all he wants, but that will never drown out the millions of voices across the country demanding action."</p><p>According to <a href="https://350.org/" target="_blank">350.org</a>, the number of people far outpaced the National Park Service's permitted space of 100,000 people. The march extended for more than 20 blocks down Pennsylvania Ave., with tens of thousands more surging along the mall sending a unified message to President Trump and his administration to stand up for "climate, jobs and justice."</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy85ODMyNTAzL29yaWdpbi5qcGciLCJleHBpcmVzX2F0IjoxNjUxNzc1Nzg4fQ.Rwp_ceUED4kR5HVlbJi6YwuRkrLX5f44OuXEiXpLHAQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="6ad64" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="10a177dc8e29299f5c75e8b396aa887d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"><small placeholder="add caption..." class="image-media media-caption">350.org</small></p><p>The day began at sunrise with a water ceremony led by Indigenous peoples at the Capitol Reflecting Pool. Representatives from front line communities spoke at an opening press conference calling out President Trump for failing to address the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/">climate crisis</a>.</p><p>The march, which began at <span style="background-color: initial;">12:30 p.m. EST,</span> was led by young people of color from Washington, DC, and Indigenous leaders from across the country.</p><p>"Today we gather to see each other, to work with each other, to embrace each other and to envision a just and clean future together, one without fossil fuels," Mary Nicol, senior campaigner at <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/" target="_blank">Greenpeace USA</a>, said. "We have a long struggle, but we know we will win. We will win because we stand for justice, the truth and the rights of all people."</p><p>At <span style="background-color: initial;">3:30 p.m.</span>, crowds gathered at the Washington Monument while marches continued to take place across the country. The Peoples Climate Movement is a coalition of more than 900 organizations representing many of the major social justice, labor and environmental groups in the country, which has pledged to keep the momentum going. </p><p>The march was divided in creatively named contingents, like "Protectors of Justice," "Reshapers of Power," "Many Struggles, One Home" and "Fossil Fuel Resistance," which included the growing resistance to President Trump's and the Republican Party's dismantling of climate and environmental policies. The bloc included activists and organizations fighting <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/fracking/">oil and gas drilling</a>, coal mining, <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/pipelines/">pipelines</a> and power plants.<strong></strong></p><p>"After losing the popular vote, Trump surrounded himself with fossil fuel executives, climate-deniers and Wall Street bankers hellbent on destroying our planet," Erich Pica, president of <a href="http://www.foe.org/" target="_blank">Friends of the Earth</a>, said. "The real climate solution is to keep fossil fuels in the ground and invest in renewable energy." </p><p>Scott Parkin, senior climate campaigner at <a href="https://www.ran.org/" target="_blank">Rainforest Action Network</a>, agreed.</p><p>"Executives at oil companies, coal companies and the Wall Street banks that finance coal mines and oil pipelines don't care about the climate or communities impacted by fossil fuels," he said. "The only motivation is short-term profit. Today, we march to not only say 'no more,' but also we will fight and we will win."</p><p>Nonprofits organizations and activists were not the only ones speaking out at the People's Climate March. Socially-responsible businesses were there too, including <a href="http://www.benjerry.com/" target="_blank">Ben & Jerry's</a>, <a href="http://www.patagonia.com/home/" target="_blank">Patagonia</a>, <a href="http://www.newbelgium.com/" target="_blank">New Belgium Brewing Company</a> and many others. Here's a great picture of the Ben & Jerry's melting cone:</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy85ODMyNDkyL29yaWdpbi5qcGciLCJleHBpcmVzX2F0IjoxNjA1MzQ3MDM3fQ.6rrs2jm2B59pg2j2j0TOwRwVFveYz7LgEXobNvPfAWo/img.jpg?width=980" id="ad126" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0569c552ba93dcb46d47f6dec4619995" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"><small placeholder="add caption..." class="image-media media-caption">Justin Gural</small></p><p>The People's Climate March sent a resounding message to the Trump administration and members of Congress who continue to put corporate profits over the health of people and planet: Take climate action now. The voice of the people will not be silenced.</p><p>"Today's actions are not for one day or one week or one year," Paul Getsos, national coordinator for the <a href="https://peoplesclimate.org" target="_blank">Peoples Climate Movement</a>, said. "We are a movement that is getting stronger everyday for our families, our communities and our planet. To change everything, we need everyone."</p><p>350.org Executive Director May Boeve summed up the day perfectly:</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"The first 100 days of Trump's presidency have been hard. But today I can't help but be filled with indomitable hope: We've marked the 100th day with unyielding resistance, heart and creativity.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"Today in the streets we are proving that we will continue to mobilize against Trump's fossil fuel agenda. And this is only one part of the picture: The March for Science last weekend and Monday's May Day strikes show the resistance will continue on many fronts.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"We're on the precipice of launching an ambitious new grassroots push to stop every new fossil fuel project on the table and build 100% renewable energy in towns and cities nationwide. What we are doing today gives us real leverage to get there.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"There are always holes in the Death Star, and we will keep looking for them—on the 100th day and the 1,000th. Who knows what we'll find."</p>
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EcoWatch will be covering the People's Climate March all day in Washington, DC, starting with interviews around 9:15 a.m. EST of climate leaders, spokespeople and influencers. From 10:30 - 11 a.m., 10 powerful speakers will tell their stories about why they are marching. At 11 a.m., hundreds of thousands of people will start to line up for the march. There are also hundreds of sister marches around the world.
<p>Led by frontline and Indigenous communities, the march will begin up Pennsylvania Avenue at 12:30 p.m. towards the White House. At 2 p.m., marches will begin to surround the White House grounds, sit-down, take a moment of silence and join in a heartbeat action for 100 seconds to signify our collective stake in this fight.</p><p>"On the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/play-by-play-trump-100-days-2376707832.html">100th day of the Trump presidency</a>, the Peoples Climate March will show that our movements are ready to fight for our climate, jobs and justice," <a href="https://350.org/" target="_blank">350.org's</a> Executive Director May Boeve said.<u></u></p><p><u></u><strong>"</strong>While Trump and his crony cabinet rollback hard-won protections of our communities and our climate, we are mobilizing to fight for the bold solutions we need. We will present our vision to replace the fossil fuel industry with a 100% clean energy economy that works for all. Today, we march. Tomorrow, we rise united across our communities to make our vision of a just and equitable world a reality."</p><p>Watch below or <a href="https://facebook.com/EcoWatch/videos/1529202170426048/" target="_blank">click here</a> to watch on <a href="https://facebook.com/EcoWatch/videos/1529202170426048/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>:</p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="fac26f10a855e6b0af2e4f4c34e97654"><div class="fb-video" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/EcoWatch/videos/1529202170426048/" data-allowfullscreen="true"></div></div>
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By Kelly Levin
Thousands of people are expected to attend the People's Climate Movement march in Washington, DC and sister cities around the world this coming weekend. They are marching because actions taken to date by governments and others are not commensurate with the scale of climate impacts—both those already borne and those projected in the years to come.
<p>
It's a good moment to reflect on the facts. What do we know about global <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/">climate change</a> and what impacts can we expect in the future? The following graphics speak volumes.
</p><p>
<strong>1. What is Climate Change?</strong>
</p><p>
Climate change is a long-term <a href="http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate-guide/climate-change" target="_blank">change</a> in Earth's weather patterns or average climate, including temperature and precipitation. While the climate has changed in the past, we are now seeing it change at an unprecedented rate. As a result of the build-up of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere—due to our burning of fossil fuels, <a href="http://www.globalforestwatch.org/" target="_blank">cutting down trees</a> and other activities—global average temperature is now changing at a faster rate than at least over the past <a href="http://www.pnnl.gov/news/release.aspx?id=4186" target="_blank">1,000 years</a>.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy85ODMwMTIyL29yaWdpbi5wbmciLCJleHBpcmVzX2F0IjoxNjQ4MjY3MjU5fQ.PY1jTGhn74MxPvLdQ2BI-NDX2BbrxbNETzIJts1TFRI/img.png?width=980" id="84c17" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5ebf1b6e0ce5f1b8eed033ebff56a2c5" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"><small placeholder="add photo credit..." class="image-media media-photo-credit">NASA</small>
</p><p>
<strong>2. What's Causing Climate Change?</strong><br>
</p><p>
When models only include natural drivers of climate change, such as natural variability and volcanic eruptions, they cannot reproduce the recent increase in temperature. Only when <a href="https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/monitoring-references/faq/indicators.php" target="_blank">models</a> include the increase in greenhouse gas emissions due to human activities can they replicate the observed changes.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy85ODMwMTI0L29yaWdpbi5wbmciLCJleHBpcmVzX2F0IjoxNjE5ODE2NzMxfQ.OyGrmVGzsHNrTOZbWezaSLO9wyOPm6jX9CG896OL6ag/img.png?width=980" id="14b1a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9146270df0136dc434b01e720851864e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"><small placeholder="add photo credit..." class="image-media media-photo-credit">U.S. Enviromental Protection Agency, adapted from Huber and Knutti, 2012</small>
</p><p>
<strong>3. How Have Global Emissions Changed?</strong><br>
</p><p>
Emissions have been climbing since the Industrial Revolution, but the rate of annual emissions increase during the first 10 years of this century was <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar5/syr/SYR_AR5_FINAL_full.pdf" target="_blank">almost double</a> the rate between 1970 and 2000.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy85ODMwMTI1L29yaWdpbi5wbmciLCJleHBpcmVzX2F0IjoxNjE5NjI5NDI4fQ.KCzM-r5eNKNmrw5M0w_Qtry6-TUflHQHwkNjgH-Ea5I/img.png?width=980" id="72276" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="640ac0109aac47d2b6b6c1f482e2bb8d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"><small placeholder="add photo credit..." class="image-media media-photo-credit">Global Carbon Project</small>
</p><p>
Emissions from fossil fuels and industry have seen a <a href="http://www.globalcarbonproject.org/carbonbudget/16/files/GCP_CarbonBudget_2016.pdf" target="_blank">staggering increase</a> in recent years—63 percent since 1990.<br>
</p><p><strong>4. Who Are the Biggest Emitters?</strong>
</p><p>
From 1850 to 2011, the five major emitters—the U.S., European Union, China, Russian Federation and Japan— together contributed two-thirds of the <a href="https://wri.org/blog/2014/11/6-graphs-explain-world%E2%80%99s-top-10-emitters" target="_blank">world's CO2 emissions</a>.
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Now, China has emerged as the <a href="http://www.wri.org/blog/2015/06/infographic-what-do-your-countrys-emissions-look" target="_blank">top emitter</a> and China, the EU and the U.S. are the world's top three emitters. Together they emit more than half of total global greenhouse gases. In contrast, the 100 smallest-emitting countries <a href="http://www.wri.org/blog/2017/04/interactive-chart-explains-worlds-top-10-emitters-and-how-theyve-changed" target="_blank">collectively</a> add up to only 3.5 percent of global emissions. Almost three-quarters of global emissions come from only 10 countries.</p><p><br></p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><iframe src="https://goo.gl/Zz1pPx" scrolling="no" style="width: 603px; height: 708px; border: 0">
</iframe></div><p><br></p><p><strong>5. How Much Should We Limit Global Warming?</strong></p><p>The <a href="http://www.wri.org/blog/2015/12/paris-agreement-turning-point-climate-solution" target="_blank">Paris agreement on climate change</a> sets a target for countries to collectively limit global temperature rise to 2 degrees C (3.6 degrees F), with a goal of sticking to 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F) in order to prevent some of the worst effects of climate change. The amount of carbon emissions we can emit while still having a likely chance of limiting warming to 2 degrees is known as the "carbon budget." As of 2011, the world had already blown through nearly <a href="http://www.wri.org/blog/2014/11/past-present-and-future-carbon-emissions" target="_blank">two-thirds</a> of the carbon budget and is on track to exceed it by 2033 if emissions continue unabated.</p><p>
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<strong>6. Where is the Temperature Headed?</strong>
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In the absence of countries' recent emissions-reduction commitments, known as <a href="http://www.wri.org/indc-definition" target="_blank">intended nationally determined contributions or INDCs</a>, we would see <a href="http://www.wri.org/blog/2015/11/insider-why-are-indc-studies-reaching-different-temperature-estimates" target="_blank">4-5 degrees C of warming</a>. Even if these INDCs are fully implemented, the average global temperature is still on track to increase <a href="http://www.wri.org/blog/2015/11/latest-climate-commitments-how-much-will-world-warm-its-complicated" target="_blank">2.7-3.7 degrees C</a> by 2100, according to a range of studies. That's far short of the global goal to limit warming to 1.5- 2 degrees C.
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<strong>7. What Have Been Some of the Impacts of Climate Change to Date?</strong><br>
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The impacts of climate change are already occurring and occurring everywhere. For example, climate change has <a href="http://www.wri.org/blog/2014/03/4-takeaways-ipcc-report-reveal-worsening-impacts-climate-change" target="_blank">already led</a> to: more negative than positive impacts to crops, such as wheat and maize; <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coral-bleaching">coral bleaching</a> and species range shifts; more frequent heat waves; coastal flooding; increased tree die-off in various regions; and a significant loss of <a href="https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/carbon-dioxide/" target="_blank">ice mass</a> in places like Greenland and Antarctica.
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For example, as a result of ice melting on land, such as from glaciers and ice sheets, as well as thermal expansion of the ocean, we have seen sea level rise <a href="https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/carbon-dioxide/" target="_blank">3.4 millimeters per year from 1993-2015</a>, which puts coastal communities at risk of flooding and infrastructure damage.
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<strong>8. What Impacts Do We Expect in the Future?</strong><br>
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The impacts we see in the future will be determined by our emissions pathway and resultant level of temperature increase. The warmer it gets, the greater the impacts—and the lower our ability to adapt.
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<strong>9. Are There Signs of Progress?</strong><br>
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Recently, we've seen signs of "decoupling." According to the <a href="https://www.iea.org/newsroom/news/2017/march/iea-finds-co2-emissions-flat-for-third-straight-year-even-as-global-economy-grew.html" target="_blank">International Energy Agency</a>, energy-related carbon dioxide emissions stayed flat for three years in a row even as the global economy grew. This flattening of emissions was due to the growth of renewable power generation, fuel switching from coal to natural gas and energy efficiency gains, among other changes.
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This decoupling can also be seen at the country level in <a href="http://www.wri.org/blog/2016/04/roads-decoupling-21-countries-are-reducing-carbon-emissions-while-growing-gdp" target="_blank">21</a> nations from 2000-2014. Whether these are indicative of long-term shifts remains to be seen. We will need to see a deep decline if we are to limit dangerous climate change and even with existing emissions-reduction commitments, global emissions are not expected to decline until at least <a href="http://www.wri.org/blog/2015/11/latest-climate-commitments-how-much-will-world-warm-its-complicated" target="_blank">after 2030</a>.
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<strong>20. Are We Investing in Solutions?</strong><br>
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Global investments in <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/">renewable energy</a> have been growing in recent years to an all-time high of $285.9 billion in 2015, a 5 percent rise compared to the previous year. In 2015, renewable energy (excluding large hydro) made up the bulk (54.6 percent) of new installed generating capacity for the first time.
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<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy85ODMwMTMxL29yaWdpbi5wbmciLCJleHBpcmVzX2F0IjoxNjM3ODkxNzI2fQ.8IpS_srmnf7zIKjTY_qJBDGd7bSkBPR4T0Za0Ctaai4/img.png?width=980" id="f7d98" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5b26b2f77affae092a358db7418332e1" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"><small placeholder="add photo credit..." class="image-media media-photo-credit">REN21 Renewables 2016 Global Status Report</small>
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That being said, we need to shift away from fossil fuels much more quickly if we are to have a fighting chance of limiting warming to 1.5-2 degrees C.<br>
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<strong>Marching for Action</strong>
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Let's hope that as people take to the streets, it will wake leaders up to the scale of the climate change challenge and the task ahead. Avoiding the most dangerous of climate change impacts—which necessitates phasing out emissions in the <a href="http://www.wri.org/blog/2015/12/insider-understanding-paris-agreement%E2%80%99s-long-term-goal-limit-global-warming" target="_blank">second half of the century</a>—will require sustained action well beyond this weekend's activities.</p>
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GreenWave
By Jonathan Hahn
On President Trump's first Earth Day in the White House, he declared on Twitter that "we celebrate our beautiful forests, lakes and lands"—an amiable if blasé arm-punch to the planet from the leader of the free world.
<p>Until a few hours later that is, when the president resorted to his usual right cross. </p><p>"I am committed to keeping our air and water clean," he tweeted, "but always remember that economic growth enhances environmental protection. Jobs matter!"</p><p>Rarely does President Trump or his surrogates miss an opportunity to propound that "jobs matter" when it comes to the nation's environmental policies—especially where <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/">climate change</a> is concerned. This binary logic—environmental protection equals job killer—is deeply woven into their world view. Trump has repeatedly called Obama-era initiatives like the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/clean-power-plan">Clean Power Plan</a> "job killers" and <a href="https://www.donaldjtrump.com/press-releases/unleashing-americamericas-prosperity-to-create-jobs-and-increase-wages" target="_blank">vowed</a> to "rescind all the job-destroying Obama executive actions, including the Climate Action Plan." </p><p>The delegation of fishermen that set sail Wednesday from a marina in Solomons, Maryland, would beg to differ. The only "job destroyer" for them is climate change.</p><p>Concerned about the threat global warming poses to their livelihoods, a crew of sustainable ocean farmers began a three-day journey they're calling the "Climate March by Sea." At the tiller of the small commercial fishing boat is Bren Smith, owner of <a href="http://thimbleislandoceanfarm.com/" target="_blank">Thimble Island Ocean Farm</a> and the executive director of <a href="http://greenwave.org/" target="_blank">GreenWave</a>. They're heading south down the Chesapeake before they plan to turn north up the Potomac on their way to Washington, DC. </p><p>Their final destination: the <a href="https://peoplesclimate.org/" target="_blank">Peoples Climate March</a>, when thousands of people, including indigenous, civic, social justice, business and environmental advocacy groups are set to take to the streets of the nation's capital to demand action on climate, jobs and justice.</p><p>"Climate change was supposed to be a slow lobster boil," Smith said in an interview before casting off. "For me, it arrived 100 years earlier than expected. We fishermen are the citizen scientists reporting that water temperatures are going up, species are moving north, the weather is becoming more extreme. We can see it with our own eyes. We're way beyond the idea of <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-denier">climate denial</a>."</p><p>When it comes to environmental policy, the "job killer" argument is a red herring. According <a href="http://www.environmentalintegrity.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Jobs-and-environment-report.pdf" target="_blank">to an analysis by the Environmental Integrity Project</a>, "two-tenths of one percent of layoffs are caused by government regulations of any kind, including environmental regulations. Layoffs are caused far more often by corporate buyouts, technological advances and lower overseas labor costs." </p><p>For fishermen, the real crisis isn't government regulation, but the threats climate change poses to healthy oceans and seas. Marine and coastal fisheries contribute more than $200 billion in economic activity and 1.8 million jobs in the U.S. each year, according to the <a href="http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/ecosystems/climate/national-climate-strategy" target="_blank">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</a> (NOAA). The <a href="http://assets.wwf.org.uk/custom/stories/living_blue_planet/" target="_blank">World Wildlife Fund</a> reports that marine populations are in catastrophic decline, plunging by 49 percent between 1970 and 2012, thanks in part to <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/ocean-acidification">ocean acidification</a> caused by warming waters, <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/sea-level-rise">rising sea levels</a> and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/extreme-weather">extreme weather</a>. </p><p>Meanwhile, more than 40 percent of fisheries have crashed due to <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/overfishing">overfishing</a>, resulting in upward of $50 billion in economic losses, the California Environmental Associates assessed in its <a href="http://chartingacourse.org/" target="_blank"><em>Charting a Course to Sustainable Fisheries</em></a> report. One out of four marine species is threatened as a result of overfishing and climate change, among other factors, with 37 out of 1,288 bony fish species facing extinction, according to the <a href="http://www.iucnredlist.org/" target="_blank">International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species</a>.</p><p>The Climate March by Sea will cover 150 miles over three days, making occasional stops to pick up supporters. The crew of ocean farmers and commercial fishermen will be posting and live tweeting along the way on GreenWave's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GreenWaveOrg/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/GreenWaveOrg" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/greenwaveorg/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> pages with the hashtag <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23climatemarchbysea&src=typd" target="_blank">#climatemarchbysea</a>. They hope the voyage will help adrenalize public discourse about solutions to the climate crisis in the days leading up to the Peoples Climate March this Saturday. </p><p>An eclectic medley of individual, advocacy and corporate partners have come together to sponsor the journey, including celebrity chefs René Redzepi and David Chang, Patagonia, Ben and Jerry's, Dr. Bronners, 350.org, Bioneers, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Oceana and the Sierra Club, among others. The trip's organizers are also <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/marchbysea" target="_blank">raising individual donations</a> to help pay for supplies and to sponsor more fishermen. </p><p>During the voyage, the crew will cowrite a letter, addressed to President Trump, in which they intend to make clear that climate change itself, not the policies devised to combat it, threatens the economy, their jobs and their way of life. They will also demand an end to the planned cuts to agencies like NOAA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Smith plans to reaffirm in the letter what has become his most ardent message: There will be no jobs on a dead planet. </p><p>"Climate change is an economic issue, not just an environmental issue," he said. "It's not just about the birds and the bees. It's also about how do I run a small business and make a living in an era of extreme weather? We're heading to DC to send that message—that our livelihoods depend on a healthy ecosystem. That for those of us who care about building domestic employment, we have to mitigate climate change and protect our water." </p><p>For Smith, the Climate March by Sea is the latest in a multi-decade career during which he witnessed the ramifications of overfishing and extreme weather firsthand. A high school dropout who grew up in a fishing village, Smith first cast out to learn how to fish when he was 14. He started working on the Bering Sea as a fisherman at the height of industrialized fishing, catching fish that mostly went to companies like McDonald's for fish sandwiches. "We were tearing up entire ecosystems with our trawls, producing some of the unhealthiest food," he said.</p><p>Later, after he'd set up his own oyster farm, two <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/hurricanes">hurricanes</a> in a row wiped him out: Hurricane Sandy and Hurricane Irene. Smith lost 90 percent of his crops, he said. Most of his gear washed out to sea. </p><p>When he began the process of rebuilding, he took an interest in extreme weather and what was causing it. He quickly became disillusioned. </p><p>Smith developed an innovative form of marine polyculture featuring a mix of shellfish and seaweed, which he calls "3-D farming." Seaweed soaks up five times as much carbon as land-based plants and is rich in omega-3s, vitamins and minerals. It also serves as storm-surge protectors. "So you can see this nexus of new environmentalism, which isn't just about conservation," he said, "it's about jobs, environmental protection and addressing food security all at once. I think we're at that sweet spot." </p><p>Since then, Smith has also created GreenWave, a nonprofit, to open-source his model of sustainable ocean farming for other fishermen and to engage in policy work and research around ocean planning, such as developing new mobile hatcheries. He also runs <a href="http://www.seagreensfarms.com/" target="_blank">Seagreen Farms</a>, which is a for-profit in the early stages of building seafood hubs in poor neighborhoods. </p><p>"I'm not really an environmentalist per se," he said. "My journey has been trying to figure out how to spend my life working on the water. This jobs-versus-environment choice that the administration keeps telling us, whether we're coal miners or fishermen, is a false choice. Environmentalism and the future of the new economy are inextricably linked." </p><p>The Climate March by Sea will dock at the <a href="https://www.washingtonmarina.com/" target="_blank">Washington Marina</a> in Georgetown on Friday morning, where the crew will hold a press conference at 10:00 a.m. They'll host an event that night at Patagonia, where they will be shucking oysters, serving beer and making signs as they prepare for the Peoples Climate March the following day. </p><p><span></span>"The Peoples Climate March represents to me the future of environmentalism," he said. "It's also time to push back. We need to defend our ground, our waters, our funding. We need to drive home that there is a whole generation of blue collar people that believe in climate change and demand that it be addressed now."</p><p><span></span> <em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/ocean-farmers-take-climate-march-sea-nation-s-capital" target="_blank">SIERRA Magazine</a></em><em>. </em> </p>
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sierra magazine
ocean farming
natural resources defense council
climate change
oceans
world wildlife fund
dr. bronners
thimble island ocean farm
environmental integrity project
ben and jerry's
sierra club
oceana
patagonia
bioneers
international union for conservation of nature
seagreen farms
350.org
peoples climate march
greenwave
New York City's Riverside Church, founded by the Rockefellers and the tallest church in the U.S., announced Tuesday that it intends to divest its $140 million endowment from all fossil fuels within five years. It has already divested from coal and this builds on that action in the lead up to the Peoples Climate March and Global Divestment Mobilization.
<p>"Riverside's decision to strategically divest from the Carbon Underground 200 underscores our shared commitment to be a faithful witness to God's reconciling grace in the world," Senior Minister Rev. Dr. Amy Butler of the church said when making the <a href="https://www.trcnyc.org/news-divest/" target="_blank">announcement</a>.</p><p>The church has welcomed the likes of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela, President Bill Clinton, the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/dalai-lama-archbishop-tutu-among-250-faith-leaders-urging-immediate-ac-1891117957.html">Dalai Lama</a> and <a href="https://350.org/" target="_blank">350's</a> own <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/community/bill_mckibben">Bill McKibben</a> to address the congregation over the decades.</p><p>Interestingly, the church was founded by John D. Rockefeller Jr. who's father became one of the wealthiest men in the U.S. in the late 1800s as owner of Standard Oil, the largest oil production company of its time. The church was literally built with oil money which makes this announcement even more impactful. The Rockefeller Brothers Fund, established by grandchildren of Rockefeller Sr., announced its intention to divest from fossil fuels in 2014.</p><p>"We are committed to raising awareness on a global level that fossil fuels need to be rapidly phased out," Beth Ackerman, chair of the Beloved Earth Community at the church, said. "It is just wrong to ruin our one beautiful planet, the place where everything we've ever known exists."</p><p>Divestment momentum in New York continues to build, increasing pressure on New York state and city comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and Scott Stringer to move the $350 billion state and city pension funds to freeze new investments in fossil fuel companies and commit to full divestment.</p><p>Get inspired and join <a href="http://divestny.org/" target="_blank">DivestNY activities and events</a> during May 5-16 during Global Divestment Mobilization.</p>
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First look at new NASA satellite map reveals global carbon dioxide hotspots. NASA
By Lauren McCauley
The amount of carbon in the Earth's atmosphere is now officially off the charts as the planet last week breached the 410 parts per million (ppm) milestone for the first time in human history.
<p>"It's a new atmosphere that humanity will have to contend with, one that's trapping more heat and causing the climate to change at a quickening rate," <a href="http://www.climatecentral.org/news/we-just-breached-the-410-parts-per-million-threshold-21372" target="_blank">wrote</a> Climate Central's Brian Kahn. "Carbon dioxide hasn't reached that height in millions of years."</p><p>The milestone was <a href="https://twitter.com/Keeling_curve/status/854882582877491200" target="_blank">recorded</a> Tuesday at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii by the Keeling Curve, a program of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of California San Diego. Since the planet reached the <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/05/10/dangerous-new-normal-400-ppm-carbon-baseline-expected-within-days" target="_blank">dangerous new normal</a> of <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/carbon-dioxide-levels-set-to-pass-400-ppm-and-remain-above-symbolic-th-1891173361.html">400 ppm last year</a>, scientists have <a href="http://e360.yale.edu/features/how-the-world-passed-a-carbon-threshold-400ppm-and-why-it-matters" target="_blank">warned</a> that that the accelerated rate at which concentrations of CO2 are rising means that humanity is marching further and further past the symbolic red line towards climate chaos.</p><p>What's more, as Aarne Granlund, a graduate student researching <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/">climate change</a> at the University of the Arctic, pointed out, the recording was taken before carbon levels are expected to reach their annual peak, meaning they could soon notch even higher.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed"></p><p>But despite the unprecedented threat, climate action has <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/tag/scott-pruitt" target="_blank">ground to a halt</a> in the U.S. under the leadership of <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/trump-watch/">President Donald Trump</a> and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chief <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/scott-pruitt">Scott Pruitt</a>, forcing campaigners and concerned citizens to take to the streets in droves to prompt the government to do something to address the threat of planetary devastation.<br></p><p><a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/march-for-science-truth-to-power-2375041158.html">Saturday's March for Science</a> saw tens of thousands of people <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/04/22/march-science-sweeps-cities-around-world" target="_blank">rally</a> in Washington, DC and <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/04/22/photos-scientists-worldwide-fight-back-against-anti-science-trump-agenda" target="_blank">across </a>the world to send a message to the Trump administration that governance should be based on research and facts—not ideology.</p><p>Speaking at the march in San Diego, Ralph Keeling, director of the CO2 program at Scripps whose father founded the Keeling Curve, gave an impassioned speech on why legislators need to abandon the partisan effort to stymie environmental legislation, <a href="https://twitter.com/SUPScientist/status/855833977663373312" target="_blank">declaring</a>: "The climate change debate has been over for decades."</p><p>Now, infused by the energy of the March for Science, campaigners are <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/march-science-earth-day-2372249213.html">gearing up</a> for next weekend's <a href="https://peoplesclimate.org/" target="_blank">Peoples Climate March</a> with a <a href="https://peoplesclimate.org/week-of-action/" target="_blank">week of action</a> that centers on creating a just transition away from fossil fuels.</p><p>"The Peoples Climate March is the next step for the March for Science, a call to get more engaged in our political system, to confront power and to demand solutions," explained May Boeve, executive director of <a href="https://350.org/" target="_blank">350.org</a>.</p><p>"The demands we will put forward—respect for Indigenous peoples, investments in communities on the front lines of the climate crisis, transitioning from fossil fuels to 100 percent clean energy economy that works for all and more," Boeve continued, "highlight the intersections between our different struggles and the common solutions we can work for together."</p><p>Dubbed "From Truth to Justice: Earth Day to May Day 2017," the more than 50 events in the lead-up to Saturday will include strategy sessions, a massive youth convergence, the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/648300702033923/" target="_blank">introduction</a> of a 100 percent Clean Energy Bill in Congress and non-violent direct actions.</p><p>On Friday, activists will form "Mother Earth's red line" on the Capitol lawn to symbolize the multiple lines that must not be crossed by corporations and governments in the increasingly severe climate crisis, organizers said.</p><p>"This is about strength in unity; diverse groups of people are coming together like never before and are creating a red line of protection against capitalism, militarism and racism," said Kandi Mossett, Indigenous energy and climate campaign organizer with the <a href="http://www.ienearth.org/" target="_blank">Indigenous Environmental Network</a>, one of the group's organizing the direct action. "We are here to push for solutions like Indigenous rights, <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/divest">divestment</a> and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/">renewable energy</a> as we continue to fight for a just transition away from a fossil fuel based economy." </p><p> <em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/04/24/planet-breaches-410-ppm-back-back-protests-demand-trump-wake" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>
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Tens of thousands of people celebrated Earth Day Saturday by taking to the streets in a historic day of action for science and truth. A massive March for Science took place in Washington, DC, and more than 600 sister marches took place in other cities around the world.
<p>"We are marching today to remind people everywhere, our lawmakers especially, of the significance of science for our health and our prosperity," <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/bill-nye-march-for-science-2338025789.html">Bill Nye</a>, honorary co-chair of the March for Science, told the crowd in DC.</p><p>Saturday's March for Science was the perfect launching pad to a <a href="https://peoplesclimate.org/week-of-action/" target="_blank">week of action</a> that will culminate in the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/peoples-climate-march-2326255364.html">Peoples Climate March</a> in Washington, DC, on April 29. As Ploy Achakulwisut, PhD Candidate in Atmospheric Science at Harvard University, <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/march-science-earth-day-2372249213.html">put it</a>, "the Science March is about respecting science, the People's Climate March is about acting on it."<span></span></p><p>The week of action, dubbed "From Truth to Justice: Earth Day to May Day 2017," will feature more than 50 events, including the launch of visionary clean energy legislation, a speak-out of the <a href="http://ecowatch.com/community/Our_Childrens_Trust" target="_blank">21 young people</a> suing the U.S. government, massive youth convergence, direct actions and more.</p><p>"Scientists have not been eager to get politically involved, but in the face of unceasing attacks and organized denial, they're putting their credibility to good use," <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/community/bill_mckibben/">Bill McKibben</a>, <a href="http://350.org/" target="_blank">350.org</a> co-founder, said. "Now the rest of us can back them up next weekend when everyone gets to march!"</p><p>May Boeve, 350.org executive director, shared the same sentiment.</p><p><span></span>"The Peoples Climate March is the next step for the March for Science: a call to get more engaged in our political system, to confront power and to demand solutions," she said.</p><p>"The demands we will put forward—respect for Indigenous peoples, investments in communities on the front lines of the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/">climate crisis</a>, transitioning from fossil fuels to 100 percent clean energy economy that works for all, and more—highlight the intersections between our different struggles, and the common solutions we can work for together."</p><p>In addition to the march in DC this weekend, there will be <a href="https://peoplesclimate.org/sister-marches/" target="_blank">hundreds of sister marches</a> in cities across the globe.</p><p><span></span>Check out these amazing tweets from the March for Science:</p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"> <a class="twitter-timeline" data-dnt="true" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ScienceMarch" data-widget-id="856488303125778434">#ScienceMarch Tweets</a>
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'The Science March Is About Respecting Science, the People's Climate March Is About Acting on It'
21 April 2017
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This Saturday's March for Science is inherently connected to the April 29 People's Climate March, climate scientists and environmentalists say: one march is about listening to science, the other is about acting on it.
<p>The <a href="https://www.marchforscience.com/" target="_blank">March for Science</a>, taking place on Earth Day, will march in defense of truth and scientific fact. A week later, these values will manifest at the People's Climate March where movements for climate, jobs and justice will put forward a vision to build bold solutions that tackle <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/">climate change</a>, create and retain fair jobs, and bring forth justice truly for all. </p><p>"The Science March is about respecting science, the <a href="https://peoplesclimate.org/" target="_blank">People's Climate March</a> is about acting on it," said Ploy Achakulwisut, PhD Candidate in Atmospheric Science at Harvard University.</p><p>"Science has helped us understand the climate crisis, now we need to demand political action to help solve it. The March for Science calls for science-based policymaking, and the People's Climate March puts this value into practice by opposing Trump's reckless anti-climate agenda, defending the integrity of climate science and democracy, and standing up for justice." </p><p>The March for Science and People's Climate March will bring the fight for truth and justice right to the doorstep of the Trump administration. The <a href="https://peoplesclimate.org/week-of-action/" target="_blank">week of action</a>, dubbed "From Truth to Justice: Earth Day to May Day 2017," will see more than 50 events, including: climate education opportunities and the launch of visionary legislation, youth speak-outs and convergences, direct actions and more.</p><p>A series of climate education videos have been developed for use during the "Truth to Justice" week of action. The videos feature <a href="http://350.org/" target="_blank">350.org</a> co-founder Bill McKibben, actor and activist Maggie Gyllenhaal, renowned climate scientist James Hansen, longtime head of the EPA Environmental Justice program Mustafa Ali, and top atmospheric scientist Katharine Hayhoe.</p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="deed28f23ab1e03fa21c75ca60e4805c"><div class="fb-video" data-href="https://facebook.com/EcoWatch/videos/1520354927977439/" data-allowfullscreen="true"></div></div><p>Many of the organizers and participants of the March for Science have backgrounds in climate science, and many have been advocating for bold climate action well before the election of Donald Trump.</p><p>"The March for Science and the People's Climate March go hand-in-hand," said MIT and Harvard renewable energy modeler Dr. Geoffrey Supran.</p><p>"Because attacks on science don't just hurt scientists, they hurt scientists' ability to protect the people, and climate change epitomizes that. When politicians cater to fossil fuel interests by denying the basic realities of climate science and pursuing anti-science climate policy, they endanger the jobs, justice, and livelihoods of ordinary people everywhere. The People's Climate March is about scientists and citizens uniting to protect the people and places we love by demanding that evidence, not ideology, inform policy."</p>
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Like any arbitrary benchmark, the 100-day point of a new president's term normally tells us only so much about what's to come. In the case of President Trump's all-out assault on our environment and health, however, we've already seen more than enough.
<p>In his first three months on the job, Trump has acted <a href="http://www.richmond.com/opinion/their-opinion/guest-columnists/rhea-suh-column-trump-s-actions-on-the-environment-aren/article_b2325266-fc57-52c4-99bb-07641788570f.html" target="_blank">again and again</a> to undo half a century of bipartisan progress in protecting our rights to clean water, air and lands. He's moved to part ways with <a href="https://www.nps.gov/thro/learn/historyculture/theodore-roosevelt-and-conservation.htm" target="_blank">longstanding American values</a> of conservation in the public interest. And he's <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/stories/trumps-war-our-planet-and-health" target="_blank">betrayed the covenant</a> we've forged with our children to leave them a livable world.</p><p>That's not a plan to put America first. It's about putting industrial polluter profits first―and putting the rest of us at risk.</p><p>Presidents don't get to roll back generations of hard-won gains with the stroke of a pen. Working with his fellow Republicans in Congress, Trump has already <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/trump-watch/trump-signs-repeal-drinking-water-protection-measure" target="_blank">killed rules</a> to protect coal communities from mountaintop demolition that destroys forests and streams. And he may <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/trump-watch/trumps-public-lands-policy-goes-all-fossil-fuels" target="_blank">expose more public lands</a> to the ravages of <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/theo-spencer/dont-believe-what-donald-trump-says-about-coal" target="_blank">coal mining</a>. </p><p>Much of what he's ordered, though, can be halted, slowed or turned back around―in the court of public opinion or in a court of law. To do that, we'll have to stand together and give real voice to truth against a president intent on using the full powers of his high office to try to eliminate the tools we need to protect our families and communities from ongoing harm.</p><p><a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/rhea-suh/betrayal-public-interest" target="_blank">From his first week in office</a>, Trump and congressional Republicans have attacked the commonsense safeguards we all depend on to protect the water we drink, the air we breathe, the lands that grow our food and the wild places we share. He's put the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the thumb of <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/trump-watch/senate-confirms-worst-epa-administrator-ever" target="_blank">Scott Pruitt</a>, an avowed foe of the agency's mission, while proposing <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/trump-watch/details-how-trump-will-slice-and-dice-epas-budget-emerge" target="_blank">to gut the EPA budget and staff</a>.</p><p>He's taken on the very notion of responsible public oversight with <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/media/2017/170208" target="_blank">an unlawful and baseless order</a> to scrap two existing regulations for every new one put in place―as though we can cope with emerging threats only if we pretend the old ones no longer exist.</p><p>And he's sounded an <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/rhea-suh/new-low-trump-gutting-clean-power-plan" target="_blank">ignominious retreat</a> from the essential progress we're making in the fight against <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/issues/climate-change" target="_blank">global climate change</a>.</p><p>Any one of these tacks would be cause for national alarm and public rebuke. Taken as a whole, the Trump broadside attack on the nation's environment and health demands the united and concerted opposition of every American, from red state and blue, who cares about our common future.</p><p>Whatever our political leanings, we all should be shocked at this radical campaign to roll back environmental safeguards, abandon important national goals and hobble our environmental steward, the EPA. Trump's reckless attempts to do just that run wildly at odds with the will of the people, as a raft of recent polling proves.</p><p>A solid <a href="https://poll.qu.edu/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=2448" target="_blank">61 percent</a> of the country disapproves of Trump's big polluter agenda, an April poll by Quinnipiac University found. Just 19 percent want the EPA weakened or eliminated, according <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-environment-idUSKBN1511DU" target="_blank">to a January Reuters poll</a>, with 61 percent saying the agency should be strengthened, expanded or kept at its current strength. Trump, though, has proposed slashing the agency's budget by <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/trump-watch/trumps-budget-would-eviscerate-environmental-agencies" target="_blank">31 percent</a>, taking it back to 1990 funding levels and cutting staff by 20 percent.</p><p>In one policy area after another, in fact, the disparity between Trump's actions and public opinion is striking:</p><p><strong>Protecting Our Waterways</strong></p><ul class="ee-ul"> <li>Drinking Water: Nationally, fears over water pollution hit a 16-year high in March, with <a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/207536/water-pollution-worries-highest-2001.aspx" target="_blank">63 percent</a> of Americans telling the Gallup polling organization they worry "a great deal" about drinking water pollution. Who could blame them? Trump has directed <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/scott-pruitt" target="_blank">Pruitt</a> to <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/trump-watch/trump-goes-after-clean-water-again" target="_blank">dismantle</a> the Clean Water Rule, put in place to protect wetlands and streams that feed <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/drinking-water" target="_blank">drinking water </a>sources for one in every three Americans.</li></ul><ul class="ee-ul"> <li>Great Lakes: Trump's cuts would end federal funding to reduce industrial and municipal waste, toxic contaminants and other pollution in the Great Lakes, the largest surface freshwater ecosystem in the Western Hemisphere. Who's with Trump on that one? Not the people who understand it the most. In Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and nearby states, <a href="http://www.healthylakes.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/R-FINALWTABLES-website.pdf" target="_blank">86 percent</a> of the public supports the federal effort to clean up the Great Lakes.</li></ul><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Chesapeake Bay: Trump has proposed killing, also, a <a href="http://www.cbf.org/how-we-save-the-bay/chesapeake-clean-water-blueprint/what-is-the-chesapeake-clean-water-blueprint" target="_blank">multi-state plan</a> to clean up the nation's largest natural estuary, the Chesapeake Bay, which is being strangled by the toxic runoff from a 64,000-square-mile watershed that reaches nearly to Canada. That flies directly against the interests of those who live at the mouth of the bay: 94 percent of Virginians support the federal bay cleanup program, according to <a href="http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/pilotonline.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/25/e25cc367-ce2c-5546-a644-06754d786f6b/58e51e71de4df.pdf.pdf" target="_blank">an April poll by Christopher Newport University</a>.</li></ul><p><strong>Energy Development</strong></p><ul class="ee-ul"> <li>Clean Energy: What about Trump's belittling disdain for American clean energy innovation and enterprise? Turns out 71 percent of the country favors <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/">wind, solar and other alternative energy</a> over oil, gas and coal, with all the damage and danger they bring, according to <a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/206159/americans-tilt-toward-protecting-environment-alternative-fuels.aspx?g_source=Social+Issues&g_medium=newsfeed&g_campaign=tiles" target="_blank">an April Gallup poll</a>.</li></ul><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Dirty Energy: Fully 59 percent of survey respondents say environmental protection should come ahead of fossil fuel development, with just 23 percent preferring dirty energy to clean water and air. The 26-point gap between the two, by the way, is the largest margin since Gallup began asking the question 15 years ago. </li></ul><p><strong>Fuel Economy</strong></p><p>Trump has directed the EPA to weaken or eliminate standards to clean up <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/trump-watch/trump-makes-u-turn-clean-cars" target="_blank">the cars</a> and <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/trump-watch/trump-begins-dismantling-us-efforts-curb-climate-catastrophe" target="_blank">dirty power plants</a> that together account for 60 percent of the U.S. carbon pollution that's driving global <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/">climate change</a>. That's a stone-cold loser in the public mind. Drivers like saving billions of dollars a year at the pump, and <a href="https://poll.qu.edu/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=2449" target="_blank">an April poll by Quinnipiac</a> found that 76 percent of the public is "somewhat concerned" or "very concerned" about climate change, with 62 percent saying Trump should not backtrack on standards and rules put in place to fight it. </p><p><strong>Climate</strong></p><ul class="ee-ul"> <li>Climate Action: Far from supporting Trump's retreat from the climate fight, <a href="https://poll.qu.edu/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=2449" target="_blank">59 percent</a> of poll respondents say the country needs to be doing even more to fight the carbon pollution that's causing <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/sea-level-rise">seas to rise</a>, turning croplands to deserts, and contributing to raging wildfires, flooding, droughts and storms.</li></ul><ul class="ee-ul"> <li>Jobs: Fully 68 percent of Americans understand that we can fight climate change <em>and</em> support economic growth, like the gains that have put three million Americans to work helping us to become more efficient, building all-electric and hybrid cars and getting more clean power from the wind and sun.</li></ul><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Research: <a href="https://poll.qu.edu/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=2449" target="_blank">The Quinnipiac poll found</a> that 72 percent of Americans say it's a "bad idea" for Trump to slash funding for the scientific research we need to better understand climate change and other threats to our environment.</li></ul><p>A hundred days into Trump's presidency, we've already seen more than enough. It's time to gather as one and <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/trump-environment" target="_blank">speak out against his senseless campaign</a> to turn back the clock on 50 years of environmental gains and stanch the promise of more progress to come.</p><p>On Saturday, April 29, I'll travel, along with thousands of others, to Washington, DC, to <a href="http://www.nrdc.org/peoples-climate-march" target="_blank">march with the People's Climate Movement</a>. I hope you'll join us, in the nation's capital or in any of <a href="https://peoplesclimate.org/sister-marches/" target="_blank">dozens of sister marches across the country</a>, to show Trump just how far out of step his policies are with the will of the people he serves.</p><p>Let's put Donald Trump on notice. Let's show him what we believe. We won't back down from this challenge. We won't back down from this fight. We'll defend our health and environment. We'll hold fast to the values we share. We'll stand up for our children's future and their right to a livable world.</p>
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