US Climate Emergency updates
The Chicago City Council declared a Climate Emergency on February 19th, the first in the state of Illinois. This adds nearly three million people to the global tally, comprising more than 10% of the global population, now living under a government that has declared a Climate Emergency. The Climate Mobilization tracks Climate Emergency declaration numbers around the world using this document — feel free to use and share this data widely.
Climate Mobilization leadership speaking out
Check out Margaret Klein Salamon, alongside George Lakoff, professor emeritus of cognitive science and linguistics at UC Berkeley, and Amanda Ravenhill, executive director at the Buckminster Fuller Institute for Climate One’s “Me vs. We: What Matters Most for Climate Action?” Speakers explored how we think about change, how our words shape our behavior, the impact of emotion on climate action, and whether factors like power, social status, and morality will affect the transition to a green economy.
Appearing on the PDA Radio Podcast episode Casting your vote in the Age of the Climate Emergency, Salamon and TCM’s policy and strategy director Ezra Silk joined host Russell Greene of Progressive Democrats of America, director, writer and activist Josh Fox, and NASA data scientist Peter Kalmus. The episode focuses on the potential of current democratic candidates to address the Climate Emergency. Ezra and Margaret talk about the importance of whole-society Mobilization, evaluating the candidates, and endorsing Bernie Sanders as the best candidate to lead the United States toward a just mobilization, comprehensive enough to restore a safe climate for all life.
Explore our candidate scorecard, our endorsement of Bernie Sanders, and the background for our endorsement in “Our Climate Mobilization Journey with Bernie Sanders” published in Common Dreams.
Climate Emergency wins big in the UK
UK Courts have ruled the construction of a long-planned third runway at London’s Heathrow airport to be illegal. In their ruling, judges cited the government’s failure to comply with its pledge to the Paris Climate Accord, along with the destructive climate impacts of the project, and concerns for air quality and noise pollution. Congratulations to organizers and advocates across Britain who worked on this effort.
Another airport expansion was shelved in Bristol, UK following a declaration of Climate Emergency by North Somerset Council.
In Fort William, Scotland a municipal declaration of Climate Emergency by the Highland Council led to a rejection of new regional gas supply pipelines, the most recent of which has been installed just last year.
Book Launch
Facing the Climate Emergency: How to Transform Yourself with Climate Truth will launch in April from Climate Mobilization Project. The book is a self-help guide to reckoning with the powerful emotions that the Climate Emergency stirs in us, and choosing a path of meaningful action. Check out advance praise and read the first chapter at the book’s new website. All proceeds generated by the book will benefit the Climate Mobilization Project.
Further Reading
Our thoughts are with the Wet’suwet’en of Canada and their long standing resistance against the proposed Coastal GasLink pipeline, which would cross their traditional, unceded lands in northern British Columbia. The Canadian Royal Mounted Police have treated First Nations protesters with brutality in past confrontations and Wet’suwet’en rights to their territory continue to be denied by Canadian authorities.
Check out a powerful and timely call for philanthropy to declare a #ClimateEmergency and drastically increase their funding of the climate movement from Ellen Dorsey of the Wallace Global Fund.Special thanks to The Chronicle of Philanthropy for making this article publicly available.