Youth Climate Activists Demanding Green New Deal Arrested for Sit-In at McConnell's Office
26 February 2019
Politics
More than 40 youth climate activists who support the Green New Deal resolution were arrested for staging a sit-in at the Washington, DC office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky). on Monday. Sunrise Movement
By Jessica Corbett
Hundreds of Kentucky high school students and climate campaigners with the youth-led Sunrise Movement descended on the Capitol Hill office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Monday to deliver 100,000 petition signatures and stage a sit-in to make clear to lawmakers that young people want a Green New Deal for their communities and futures.
<p>
For calling on McConnell to heed public demands for federal lawmakers to pass policies that will phase out fossil fuels and combat the global climate crisis while also creating green jobs and a more just economy,
<a href="https://twitter.com/sunrisemvmt/status/1100082294285574146" target="_blank">more than 40</a> demonstrators were arrested:</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
<iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode twitter-embed-1100072517757272065" id="twitter-embed-1100072517757272065" type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1100072517757272065&created_ts=1551112701.0&screen_name=sunrisemvmt&text=BREAKING%3A+arrests+happening+now+outside+%23OilMoneyMitch%27s+DC+office+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FS4AyB73aZY&id=1100072517757272065&name=Sunrise+Movement+%F0%9F%8C%85" frameborder="0" data-rm-shortcode-id="STOTCU1576661751"></iframe>
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As
<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-green-new-deal-support-among-americans-poll-2019-2" target="_blank">recent polling</a> shows more than 80 percent of Americans back key elements of the Green New Deal <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/02/07/what-hope-feels-green-new-deal-resolution-hailed-watershed-moment-new-era-climate" target="_blank">put forth</a> by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/02/15/youth-climate-leaders-launch-campaign-make-mcconnell-regret-shameless-green-new-deal" target="_blank">mobilization</a> to increase pressure on McConnell comes after the majority leader <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/02/15/youth-climate-leaders-launch-campaign-make-mcconnell-regret-shameless-green-new-deal" target="_blank">announced</a> last week that he plans to rush a floor vote on the resolution, which critics <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/02/13/bring-it-green-new-deal-champions-welcome-mcconnells-cynical-ploy-or-down-vote" target="_blank">denounced</a> as a ploy to fuel <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/02/22/everyone-needs-watch-democrat-dianne-feinstein-explain-children-why-she-wont-back" target="_blank">divisions</a> in the Democratic Party.
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"Kentucky youth traveled here today because their state needs a Green New Deal. Mitch McConnell's Green New Deal vote is a political stunt to score some points for his wealthy donors," Sunrise Movement Executive Director Varshini Prakash said in a statement. "We're here to warn him and all senators: if you refuse to back the Green New Deal, young people will remember next time you ask for our votes."
</p><p>
Demonstrators who carried signs that read "Oil & gas $ or our lives?," "Green New Deal," and "Mitch, Look us in the eyes" as well as supporters posted updates on social media from Monday's demonstration with the hashtags
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OilMoneyMitch?src=hash" target="_blank">#OilMoneyMitch</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LookUsInTheEyes?src=hash" target="_blank">#LookUsInTheEyes</a>:
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<iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode twitter-embed-1100074869662859264" id="twitter-embed-1100074869662859264" type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1100074869662859264&created_ts=1551113261.0&screen_name=350&text=%F0%9F%9A%A8+Stand+with+the+young+folks+risking+arrest+in+Washington%2C+DC+today+to+stand+up+to+%23OilMoneyMitch+%26amp%3B+fight+for+the+j%E2%80%A6+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FV2YalElhZM&id=1100074869662859264&name=350+dot+org" frameborder="0" data-rm-shortcode-id="MUDHWR1576661752"></iframe>
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<iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode twitter-embed-1100071537774862338" id="twitter-embed-1100071537774862338" type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1100071537774862338&created_ts=1551112467.0&screen_name=sunrisemvmt&text=Singing+in+%23OilMoneyMitch%27s+DC+office%3A+which+side+are+you+on%3F%0A%0AAsk+all+of+Congress+to+stand+with+our+generation+by%E2%80%A6+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2Fw5UUEd8aqc&id=1100071537774862338&name=Sunrise+Movement+%F0%9F%8C%85" frameborder="0" data-rm-shortcode-id="OFNHGQ1576661752"></iframe>
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"I am here because people in my community don't have jobs, are starving and turning to opioids and dying," 15-year-old Lily Gardner of Lexington, Kentucky said in a statement. "Mitch McConnell refuses to do anything about. His own constituents—high schoolers—have traveled here to meet with him. All we want is for him to put our lives above the interests of his campaign donors."
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Both from McConnell's office and outside the Capitol Building, the youth demonstrators shared why they felt compelled to visit their senator in Washington, DC—with some pointing to warnings from
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/10/08/un-experts-warn-climate-catastrophe-2040-without-rapid-and-unprecedented-global" target="_blank">a recent U.N. report</a> that the international community has just about 12 years to pursue "rapid, far-reaching, and unprecedented" systemic changes needed to avert climate catastrophe:
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<iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode twitter-embed-1100077892833296385" id="twitter-embed-1100077892833296385" type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1100077892833296385&created_ts=1551113982.0&screen_name=sunrisemvmt&text=%E2%80%9CThe+Green+New+Deal+is+for+my+brother+who+has+asthma+and+everyone+in+Louisville+who+suffers+from+pollution.%E2%80%9D+-+Jenny+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FXErswwC1N4&id=1100077892833296385&name=Sunrise+Movement+%F0%9F%8C%85" frameborder="0" data-rm-shortcode-id="8TRZOL1576661752"></iframe>
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<iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode twitter-embed-1100078767081439233" id="twitter-embed-1100078767081439233" type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1100078767081439233&created_ts=1551114191.0&screen_name=sunrisemvmt&text=%E2%80%9CI%E2%80%99m+here+for+my+family%E2%80%94because+people+back+home+in+Kentucky+have+had+to+put+up+with+this+crisis+for+far+too+long.%E2%80%9D%E2%80%A6+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FlcQ0xy5k2r&id=1100078767081439233&name=Sunrise+Movement+%F0%9F%8C%85" frameborder="0" data-rm-shortcode-id="K7R9QN1576661752"></iframe>
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<iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode twitter-embed-1100066208869744647" id="twitter-embed-1100066208869744647" type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1100066208869744647&created_ts=1551111197.0&screen_name=sunrisemvmt&text=Erin%2C+a+young+Kentuckian%3A+%E2%80%9CWe+have+just+12+years+to+address+this+crisis%E2%80%9D+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FkROmNV8d04&id=1100066208869744647&name=Sunrise+Movement+%F0%9F%8C%85" frameborder="0" data-rm-shortcode-id="2JSR8M1576661752"></iframe>
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<iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode twitter-embed-1100075969866428416" id="twitter-embed-1100075969866428416" type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1100075969866428416&created_ts=1551113524.0&screen_name=mmilesgoodrich&text=Young+Kentuckians+w+%40sunrisemvmtlou....%0A%F0%9F%8F%9B%EF%B8%8F+visited+%23OilMoneyMitch%27s+office+in+KY+multiple+times+last+week%0A%E2%9B%BA%EF%B8%8F+camped%E2%80%A6+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FjBrwcHRD8k&id=1100075969866428416&name=matthew+miles+goodrich" frameborder="0" data-rm-shortcode-id="O9SPD81576661753"></iframe>
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Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), who is among the scores of
<a href="https://medium.com/sunrisemvmt/last-week-we-made-history-899f7e32a485" target="_blank">co-sponsors</a> of the Green New Deal resolution, voiced support for the sit-in at McConnell's office on Monday, urging the youth climate activists to "keep fighting."<br>
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<iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode twitter-embed-1100074757477855235" id="twitter-embed-1100074757477855235" type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1100074757477855235&created_ts=1551113235.0&screen_name=SenJeffMerkley&text=.%40senatemajldr+claims+that+a+%23GreenNewDeal+is+unattainable%2C+as+if+he+suddenly+cares+about+climate.+Instead+of+his+o%E2%80%A6+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FjzJmGaAwCI&id=1100074757477855235&name=Senator+Jeff+Merkley" frameborder="0" data-rm-shortcode-id="H9I7K31576661753"></iframe>
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<em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/02/25/youth-climate-activists-demanding-green-new-deal-arrested-sit-oilmoneymitch" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em><br>
</p>
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One of the demonstrators at the Women's March in 2019 held a sign that read "Green New Deal" while Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez addressed the crowd in Manhattan, NYC on Jan. 19. Ira L. Black / Corbis News / Getty Images
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) introduced on Thursday their highly anticipated joint resolutions on a Green New Deal.
The sweeping 10-year plan aims to "mobilize every aspect of American society ... to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and create economic prosperity for all," according to the resolution's FAQs section from Ocasio-Cortez's office posted by NPR.
<p>
The star freshman Congresswoman acknowledged that the ideas outlined in the non-binding resolution—such as providing "unprecedented levels of prosperity and economic security" for all citizens and "meeting 100 percent of the power demand in the United States through clean,
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy" target="_self">renewable</a>, and zero-emission energy sources"—are incredibly grand but absolutely necessary.</p><p>As Ocasio-Cortez said on
<a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/692067268/npr-news-exclusive-with-rep-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-on-her-green-new-deal" target="_blank">NPR's Morning Edition</a>:<em> </em>"Even the solutions that we have considered big and bold are nowhere near the scale of the actual problem that <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildfires" target="_self">climate change</a> presents to us, to our country, to the world."<br></p><p>
As the resolution points out, the United States has "historically been responsible for a disproportionate amount of greenhouse gas emissions" so it must take "a leading role" in reducing emissions through economic transformation.
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The overreaching goal of the Green New Deal is to entirely transition away from
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/nuclear" target="_self">nuclear energy</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuels</a>. To do so, the proposal calls for a wide-ranging mobilization of the U.S. economy and creating jobs through infrastructure and industrial projects, such as zero-emission vehicle infrastructure and manufacturing; installing smart grids; updating or creating buildings that are energy efficient; expanding clean energy jobs (like solar, wind turbine, battery and storage manufacturing); cleaning existing hazardous waste sites; and restoration of damaged and threatened ecosystems.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTE2MTkzNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0OTU0MzAwNX0.w2_iwySIkfONCDbEcx0Flbd8WjthdOYK3H7K5X_r06w/img.jpg?width=980" id="3c5ef" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1ba01e8a0b32cce1dd3a381f0087a4ed" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">The Green New Deal calls for a complete transition to clean, zero-emission and renewable energy sources by 2030. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit..."><a href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/agriculture-alternative-alternative-energy-blade-414886/" target="_blank">Pexels</a></small></p><p>Along the same lines, the Green New Deal includes a significant social justice component because it aims to create millions of family-supporting and union jobs and will help protect disadvantaged communities on the frontlines of pollution and climate change.<br></p><p>
"This is really about providing justice for communities and just transitions for communities," Ocasio-Cortez explained on Morning Edition. "So really the heart of the Green New Deal is about social justice and it's about allowing and fighting for things like fully-funded pensions for coal miners in West Virginia, fighting for clean water in Flint, and fighting for the ability of indigenous peoples to take a leadership role in in where we're moving as a country."
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So here's the big question—How do you pay for it? The FAQ section from Ocasio-Cortez's office puts it bluntly:
</p><blockquote>
"The same way we paid for the New Deal, the 2008 bank bailout and extended quantitative easing programs. The same way we paid for World War II and all our current wars. The Federal Reserve can extend credit to power these projects and investments and new public banks can be created to extend credit. There is also space for the government to take an equity stake in projects to get a return on investment. At the end of the day, this is an investment in our economy that should grow our wealth as a nation, so the question isn't how will we pay for it, but what will we do with our new shared prosperity."
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<iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode twitter-embed-1093517175699243008" id="twitter-embed-1093517175699243008" type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1093517175699243008&created_ts=1549549785.0&screen_name=_waleedshahid&text=It%27s+amazing+to+hear+%40AOC+explain+and+fight+for+how+we%27re+going+to+pay+for+the+Green+New+Deal%2C+when+asked+about+mas%E2%80%A6+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2F5S3C2KChZA&id=1093517175699243008&name=Waleed+Shahid" frameborder="0" data-rm-shortcode-id="UPI2VS1576683766"></iframe>
</p><p>The sweeping progressive proposal, of course, <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/republicans-green-new-deal_us_5c5b37aee4b09293b20af474?aqu" target="_blank">has its naysayers</a>. As <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/02/07/691997301/rep-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-releases-green-new-deal-outline?utm_campaign=storyshare&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social" target="_blank">NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben reported</a>:</p><blockquote>Among Republicans—even those worried about climate change—the package, with its liberal economic ideas, will also likely be a nonstarter. <br><br>"Someone's going to have to prove to me how that can be accomplished because it looks to me like for the foreseeable future we're gonna be using a substantial amount of fossil fuels," said Rep. Francis Rooney, R-Fla., co-chair of the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus, speaking to NPR before the Green New Deal's text was released. </blockquote><p>As for the proposal's passage, "That looks unlikely," Kurtzleben wrote. </p><p>
But this part in Kurtzleben's report is key: "It's worth talking about because it already is a politically powerful idea among Democrats." </p><p><span></span>Nearly all of 2020 presidential candidates as well as potential contenders have already voiced support for the deal, including Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, Jeff Merkeley, Julian Castro, Kirsten Gillibrand, Bernie Sanders, Tulsi Gabbard and Jay Inslee, the FAQ noted. <br>
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That's not to mention the 45 House Reps and 330+ groups that backed the original resolution for a select committee on the Green New Deal.
</p><p>
Momentum for the Green New Deal has been growing ever since its was popularized by Ocasio-Cortez as well as the young climate activists of the <a href="https://www.sunrisemovement.org" target="_blank">Sunrise Movement</a> who <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/ocasio-cortez-pelosi-climate-change-2619674477.html">stormed then-presumed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office</a> not long after the midterm elections.
</p><p>
"In 2018, young people put the Green New Deal on the national agenda," Varshini Prakash, founder and executive director of Sunrise Movement, said in a statement received by EcoWatch. "The historic support for this resolution, especially among 2020 contenders, shows how far the movement has shifted the political conversation. The Green New Deal is now a litmus test for progressive leadership in 2019."
</p><p>
<span></span>So far, the resolution has already been cosponsored by nearly 70 members of Congress, according to the Sunrise Movement.
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<iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode twitter-embed-1093514783431757824" id="twitter-embed-1093514783431757824" type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1093514783431757824&created_ts=1549549215.0&screen_name=algore&text=Here%27s+my+statement+on+today%27s+Green+New+Deal+Resolution%3A+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2Fs0TD90cRjd+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FpemCfA8tRA&id=1093514783431757824&name=Al+Gore" frameborder="0" data-rm-shortcode-id="ZBBE7I1576683766"></iframe>
</p><p><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/green-new-deal-voter-support-2623737355.html" target="_blank">Public opinion of the Green New Deal</a> is strong. A <a href="http://climatecommunication.yale.edu/" target="_blank">Yale Program on Climate Change Communication</a> survey of 966 registered voters <a href="http://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/the-green-new-deal-has-strong-bipartisan-support/" target="_blank">showed</a> that 92 percent of Democrats supported it, 64 percent of Republicans and 57 percent of conservative Republicans also thought it was a good idea.<br></p><p>This week, more than 100,000 petition signatures were delivered to Congressional offices in more than 100 events around the country, <a href="https://350.org/" target="_blank">350.org</a> executive director May Boeve said in a press release emailed to EcoWatch. <br></p><p>
"The Green New Deal is a critical opportunity to stand up to fossil fuel billionaires while kickstarting a just transition to renewable energy and creating millions of family-sustaining jobs," Boeve said in a statement. "With the window for action to prevent catastrophic climate change quickly closing, it's time for elected officials at all levels to support this visionary effort to secure a sustainable future."
</p>
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Trump Neglects Climate Change in State of the Union While Democrats Invite Scientists and Activists to Highlight the Threat
06 February 2019
Politics
Trump did not mention climate change while delivering the State of the Union address Tuesday night. Bill Clark / CQ Roll Call
President Donald Trump delivered the State of the Union address Tuesday night, focusing on his signature issues like the economy and immigration and warning lawmakers that the ongoing investigation into his conduct posed a threat to national security, The New York Times reported. But there was one real major threat to the nation, and the world, that he declined to mention at all: climate change.
<p>This silence was not unexpected. As Ishaan Tharoor pointed out for <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/02/06/glaring-hole-trumps-address-climate-change/?utm_term=.30aad3b7473a" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a>, Trump is famously skeptical of climate science and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-tweet-global-warming-2627422039.html" target="_self">came under fire</a> in January for confusing weather and climate when he responded to a brutal cold snap by tweeting, "What the hell is going on with Global Waming? Please come back fast, we need you!" His failure to address the issue Tuesday night, however, still earned him criticism from environmental leaders.</p><p>"For the third year in a row, President Trump has addressed Congress and failed to mention one of the biggest threats facing us—climate change. It was another squandered opportunity to show American leadership for the clean energy future," <a href="https://www.edf.org/" target="_blank">Environmental Defense Fund</a> Senior Vice President Elizabeth Gore said in a <a href="https://www.edf.org/media/trump-squanders-opportunity-address-climate-change-state-union" target="_blank">statement</a>.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
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</p><p>Gore pointed out that since the last State of the Union, the issue had only gotten more urgent. 2018 was a year of <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/extreme-weather" target="_self">extreme weather</a> events and saw the release of two major reports on the extent of the threat posed by a changing climate: the <a href="http://www.ipcc.ch/" target="_blank">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</a> <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change-ipcc-report-2610866229.html" target="_self">report</a> warning that we have 12 years to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and <a href="https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/" target="_blank">Volume II of the Fourth National Climate Assessment</a>, a dire warning from Trump's own government that he <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-rejects-us-climate-report-2621629346.html" target="_self">nevertheless dismissed</a>.<br></p><p>Several Democratic lawmakers chose to respond to this sense of urgency—and the president's expected silence on the issue—by inviting climate scientists and activists to join them for the speech, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-energy-202/2019/02/05/the-energy-202-democrats-spotlight-climate-change-with-their-state-of-the-union-guests/5c58687f1b326b66eb09860b/?utm_term=.8f219d54211f" target="_blank">The Washington Post's <em>The Energy 202</em></a> reported.</p><p>Washington Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal explained her decision to invite University of Washington professor Lisa Graumlich, who uses tree rings to study climate. </p><p>"Instead of tackling the problem head-on, President Trump is burying his head in the sand and handing out favors to his friends in the coal industry," Jayapal said, as The Washington Post reported. "In fact, it's unlikely that President Trump will mention climate change or the dire need to protect our environment in his State of the Union at all."</p><p>Her Democratic colleagues Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin and Massachusetts Senator Edward J. Markey also invited both seasoned and up-and-coming climate activists. Raskin invited <a href="https://t.co/PvZxwxYAYF" target="_blank">350.org</a> founder Bill McKibben, while Markey invited Varshini Prakash, co-founder of the <a href="https://www.sunrisemovement.org/" target="_blank">Sunrise Movement</a> that has led the push for a Green New Deal, an ambitious plan to transition the U.S. away from <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuels</a> while promoting green jobs and economic equality.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
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</p><p>Markey is preparing to draft legislation for a specific Green New Deal proposal with newly elected New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.<br></p>Other environmental guests included <a href="https://www.lcv.org/" target="_blank">League of Conservation Voters</a> Executive Director Gene Karpinski, invited by New York Democratic Representative Paul Tonko and former <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/joel-clement-climate-change-2470623070.html" target="_self">Interior Department whistleblower Joel Clement</a>, invited by Maine Democratic Representative Chellie Pingree.<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
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</p>
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ZeroHour Climate March in Pittsburgh. Mark Dixon / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
A sea of students are taking part in climate strikes around the world, and on March 15, young activists in the U.S. will add their voices to the escalating #FridaysForFuture movement.
Ever since 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg called for the first global climate strike last month, it has become a weekly routine for students to skip class on Fridays to march for their futures and those of future generations.
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Now, kids, teens and young adults in the U.S. will take their own action with support from environmental groups such <a href="https://350.org/" target="_blank">350.org</a>, <a href="https://rebellion.earth/" target="_blank">Extinction Rebellion</a> and the <a href="https://www.sunrisemovement.org/" target="_blank">Sunrise Movement</a>, <a href="https://earther.gizmodo.com/students-are-preparing-for-the-first-major-u-s-climate-1832260725?fbclid=IwAR1j7gUbLbmp4qd2rgbaJFTVHr4kAuvD_5OuvkOzmmDV_Uf30neNIodUawQ" target="_blank">Earther</a> reported.
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"If we're not going to have a future, then school won't matter any more," one of the organizers, 13-year-old New Yorker Alexandria Villasenor, told Earther about why American students should join the strike next month.
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Villasenor has been part of the youth-led strike for months and endured sit-in last weekend in New York City as a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/cold-weather-polar-vortex-meteorologists-2627512370.html">polar vortex</a> brought bone-chilling cold to the Big Apple.
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"I prepared all week for this and realized <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change">climate change</a> will force us to live differently and deal with more <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/extreme-weather">extreme weather</a>. People are dying right now, and we need to #ActOnClimate!" she <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexandriaV2005/status/1091362643749814272" target="_blank">tweeted</a>.
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</p><p>Climate strikes have taken place in cities around Europe, Australia and elsewhere. The fourth straight rally in Brussels on Jan. 31 drew as many<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/01/31/climate-disaster-fourth-week-student-led-strike-tens-thousands-march-belgium" target="_blank"> as 35,000 student participants</a>. </p><p>The youngsters are demanding their leaders and older generations take immediate climate action.
</p><p>
Teen climate activist Jamie Margolin, the founder of <a href="http://thisiszerohour.org/" target="_blank">This is Zero Hour</a>, said on Twitter that youth across the U.S. will be taking to the streets on March 15 "to show our legislators that we need a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/green-new-deal" target="_blank">Green New Deal</a>," referring to the insurgent policy proposal to fight climate change and to move the U.S. to a sustainable future.
</p><p>
Margolin also praised strike co-leaders such as Isra Hirsi and Haven Coleman for their work in bringing the climate revolution to American shores.
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"This <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ClimateStrike?src=hash" target="_blank">#ClimateStrike</a> is being organized by amazing young women like <a href="https://twitter.com/israhirsi" target="_blank">@israhirsi</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/havenruthie" target="_blank">@havenruthie</a> + so many more! Young girls are leading the climate movement!" she wrote.
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According to Earther, strikers in Australia and Europe plan to join the U.S. contingent in solidarity, and action is also planned in Uganda and Thailand.
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<span></span>For those of you who are interested in striking or if you'd like to lead your hometown in a strike, check out <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevR04Ye3G3OVZPyWPWdUCvF9VTK-jMdmHiRGq7Gc4-fSqHuA/viewform" target="_blank">this link</a>. <span></span>
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<iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode twitter-embed-1092447081820798980" id="twitter-embed-1092447081820798980" type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1092447081820798980&created_ts=1549294655.0&screen_name=usclimatestrike&text=We+have+over+100+responses+to+our+sign+up+form%21+We+will+be+contacting+everyone+this+coming+week%21+Thank+you+for+join%E2%80%A6+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2Fq0oT1Mp0lp&id=1092447081820798980&name=US+Youth+Climate+Strike+%F0%9F%8C%8E" frameborder="0" data-rm-shortcode-id="MYR9EL1576662565"></iframe>
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Sen. Kamala Harris held a news conference after announcing her bid for president on Jan. 21. PBS NewsHour / YouTube screenshot
Kamala Harris on Monday became the latest Democratic presidential contender to back a Green New Deal, in what has become a "litmus test" for 2020 hopefuls, according to the youth-led Sunrise Movement that helped launch the ambitious economic and climate proposal.
"I support a Green New Deal and I will tell you why," the California Senator said during a CNN town hall in Iowa. "Climate change is an existential threat and we have got to deal with the reality of it."
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Harris also took aim at the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-climate-change-weather-2626613514.html">climate skeptics in office</a>.
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"We have got to deal with the reality of the fact that there are people trying to peddle some ideas that we should deny it. They are peddling science fiction instead of what we should do, which is rely on science fact," she said at the town hall.
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jxUzp9SZ6-VB-4wSm8sselVMsqWZrSrYpYC9slHKLzo/edit" target="_blank">The Green New Deal</a>—made popular by freshman Rep. <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/alexandria-ocasio-cortez">Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez</a> (D-N.Y.)—aims to create a select committee of House members that would have the authority to "develop a detailed national, industrial, economic mobilization plan" to allow the United States to become carbon neutral and to "promote economic and environmental justice and equality."
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The increasingly popular plan has been <a href="https://www.sunrisemovement.org/gnd/" target="_blank">backed by</a> at least 45 members of Congress and hundreds of environmental, social justice and political groups.
</p><p>
As for the names vying for the 2020 presidential ticket, Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) as well as former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro have also backed the Green New Deal, according to <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/427386-kamala-harris-endorses-ocasio-cortezs-green-new-deal" target="_blank">The Hill</a>.
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"It's becoming the new litmus test for every Presidential candidate: if you want to lead our nation and claim to represent young people, come out in FULL support of the Green New Deal," the Sunrise Movement tweeted after Gillibrand announced her support at a recent event in San Francisco.
</p><p>
"If mobilizing to confront the climate crisis is not one of your top 3 issues, it's going to be hard for our generation to take you seriously," the group also <a href="https://twitter.com/sunrisemvmt/status/1089678713862660096" target="_blank">tweeted</a> to the presidential contenders. "Embrace it, or thank u, next."
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</p><p>Sen. Warren, who appeared on <em>The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell</em> on Monday, explained how her newly proposed wealth tax plan can help fund Green New Deal policies. </p><p>"How about we invest that in a Green New Deal, to help protect this planet?" she said. <br></p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4aec082903dd5f68a57c26d4f5e16ee3"><div class="fb-video" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/thelastword/videos/359415661556369/" data-allowfullscreen="true"></div></div><p>Also during the CNN town hall, Harris mentioned that the top two fastest-growing occupations on the <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/fastest-growing.htm" target="_blank">Bureau of Labor Statistics list</a> are installers for solar panels and wind turbine service technicians.<br></p><p>
"We need those jobs to be created and filled because we need to be dedicated to that kind of work, and that's what a Green New Deal has to include," she said.
</p><p>
She then lamented, "Our planet is at great risk ... we have policymakers who are in the pockets of big oil and big coal (and) don't fully appreciate the fact that we are looking at something that is presenting an existential threat to our country.</p><p>
"And, listen, all children need to be able to breathe clean air and drink clean water, and we've got to have a commitment to a policy that will allow that to happen for ourselves and our children and our grandchildren. And right now we don't," she concluded.</p>
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By Ronnie Cummins
"The Green New Deal we are proposing will be similar in scale to the mobilization efforts seen in World War II or the Marshall Plan … Half measures will not work … The time for slow and incremental efforts has long past [sic]." - Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, then-candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, Huffington Post, June 26, 2018
<p><em><em><em>"Just transitioning 10 percent of agricultural production to best-practice regenerative systems will sequester enough CO2 to reverse climate change and restore the global climate. Regenerative Agriculture can change agriculture from being a major contributor to climate change to becoming a major solution." - Andre Leu, international director, Regeneration International, "<a href="https://regenerationinternational.org/2018/10/09/reversing-climate-change-through-regenerative-agriculture/%20" target="_blank">Reversing Climate Change with Regenerative Agriculture</a>," October 9, 2018</em></em><br></em></p><h2>The 'Great Climate Awakening' of 2018</h2><p>The final months of 2018 will likely be remembered as the decisive moment when the global grassroots awakened to the life-or-death threat posed by <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change">global warming</a>. With violent <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/extreme-weather">weather</a> and climate disasters becoming the norm, and international scientists finally shedding their customary caution to report that we must drastically slash (by at least 45 percent) global greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, hundreds of millions of ordinary people across the world seemed to simultaneously wake up.</p><p>Young climate activists under the banner of the <a href="https://www.sunrisemovement.org/%20" target="_blank">Sunrise Movement</a> in the U.S., and the <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2019/01/14/%20https%3A//rebellion.earth/" target="_blank">Extinction Rebellion</a> in the UK and other countries, sat in at politicians' offices. They blocked streets and roadways. They demanded immediate and bold action.</p><h2>The Green New Deal Is Born</h2><p>In the U.S., an insurgent slate of newly elected members of Congress, inspired by the Sunrise Movement and led by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have generated headlines and popular support by <a href="https://www.organicconsumers.org/news/why-sustainable-agriculture-should-support-green-new-deal" target="_blank">calling</a> for a Green New Deal (GND), a 21st Century upgrade of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal carried out during the Great Depression of the 1930s.</p><p>Given the severity of the climate crisis, and the deterioration of the U.S. and global status quo (economic, political, health and environment), it's no exaggeration to state that the GND is perhaps the most significant blueprint for system change in 100 years.</p><p>The GND's call for a mass conversion to <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/">renewable energy</a> and zero emissions of greenhouse gases in the U.S. by 2030, is in line with what most scientists say is necessary to avoid catastrophic climate change.</p><p>But what's new, and long overdue in this evolving manifesto is that the GND also calls for the greening, "just transition" and elimination of greenhouse gas emissions from our multi-trillion-dollar <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/food/">food</a> and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/farming">farming</a> system as well. That call is long overdue, especially given that our degenerative food system <a href="https://www.grain.org/article/entries/5102-food-sovereignty-five-steps-to-cool-the-planet-and-feed-its-people" target="_blank">generates</a> 44 to 57 percent of all global greenhouse gases.</p><p>The GND draft statement <a href="https://ocasio2018.com/green-new-deal" target="_blank">calls</a> for "eliminating greenhouse gas emissions from the manufacturing, agricultural and other industries, including by investing in local-scale agriculture in communities across the country." It also calls for funding "massive investment in the drawdown of greenhouse gases."</p><p>Beyond offering comprehensive energy and agricultural solutions for our climate emergency, what is truly game-changing and revolutionary about the GND is that it calls for system-wide economic regeneration as well: full employment, $15/hr. minimum wage, universal health care, free public education and economic justice for all—policies extremely popular with the overwhelming majority of the body politic, including students, working class communities and low-income groups.</p><p>By bringing together the concerns of youth, food, farmer, environmental and climate activists, with the bread-and-butter concerns of workers and frontline communities, the GND offers nothing less than a contemporary roadmap for survival and regeneration.</p><p>As Alexis Baden-Mayer, political director of the <a href="https://www.organicconsumers.org/usa">Organic Consumers Association</a>, pointed out in a recent email urging groups to sign on to the GND, it is economic injustice, the lack of money in the pockets of workers and consumers, the 80 percent of ordinary people who live from paycheck to paycheck, that has, in large part, held back the greening of America:</p><blockquote>"Who wouldn't drive a Tesla, put up solar panels, or buy an energy efficient home in a walkable neighborhood with great public transportation? Everyone wants these things. We all want to enjoy good health, breathe clean air and drink pure water. There aren't many families who would have to be convinced to eat locally grown organic health food if it were available and they could afford it. The problem is we've got student debt. Our mortgages are under water. We've got medical bills and childcare to pay for. And many of us have been too poor to go to college, buy a house or start a family. Our country's struggling family farmers have the same problem. Sure, they'd love to go organic and pay their workers fairly. They want to do what's best for their families, their communities and their environment. They just have to figure out how to avoid foreclosure and bankruptcy first."</blockquote><h2>Support grows quickly for the GND, but so do attacks</h2><p>With unprecedented speed, Ocasio-Cortez, insurgent Democrats and the Sunrise Movement have stimulated massive media coverage and generated significant public support for the GND, putting radical change on the national agenda. More than 45 <a href="https://www.sunrisemovement.org/gnd/" target="_blank">members</a> of Congress, five U.S. Senators, leading 2020 presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, hundreds of local officials, and more than 600 activist <a href="https://www.sunrisemovement.org/gnd/" target="_blank">organizations</a> have already endorsed the GND.</p><p>In late 2018, polls <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/green-new-deal-poll_us_5c169f2ae4b05d7e5d8332a5" target="_blank">indicated</a> that 81 percent of Americans support full employment, economic justice and renewable energy, as outlined in the GND.</p><p>Yet despite initial strong support for the GND among activists and the general public, establishment politicians (both Democrats and Republicans) and the corporate media have launched a massive counter-attack, <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/alexandria-ocasio-cortezs-green-new-deal-is-more-dangerous-than-you-think" target="_blank">denouncing</a> the GND (and Ocasio-Cortez and her allies) as "utopian," "radical," "impractical" and even "dangerous."</p><p>The unfortunate truth is that Congress and the mass media are infected and dominated by powerful climate emergency <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-denier">deniers</a> and establishment politicians taking money from <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels">fossil fuel</a> companies, climate-destructive industrial <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/agribusiness">agribusiness</a> and Wall Street. Yet with global scientists sounding the alarm that the onset of runaway global warming (with atmospheric CO2 levels of 450 ppm or higher) is not 80 years away or even 50 years away, but more like a dozen years away unless we drastically change course, it can hardly be called "utopian" to organize around a bold emissions-reduction, drawdown and economic development plan that can avert catastrophe, and improve the lives of everyday people at the same time.<br></p><p>Painting Ocasio-Cortez and the Sunrise Movement as "radical" is not likely to derail the growing insurgency. Because a radical emergency more serious than anything humans have ever faced in our 200,000-year evolution demands a radical solution. As Cortez said in an <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/video/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-the-rookie-congresswoman-challenging-the-democratic-establishment-60-minutes-interview/%20" target="_blank">interview</a> on <em>60 Minutes</em> on Jan. 6 (watched by 11 million people), she admits to being a "radical"—not unlike previous "radicals" in American history, including Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt, who likewise confronted severe crises demanding radical solutions.</p><h2>Is It Possible to Achieve Zero Emissions in the U.S. by 2030?</h2><p>On the same <em>60 Minutes</em> show, Ocasio-Cortez was pressed on the practicality of zero fossil fuel emissions by 2030. The host tried to trip her up by asking if zero emissions meant that all of us would be driving <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/electric-vehicles">electric cars</a> within a decade. She responded by saying that there are technological breakthroughs on the horizon that we can't even imagine yet.</p><p>Although it's undoubtedly true that there are technical breakthroughs in renewable energy and electric cars on the horizon, I wasn't fully satisfied with Ocasio-Cortez's answer (even though I admit she's my favorite political leader of all time). Here's how I would have answered that question:</p><blockquote>"Millions of Americans are going to be driving electric cars in 2030. But you're right, a lot of us will still be driving our old gasoline-powered vehicles. If you read the details of our proposed Green New Deal carefully, you'll see that we're not just talking about rapid reductions in fossil fuel emissions, the CO2 and other greenhouse gases we put up into the sky by burning fossil fuels. We're also talking about drawing down these same greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, utilizing climate-friendly farming practices that qualitatively increase plant photosynthesis, soil fertility and natural carbon sequestration. These regenerative practices include farming <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/organic">organically</a>, holistic grazing, improving soil health, and restoring our <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/forests">forests</a>, grasslands and wetlands. In other words, we can and must reach zero net emissions in 2030 by drawing down as much atmospheric carbon as we're still putting up.</blockquote><blockquote>"The Green New Deal aims to change not only our climate-destructive energy, manufacturing and transportation systems, but also our degenerative food and farming systems. The Green New Deal is designed to raise the living standards for all Americans, including low-income workers in both rural and urban communities, so that all of us can choose and afford healthier and more climate-friendly lifestyles. In the next decade we must facilitate a just transition away from climate-destabilizing <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/factory-farming">factory farms</a> and fossil fuel-intensive agriculture, at the same time as we switch, as rapidly possible, to 100 percent renewable energy. With renewable energy and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/regenerative-agriculture">regenerative</a> food, farming and land use working in synergy, there is no doubt that we can reach zero net emissions by 2030, significant negative net emissions by 2050, and literally, along with the rest of the world, reverse global warming and avert climate catastrophe."</blockquote><p>We know what to do. The best practices and practitioners in alternative energy, infrastructure rebuilding and regenerative food and farming are already visible in or near our local communities. We simply need to mobilize politically to scale up these practices utilizing the power of a GND. But we're running out of time unless we can quickly build a massive united front, elect new GND supporters to Congress and the White House in 2020, and pass federal legislation for a GND starting in 2021, as Ocasio-Cortez puts it, "similar in scale to the mobilization efforts seen in World War II or the Marshall Plan."</p><p>The time to join the GND Revolution is now. On Feb. 5, hubs and homes across the country will host parties to tune into a Sunrise Movement livestream detailing the 2019 GND strategy. Anyone can host a party to grow the movement. These house parties will unite communities to build the people power we need to make the GND happen. To host a party click <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/event_campaigns/host-a-green-new-deal-livestream-watch-party" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
<iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode twitter-embed-1077948379676717058" id="twitter-embed-1077948379676717058" type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1077948379676717058&created_ts=1545837895.0&screen_name=johnlundin&text=Could+a+Green+New+Deal+Boost+the+Farm+and+Food+Justice+Movement%3F+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FxOLkdPPcqM+%23ClimateJustice+%23environment+%23WednesdayWisdom&id=1077948379676717058&name=John+Lundin+%F0%9F%8C%8A" frameborder="0" data-rm-shortcode-id="AHQUQ51576661822"></iframe>
</p><p><em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2019/01/14/call-food-movement-get-behind-green-new-deal" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em><br></p>
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New House Speaker Pelosi Calls Climate Change ‘Existential Threat’ in Opening Remarks
04 January 2019
Climate
House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC) speaks to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) during a ceremonial mock swearing in ceremony on Capitol Hill on January 3, 2019 in Washington, DC. Zach Gibson / Getty Images News / Getty Images
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi received a standing ovation after calling for action on climate change during her first address to the 116th session of Congress Thursday, according to a video shared by Newsweek.
"We must also face the existential threat of our time: the climate crisis, a crisis manifested in natural disasters of epic proportions. The American people understand the urgency. The people are ahead of the Congress. The Congress must join them," she said.
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<p>However, for some climate activists, the people are still ahead of the Congress, despite Pelosi's words. During her speech, she touted a new "Select Committee on the Climate Crisis," but the young progressives who want a Green New Deal to transition the U.S. economy towards <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/" target="_self">renewable energy</a> while providing jobs and improving equality say the new committee does not go far enough.</p>
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<p>The <a href="https://www.sunrisemovement.org/" target="_blank">Sunrise Movement</a>, which propelled the Green New Deal into the news with a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/ocasio-cortez-pelosi-climate-change-2619674477.html" target="_self">sit-in in Pelosi's office in November</a>, said the committee fails on three major points.<br></p><div><ol class="ee-ol"> <li>It allows members to accept donations from <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuel</a> companies.</li><li>It was not empowered to create a plan to transition the U.S. away from fossil fuels within the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change-ipcc-report-2610866229.html" target="_self">12-year timeframe</a> that the <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/" target="_blank">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</a> says is necessary to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.</li><li>It does not mention combining that transition with a push for greater economic and racial justice.</li></ol><p>The activists also criticized the new committee for lacking subpoena power, a power that previous select climate committees did have.</p><p>"Democratic leaders had an opportunity to embrace young people's energy and back the #GreenNewDeal, but they failed us yet again," Sunrise Movement co-founder Varshini Prakash said in a statement. "This committee is toothless and weaker than the first Climate Select Committee from a decade ago, and it does not get us meaningfully closer to solving the climate crisis or fixing our broken economy."</p></div>
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<p>However, experienced members of Congress said that the policy goals united under the Green New Deal banner could still be realized, but standing committees like Energy and Commerce are the most likely vehicle to push them forward.<br></p><div><p>"Progressives like me who understand how the system works have every confidence that we'll be able to do it within the existing system," Democratic Virginia Representative Donald McEachin told <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/03/nancy-pelosi-climate-change-congress-1059148" target="_blank">POLITICO</a> in an in-depth article on the Democrats' climate plans. "Energy and Commerce is my primary pick because that's the committee that's really going to dig in and do what these young progressives are looking for."</p><p>The select committee <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/green-new-deal-democrats-2624030908.html">will be led by Kathy Castor</a>, a Florida Democrat who has not backed the call for a Green New Deal. It will have until March of 2020 to submit policy recommendations to other committees and will have nine Democratic members and six Republican members. Its members have not yet been selected.</p><p>"We need all voices. But make no mistake about it, we simply don't have time to tread water," Castor told POLITICO. Castor has a <a href="http://scorecard.lcv.org/moc/kathy-castor" target="_blank">lifetime score</a> of 93 percent from the <a href="https://www.lcv.org/" target="_blank">League of Conservation Voters</a>, but some progressives are concerned by a <a href="https://readsludge.com/2018/12/28/new-chair-of-climate-crisis-committee-owns-shares-in-fossil-fuel-fund/" target="_blank">Sludge</a> report that she and her husband have between $50,001 and $100,000 invested in utility companies that mostly generate energy from fossil fuels.</p>
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<p>Meanwhile, New Jersey Democrat and Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone said his committee would work with the Natural Resources and Science committees, as well as the new climate committee, on climate action. The first hearing he plans to convene will focus on the economic and environmental impacts of climate change.<br></p><p>"We're all progressives," Pallone said of Natural Resources Chairman Arizona Democrat Raúl Grijalva and Science Chairman Texas Democrat Eddie Bernice Johnson. "I think they'll be happy to see what we do because the chairs of the committees are progressive," he told POLITICO.</p><p>On the more conservative side of the party, Representatives are concerned about how to balance economic growth and environmental concerns.</p><p>"We've got to find a way that we can accommodate our goals and not be seen as anti-business," Texas Democrat Henry Cuellar told POLITICO. "A lot of the oil-and-gas state folks feel the same way."</p></div>
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Activists call for a Green New Deal at a protest in House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi's office. Michael Brochstein / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images
Congressional Democratic leaders have tapped Florida Representative Kathy Castor to chair a renewed climate change committee, the congresswoman confirmed to E&E News Thursday, dampening the hopes of activists and progressive Democrats that the committee would focus on drafting a Green New Deal to provide jobs while transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy in 10 years.
<p>Castor is not one of the 43 House members who have pledged to back a select committee to draft the deal and to reject campaign donations from <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuel</a> companies, according to the <a href="https://www.sunrisemovement.org/gnd/" target="_blank">most recent tally</a> from the <a href="https://www.sunrisemovement.org/" target="_blank">Sunrise Movement</a>, which has emerged as a key grassroots backer of the idea. </p><p>"I think they have some terrific ideas," Castor told E&E News when asked about the Green New Deal. "But that's not going to be our sole focus."</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
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</p><p>Castor's selection seems to return House Democrats to the plan for a generic climate change committee that the party's House Leader Nancy Pelosi <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change-committee-house-democrats-2618885354.html" target="_self">first floated</a> after the Democrats won control of the House in the midterm election and before activists from the Sunrise Movement and <a href="https://www.justicedemocrats.com/" target="_blank">Justice Democrats</a> <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/ocasio-cortez-pelosi-climate-change-2619674477.html" target="_self">staged a sit-in in her office</a> a month ago and launched the Green New Deal into the national discourse, the <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/kathy-castor-climate_us_5c1c0843e4b08aaf7a869cfd" target="_blank">Huffington Post reported</a>.<br></p><p>Castor also waffled on the idea that committee members should have to pledge not to take money from fossil fuel interests. </p><p>"I don't think you can do that under the First Amendment, really," she told E&E News, echoing <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/exxon" target="_self">Exxon</a> Mobil Corp.'s court defense of its funding of climate-denying think tanks, the Huffington Post pointed out.</p><p>Castor has received more than $73,000 from the energy and natural resources sector during her 12 years in Congress.</p><p>"I honestly thought the Democratic Party leaders would see this opportunity," Justice Democrats communications director Waleed Shahid told the Huffington Post. "It's infuriating to see a fellow Democrat basically parrot the talking points of the Koch Brothers when it comes to the very common-sense idea that any politician who accepts donations from the fossil-fuel corporations should not be allowed to legislate on climate change." </p><p>However, activists aren't planning to give up. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the newly-elected New York Congresswoman who has led the push for the Green New Deal committee, was defiant in a tweet responding to Castor's remarks on fossil fuel funding. </p><p>"Loading a climate committee w/ fossil fuel [money] is akin to letting foxes in the henhouse," she wrote. "We shouldn't be afraid to lead."</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
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</p><p>Sunrise Movement leaders also said they were not willing to give up.<br></p><p>"Nancy Pelosi has the power to determine whether or not the Select Committee for a Green New Deal lives or dies," Sunrise Movement Political Director Evan Weber told the Huffington Post. "Sunrise Movement's position is and will continue to be that it's not over until she makes it clear that it's over." </p><p>Castor herself told E&E News that her position on the committee was not "official" and that the mission and shape of the committee was still being formed. She is also not inflexible in her positions on fossil fuel money. When pushed by the Huffington Post, she said her freedom-of-speech comment was "inartful" but that she did not know if she would have the power as chairwoman to block potential members based on the donations they accepted and that it was an issue that could be discussed in caucus. She did say she would consider pledging to refuse future fossil fuel donations.</p><p>Castor is not without environmental bona fides. She has a 93 percent lifetime environmental <a href="http://scorecard.lcv.org/moc/kathy-castor" target="_blank">voting score</a> from the <a href="https://www.lcv.org/" target="_blank">League of Conservation</a> voters and an 86 percent voting score for the past year. She also represents a state disproportionately impacted by climate change. </p><p>The <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/" target="_blank">Natural Resources Defense Council </a>(NRDC) released a <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/media/2018/181220" target="_blank">statement</a> backing her appointment, and Democratic California Representative Jared Huffman, who does back a Green New Deal, told E&E News he thought Castor would be a "terrific" chair. </p><p>"I think she brings a lot of thoughtfulness to the position, and she's experienced, so I can't disagree with that," Huffman said.</p>
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Sit-in at Rep. Hoyer's office. Sunrise Movement
More than 1,000 climate activists with the youth-led Sunrise Movement stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington and participated in sit-ins at Democratic leaders' offices on Monday.
The protesters demanded Reps. Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer and Jim McGovern support Rep-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's proposal of a "select committee" for a Green New Deal before the winter recess.
<p>"Any politician who wants to be taken seriously by our generation needs to support solutions that match the scale and urgency of the climate crisis," said Sunrise co-founder Varshini Prakash in a press release sent to EcoWatch. "If the Democrats want the youth vote in 2020, they need to get to work on a Green New Deal in 2019."</p><p><span></span>Organizers <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sunrisemvmt/videos/501120093717403/" target="_blank">said</a> 143 young people were arrested during the sit-ins. <br></p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="651636f1abdcd166dcf6ee8a959fa3d6"><div class="fb-video" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/sunrisemvmt/videos/501120093717403/" data-allowfullscreen="true"></div></div><p>The select committee in the House of Representatives will basically develop a plan to reduce <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/greenhouse-gases" target="_self">greenhouse gas</a> emissions and to transition the United States to 100 percent <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy" target="_self">renewable energy</a> sources within 10 years of passing the Green New Deal legislation. <br></p><p><span></span>The number of Congresspeople who are backing Ocasio-Cortez's proposal of a select committee has now grown to <a href="https://www.sunrisemovement.org/gnd" target="_blank">22 House Democrats</a> since the first Sunrise-led protest last month. </p><p>During that demonstration, 200 young activists and the rising political star from New York <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/ocasio-cortez-pelosi-climate-change-2619674477.html" target="_self">swarmed Pelosi's office</a> demanding that the Democratic leader support the Green New Deal. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
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</p><p>Monday's protest has already resulted in a commitment from Rep. McGovern (D-Mass), the incoming chair of the powerful House Rules Committee. <br></p><p>"I want to make sure that it happens," McGovern said to rapturous cheers and applause. "I am committed to the House Select Committee on a Green New Deal to deal with the issue of climate change."<br></p><p>"But we have to work out the details. We shouldn't get hung up on every little detail," he added.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
<iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode twitter-embed-1072204035556544513" id="twitter-embed-1072204035556544513" type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1072204035556544513&created_ts=1544468337.0&screen_name=sunrisemvmt&text=ICYMI%3A+Here+is+the+moment+that+%40RepMcGovern+committed+to+support+a+House+Select+Committee+on+a+%23GreenNewDeal%21+Our+m%E2%80%A6+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FILYo2cQyfB&id=1072204035556544513&name=Sunrise+Movement+%F0%9F%8C%85" frameborder="0" data-rm-shortcode-id="QICUGD1576662608"></iframe>
</p><p>Hoyer, the Democratic whip, tweeted on Monday that he was "happy to hear" from the protesters and called climate change "one of the most pressing issues of our time." <br></p><p>But in response, Prakash said: "We need you to do more than listen. We need you to take the <a href="http://nofossilfuelmoney.org/" target="_blank">#NoFossilFuelMoney</a> pledge and support the proposed Select Committee on a Green New Deal by the end of the year. We're doing our job, will you do yours?"</p><p>The group said that Rep. Hoyer has received more than $250,000 from fossil fuel executives, lobbyists and PACs during his 20-year career in Congress.</p><p><iframe src="https://www.ecowatch.com/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1072164687096221698&created_ts=1544458955.0&screen_name=WhipHoyer&text=I+welcome+visitors+from+%40sunrisemvmt+to+my+office+today%2C+and+I%27m+happy+to+hear+from+them+about+one+of+the+most+pres%E2%80%A6+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2F8BVQ18QJUk&id=1072164687096221698&name=Steny+Hoyer"></iframe></p><p>More than 140 environmental, economic and social justice organizations have backed the Green New Deal, according to the Sunrise Movement. <br></p><p>Pelosi—who is poised to take over as House Speaker—has not yet issued remarks regarding today's protests. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODk5MTU4NC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTU5OTM2Mzk5MH0.F_-6C2XF-jk2G0Jn5Yn9WFgQd4GHe0bO0ry5F5hf-8k/img.jpg?width=980" id="ca484" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9627f2e2bbeb95eb664d3bc800b1c03e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">More than 1,000 youth activists lobbied 50 Congressional offices on Monday. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Sunrise Movement</small></p>
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Backers of a proposal for a select committee for a Green New Deal. Sunrise Movement
Calls for a Green New Deal are gaining traction in the two short weeks after the young climate activists of the Sunrise Movement and Representative-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stormed Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi's Capitol Hill office.
Fifteen members of Congress have now backed Ocasio-Cortez's proposal to establish a "select committee" in the House of Representatives to develop a plan to—basically—reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to transition the U.S. to 100 percent renewable energy sources within 10 years of passing the Green New Deal legislation.
<p>Supporters in the House include John Lewis, the civil rights leader and Democratic congressman from Georgia, and trailblazers Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, the first two Muslim women ever elected to Congress. <br></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
<iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode twitter-embed-1064883982553292800" id="twitter-embed-1064883982553292800" type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1064883982553292800&created_ts=1542723100.0&screen_name=IlhanMN&text=The+science+is+clear%E2%80%94we+need+urgent+action+on+climate+change+now.+Actually%2C+we+needed+it+15+years+ago.+Now+we%E2%80%99re+ru%E2%80%A6+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FBxivhdMh2h&id=1064883982553292800&name=Ilhan+Omar" frameborder="0" data-rm-shortcode-id="S5L5IR1576662621"></iframe>
</p><p>As <a href="https://thinkprogress.org/green-new-deal-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-democrats-95cb356e94ca/" target="_blank">ThinkProgress</a> reported, Democratic congresswoman Chellie Pingree of Maine joined the growing list of backers on Tuesday. </p><p>"We don't need another report to tell us climate change is a threat to our health, environment and economy," she said in a <a href="https://pingree.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/pingree-announces-support-ocasio-cortez-s-green-new-deal-resolution" target="_blank"> statement</a> on her website. "We must take urgent action to end our nation's reliance on <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/ocasio-cortez-pelosi-climate-change-2619674477.html">fossil fuels</a> and stop the damage greenhouse gases have done to our way of life."</p><p>Pingree, an organic farmer and member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and the Environment, said the effects of climate change have greatly impacted her state. </p><p>"Look no further than Maine's lobster industry to see the looming economic crisis facing our state due to rapidly warming waters," she said. "Meanwhile rates of asthma and tick-borne illness in Maine have dramatically spiked because of fossil fuel emissions and rising temperatures. I see the crisis of climate change every day in my state and believe a new committee dedicated exclusively to this crisis can support the long-standing work of other House committees and help to fast-track solutions."</p><p>Here are the 15 House Democrats supporting the measure: <br></p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Jared Huffman (CA-02)</li><li>Ro Khanna (CA-17)</li><li>Ted Lieu (CA-33)</li><li>John Lewis (GA-05)</li><li>Joe Neguse (CO-02)</li><li>Chellie Pingree (ME-01)</li><li>Jamie Raskin (MD-08)</li><li>Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)</li><li>Rashida Tlaib (MI-13)</li><li>Ilhan Omar (MN-05)</li><li>Deb Halland (NM-01)</li><li>Carolyn Maloney (NY-12)</li><li>Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14)</li><li>José E. Serrano (NY-15)</li><li>Earl Blumenauer (OR-03)</li></ul><p>The proposal also has the support of nearly 100 environmental, economic and social justice organizations, according to the Sunrise Movement.</p><p>To build momentum, the youth climate group is organizing another mass action at the Capitol on Dec. 10, right before Congress breaks for the holidays, "to make sure Ocasio's Select Committee on a Green New Deal makes it on the agenda for 2019," Sunrise Movement founder Varshini Prakash said in an emailed press release.</p><p>The group launched the effort only yesterday and <a href="https://twitter.com/sunrisemvmt/status/1068168631874449408" target="_blank">230 people</a> have already signed up to participate. (<a href="https://u1584542.ct.sendgrid.net/mpss/c/JAE/ni0YAA/t.2my/EGFWN5ZSTDmHzq3uasBoaA/h0/TQq8raW4D-2FfUJzgtPOAKaSS4vIHaZJtXQhzWOCarPzMIfyjbyDHzj-2BEaqYRI6BRRw226ztlxIrKvE8HVSbZrchMUDKycUUkRSHq9-2FgrQPdPbnAcCd0hfFrMBheKVlaoIqruDwd8HqfrdQ1u1FPl-2BktxeiPPTPoOkcw1GH8Qf0g1P4vIo8SyNSxHnyQkk5GrzKflIEWkqtL5uPpd5q26P24M2mBsxWVZfPmnsryYh1FkQbBUuoJEJnFrKmMe7ebdeSpuMH3WmK85kcAFOYuuKbASArMP1YV8I-2BXOUfDP4N4h9LzGGPUMS1ghPpRakmxxcCzh42UzosTsvq4Pc9n97PlSi-2BhY7Weifjg6a0-2BEVlso-3D" target="_blank">You can also join the action in DC</a>, or if you're on the West Coast, you can <a href="https://u1584542.ct.sendgrid.net/mpss/c/JAE/ni0YAA/t.2my/EGFWN5ZSTDmHzq3uasBoaA/h1/TQq8raW4D-2FfUJzgtPOAKaSS4vIHaZJtXQhzWOCarPzPe6V3bEJu5ghiBK1J96ptSI-2FVM9kkOEyc-2BxPp8FSYhU7gctHNHMyjs-2BdImMsn1PzyJz9QB300P3owl9747PzlPqyq4vtXb0luDdGj8SzvqBioNQNRMZY8KUb3gwMV4RuUcPskjO6Zi8KCK3saj33v42gQ9prL1lD1gymgKGwDb5bDriya6DowpBHZ8L6LwhVVy2GzgcIyNRTLi09-2BrpvWrSaxYjYFiHubd-2FWGrcqj-2BBkvuc6Rs5eV4lXXLiIdmV5FX5Fr3stlgldRNTlQciNGcUEOOgQVVAhPJlbdgt5AcGax0aQzLCJdefdYUYwVkTco-3D" target="_blank">sign up for the action in Nancy Pelosi's office in San Francisco</a>.)</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
<iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode twitter-embed-1067866267225399298" id="twitter-embed-1067866267225399298" type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1067866267225399298&created_ts=1543434132.0&screen_name=sunrisemvmt&text=We+have+until+Dec+13+to+set+the+agenda+for+2019.+A+%23GreenNewDeal+MUST+be+a+priority.%0A%0AJoin+us+in+Washington+DC+on+D%E2%80%A6+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FdiCW7uDIgg&id=1067866267225399298&name=Sunrise+Movement+%F0%9F%8C%85" frameborder="0" data-rm-shortcode-id="WYWW231576662621"></iframe>
</p><p>Last week, the <a href="https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/" target="_blank">National Climate Assessment report</a>—compiled by 13 federal agencies and more than 300 scientists—warned that climate change could kill thousands of Americans each year and slash the GDP by more than 10 percent by 2100. </p><p>President <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/donald-trump" target="_self">Donald Trump</a>, who is fixated on fossil fuels, dismissed his own government's report by saying "I don't believe it." <br></p><p>"People are going to die if we don't start addressing climate change ASAP. It's not enough to think it's 'important.' We must make it urgent," Ocasio-Cortez <a href="https://twitter.com/Ocasio2018/status/1066067657278070785" target="_blank">tweeted</a> after the report's release. "That's why we need a Select Committee on a Green New Deal, & why fossil fuel-funded officials shouldn't be writing climate change policy."</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
<iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode twitter-embed-1066067657278070785" id="twitter-embed-1066067657278070785" type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1066067657278070785&created_ts=1543005310.0&screen_name=AOC&text=People+are+going+to+die+if+we+don%E2%80%99t+start+addressing+climate+change+ASAP.%0A%0AIt%E2%80%99s+not+enough+to+think+it%E2%80%99s+%E2%80%9Cimportant%E2%80%A6+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2Ffzfg6ppv1y&id=1066067657278070785&name=Alexandria+Ocasio-Cortez" frameborder="0" data-rm-shortcode-id="GPNYXI1576662621"></iframe>
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1,200+ U.S. Officials and Candidates Have Rejected Fossil Fuel Cash
30 October 2018
Insights + Opinion
Minnesota candidate Ilhan Omar is poised to become the first Somali-American elected to Congress. Sunrise Movement / Facebook
With record-breaking hurricanes, furious wildfires and an ominous report from the United Nations that forecasts catastrophic climate change, it's more important than ever to vote for leaders who are defenders of the environment.
Thankfully, we have candidates running for all levels of government who will take a stand on these critical issues and are promising ambitious climate policies if elected.
<p>
In fact, more than 1,200 elected officials and candidates running in local, state and federal elections are standing up to Big Oil and Gas and have taken the <a href="http://nofossilfuelmoney.org/" target="_blank">No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge</a>. </p><p>A number of high-profile candidates and incumbent lawmakers have joined the movement. This includes Sen. <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/bernie-sanders" target="_self">Bernie Sanders</a> of Vermont; Rep. Beto O'Rourke—Ted Cruz's foe for Senate in Texas; New York's Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is on track become the youngest ever woman elected to Congress; Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum; and Randy "Ironstache" Bryce, of House Speaker Paul Ryan's Wisconsin district, who is trying to flip the seat blue.</p><p><span></span>The list also includes candidates who lost their bids, i.e. Cynthia Nixon, who ran for governor of New York. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
<iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode twitter-embed-897507023595724801" id="twitter-embed-897507023595724801" type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-897507023595724801&created_ts=1502817323.0&screen_name=NoFossilMoney&text=.%40Ocasio2018%2C+Alexandria+Ocasio-Cortez%2C+candidate+for+Congress+in+NY-14%2C+just+signed+the+%23NoFossilFuelMoney+pledge%21%E2%80%A6+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FL6bivRnF0f&id=897507023595724801&name=No+Fossil+Fuel+Money" frameborder="0" data-rm-shortcode-id="IM7UB41576683787"></iframe>
</p><p>
"Taking the pledge means that a politician and their campaign will adopt a policy to not knowingly accept any contributions over $200 from the PACs, executives, or front groups of fossil fuel companies—companies whose primary business is the extraction, processing, distribution, or sale of oil, gas, or coal," the pledge website touts.
</p><p>
The No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge is a pointed effort against the Democratic National Committee, which decided in August to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/dnc-fossil-fuel-donations-2595481111.html" target="_blank">reverse a ban on fossil fuel donations</a>.
</p><p>You can use this <a href="http://nofossilfuelmoney.org/pledge-signers/" target="_blank">search tool</a> to see if your election candidates have taken the pledge.<br></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
<iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode twitter-embed-1055645951019208704" id="twitter-embed-1055645951019208704" type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1055645951019208704&created_ts=1540520582.0&screen_name=daphnewysham&text=Thank+you%2C+Charles+Gallia%2C+in+race+4+OR+State+Senate%2C+for+joining+1200+other+candidates+in+US+pledging+to+take+NO+m%E2%80%A6+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FYHIPv7rCcO&id=1055645951019208704&name=Daphne+Wysham" frameborder="0" data-rm-shortcode-id="ZO8RGD1576683787"></iframe>
</p><p>
The <a href="https://www.sunrisemovement.org/" target="_blank">Sunrise Movement</a>, a politically-minded organization of young people uniting to stop the climate crisis, has endorsed <a href="https://www.sunrisemovement.org/endorsements" target="_blank">a full slate of candidates</a> who have rejected fossil fuel cash and promise to fight climate change.
</p><p>
For instance, they've united behind Minnesota candidate Ilhan Omar, who is poised to become the first Somali-American elected to Congress.
</p><p>
"Ilhan has fiercely backed a moratorium on new oil and gas infrastructure, especially when it comes to the Line 3 pipeline. She's promised to stop tax loopholes and giveaways to fossil fuel executives, if elected to office and will support legislation to create good-paying, union jobs in the clean energy sector instead," the group writes.</p><div id="dc2c4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="C2AKR81576683788"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0;
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<div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAAGFBMVEUiIiI9PT0eHh4gIB4hIBkcHBwcHBwcHBydr+JQAAAACHRSTlMABA4YHyQsM5jtaMwAAADfSURBVDjL7ZVBEgMhCAQBAf//42xcNbpAqakcM0ftUmFAAIBE81IqBJdS3lS6zs3bIpB9WED3YYXFPmHRfT8sgyrCP1x8uEUxLMzNWElFOYCV6mHWWwMzdPEKHlhLw7NWJqkHc4uIZphavDzA2JPzUDsBZziNae2S6owH8xPmX8G7zzgKEOPUoYHvGz1TBCxMkd3kwNVbU0gKHkx+iZILf77IofhrY1nYFnB/lQPb79drWOyJVa/DAvg9B/rLB4cC+Nqgdz/TvBbBnr6GBReqn/nRmDgaQEej7WhonozjF+Y2I/fZou/qAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC);
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</div></div><p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;">
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BohN6WOB2Jm/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif;
font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;
word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">Sunrise Movement on Instagram: “Introducing... our FINAL SUNRISE ENDORSEMENT SLATE! Every one of these candidates has sworn off fossil fuels and is ready to fight like…”</a></p>
</div></blockquote></div><p>There are other tools that environmental voters can use before heading to the polls. As <a href="https://www.vox.com/2018/10/29/18022736/2018-midterm-elections-climate-change-voters-guide" target="_blank">Vox</a> reported, <a href="https://voteclimatepac.org/voters-guide/" target="_blank">Vote Climate US PAC</a> has created a <a href="https://voteclimatepac.org/voters-guide/" target="_blank">climate change voter's guide</a> for House and Senate races that's based on what incumbents and challengers have said they'll do to address Earth's rising temperatures, from a carbon tax and their stated position on climate change.<br></p><p>
You'll be unsurprised to find that the vast majority of the so-called "climate heroes" in the guide are Democrats.
</p><p>
<span></span>"We all know that there are differences between Republicans and Democrats on the issue, but to me what was stunning was the extent of the divide between the parties," Karyn Strickler, president of Vote Climate US PAC, told Vox. "What this demonstrates is that climate politics are overwhelmingly driven by party."
</p><p>
The <a href="https://www.sierraclubindependentaction.org/endorsements" target="_blank">Sierra Club</a> has also issued a voter guide and made <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/california/2018-endorsements" target="_blank">endorsements</a> for candidates and ballot measures. The environmental group has even created a <a href="https://www.sierraclubindependentaction.org/" target="_blank">personalized ballot</a> based on your address.
</p><p>There are many reasons to head to the polls on or before Nov. 6. Saving the environment should be one of them.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
<iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode twitter-embed-1055163772048941058" id="twitter-embed-1055163772048941058" type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1055163772048941058&created_ts=1540405621.0&screen_name=NRDC_AF&text=There%27s+never+been+a+better+time+to+be+a+%23ClimateVoter+and+fight+for+a+brighter+future.+Are+you+in%3F%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FGhtDYWCEBj&id=1055163772048941058&name=NRDC+Action+Fund" frameborder="0" data-rm-shortcode-id="6G1SXQ1576683788"></iframe>
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