Pamela -
Like many outside of Los Angeles, I've been watching the wildfires on the news while texting friends and loved ones to see if they're ok and wishing there was more I could do.
For folks in LA, as always, we see the compassion and bravery and commitment to community that is happening, with families and friends sharing their homes and resources and taking in folks who have had to evacuate. People have lost homes and schools and workplaces, and many are not going back to "normal" anytime soon.
Not only is this yet another catastrophic climate event, but our ability to combat it is hindered by a lack of water, another symptom of the climate crisis and the ongoing drought in southern California.
While we're hoping the winds diminish, the fires are contained, and our loved ones are safe, we also need to think about what we can do. I wish there was an easy answer. But we're not going to win new federal legislation to curb climate change in the near future — not with Trump in the White House.
The next four years are going to be a long, hard road, and we'll need all of us to be alert and ready to act during climate disasters:
First, displaced families who have lost everything are going to need support, and the government alone is not going to move fast enough. We'll be sharing on social media some of the groups on the ground providing aid. And we'll also be sending online actions you can take to push FEMA to move fast.
Second, we must listen to the folks most impacted and help them demand a faster rebuild, in Los Angeles, in North Carolina, and everywhere affected by extreme weather this year and in the future. This will be especially critical as Trump picks unqualified and inexperienced political appointees to run essential government agencies.
Finally, we need to think about the fight ahead. Insurance companies deny claims, or as some already have, cancel insurance before climate disasters hit (despite their role in exacerbating the climate crisis by insuring fossil fuel projects in the first place). We can push state insurance commissioners to make insurance companies uphold their obligations. And we can also use Make Polluters Pay, legislation recently passed in New York, to force the corporations who have profited from this destruction to pay for its cleanup.
Pamela, there's no easy fix for what has happened this year, or what will happen next year. That's why we're building a large force of activists who are ready to leap into action when climate disasters strike — to send letters, make phone calls, submit comments and more — making sure the needs of impacted communities are met and demanding action on climate.
In solidarity,
Jeff Ordower
North America Director
350.org
 |  |  |
PO Box 843004, Boston, MA 02284-3004
This email was sent to kmyers209.shamrock5@blogger.com. Email is the most important way we keep in touch with people like you. If you need to remove yourself from our email list, unsubscribe here. You can also sign up to receive fewer emails. Update your email address, location, or language.
350.org is a global movement that fights for a just and equitable world by stopping the fossil fuel industry from continuing to destroy our climate.
Support our fight for a just and renewable future by shopping 350.org's sustainable merchandise.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.