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July 16th, Greta Thunberg and three of her fellow climate activists launched an open letter (https://climateemergencyeu.org/) demanding EU leaders take measurable, immediate action to genuinely tackle the climate crisis. The letter’s demands include that the climate emergency is treated like an emergency, and with that comes the immediate halting of all investments in fossil fuel exploration and extraction, and an end to fossil fuel subsidies. The letter also demands that EU member states make ecocide (extensive damage to Earth's ecological systems) an international crime, and that climate policies be put in place that reduce racial, economic, and gender inequality. Her letter is very timely, given that the first half of 2020 was the second warmest on record (https://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/graphs_v4/). Yep…it’s just getting hotter…and hotter…and hotter. And as the temperatures rise, so does my anger, and I too want to stand up and demand for change. If she is willing to be the energy to lead the change that we need to demand, are we willing to be the energy to follow? What is my role and yours, and what can we do? As a mother, and an “elder” by virtue of my age and hopefully ability to stay grounded, I feel strongly that it is my place is to use my roots and the strength of my age and my experience to participate as fully as I can in altering the destructive course that we are. This means using power of my own, very real outrage, as a force for change by channeling it into constructive activities. Here is what this means to me:
resourcesTHE SCIENCE
“Even if countries meet commitments made under the 2015 Paris Agreement, the world is heading for a 3.2 ºC global temperature rise in the next 80 years, leading to even wider-ranging and more destructive climate impacts.” (1) We are currently at 1.0 ºC. The Paris Agreement saw nations commit to a safe maximum of 1.5 ºC by 2100. We are on a path to hit 2.0 ºC by 2050 (2), the repercussions of which include:
By 2050 anywhere from 25 million to 1 billion people are expected to be climate migrants (4). Source: https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/11/1052171
THE DEMANDS Extracted from a letter (https://climateemergencyeu.org/) by Luisa Neubauer, Greta Thunberg, Anuna de Wever van der Heyden, Adélaïde Charlier, 16 July 2020, to EU leaders and heads of state: “You must stop pretending that we can solve the climate- and ecological crisis without treating it as a crisis…The world’s planned fossil fuel production by the year 2030 accounts for 120% more than what would be consistent with the 1,5° target…In order to limit global heating to 1,5 degrees, the upcoming months and years are crucial. The clock is ticking. Doing your best is no longer good enough. You must now do the seemingly impossible.” RESOURCES FOR TAKING ACTION Organizations: Indigenous Climate Action Extinction Rebellion Zero Hour for Youth 350.org Add Your Name to the Movement: Face The Climate Emergency, Greta’s Letter to World Leaders: https://climateemergencyeu.org/ WWF: https://www.wwf.org.uk/fight-climate-change National Resources Defense Council: https://www.nrdc.org/demand-climate-action People’s Demands for Climate Justice: https://www.peoplesdemands.org/ Tips for taking action: https://mashable.com/article/how-to-be-an-activist-jamie-margolin/ https://lifehacker.com/how-to-demand-action-on-climate-change-1829783214 https://thegiganticchange.com/#knowthetruth https://www.activehope.info/ RESOURCES FOR STAYING ROOTED
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