It’s been a little over a week since President Donald Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the historic Paris Climate Agreement. Since then, a growing coalition of cities and states have said that they will commit to the agreement themselves no matter what the federal government decides to do.
In The Nation, Mark Hertsgaard summed up the stakes: “This is murder,” he wrote of the administration’s decision, “even if Trump’s willful ignorance of climate science prevents him from seeing it.”
With an administration and Republican Congress that would rather be willfully ignorant than act to address climate change, it is crucial that every city and state in America commit to taking action. Here’s what you can do to help make that happen:
1. Tomorrow, Saturday, June 10, people across the country will gather to demand that their city and state stay in Paris and go beyond in getting us off fossil fuels. The protests are being organized by 350.org and supported by groups such as Public Citizen, Greenpeace USA, and The Nation.
The Message: Stay in Paris and go beyond. Commit to a target of 100% renewable energy, without delay. Stop building new fossil fuel projects. Divest from coal, oil and gas companies.
When: Saturday, June 10
Where: Find an event in your city here.
2. If you can’t make it to an event, you can help promote the day of action using the hashtag #ActonClimate.
3. Call your mayor and governor to demand that they commit to the goals in the Paris Climate Agreement and go beyond it. Even if they’ve already said that they will abide by the agreement (National Geographic has a map here), call and tell them that you want them to commit to a target of 100% renewable energy without delay. You can look up your mayor’s phone number here and your governor’s here.
4. Spread the word about the people and movements who are fighting back against climate denial and for climate justice. At The Nation, Chloe Maxmin wrote about the successful Harvard divestment movement, Benjamin Barber wrote about the role of cities in fighting climate change, and Michelle Chen wrote about the states. Back in May, Audrea Lin wrote about why it is crucial that we put communities of color, who are often disproportionately harmed by climate change and pollution, at the center of climate justice. That article in particular highlights a number of organizations that deserve your support, including the community group UPROSE from Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and the Indigenous Environmental Network.
