Message from the Chair
🔥 As droughts, floods, and fires continue to plague communities and countries worldwide, more naysayers are now listening. We can no longer ignore this obvious threat to planetary health. It will take a world unified and determined to act, with the U.S. leading by example, to meet this pivotal moment. Accordingly, Democrats and the Biden administration have passed the most extensive package in history to combat climate change with the Inflation Reduction Act, and Biden’s pledge to reduce emissions has been significantly advanced. The hard work of bridging the emissions gap, reaching net zero, and securing environmental justice for our vulnerable communities still, nonetheless, lies before us.
🍃 The last loathsome ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in June on W. Virginia vs. the Environmental Protection Agency also seems to have been mitigated propitiously in the text of the new Inflation Reduction Act. This SCOTUS decision stripped the EPA of much of its authority to fight climate change, citing a lack of congressional support to shift America away from burning fossil fuels. The text in the IRA, now passed in both houses, specifically amends the Clean Air Act, however, defining the carbon dioxide produced by burning fossil fuels as an air pollutant. The EPA may therefore have jurisdiction to regulate greenhouse gases and support the adaption of various alternative energies. The new legislation instructs federal agencies to curb or eliminate carbon dioxide and methane from power plants, automobiles, and oil wells under threat of federal fines. A sigh of relief!
🆘 Let’s take all the legislative wins to the bank this November for the midterms. Things are looking up, but we need all-hands-on-deck to (re)elect Democrats up and down the ballot, and we must continue pressuring the Biden administration to declare a National Climate Emergency.
Take Action! ✍️ Please sign the ECCC petition now. Please share it widely with your American friends, family, and colleagues in and outside the U.S. and on social media. It will be transmitted to the White House and Congress Our survival depends on the Biden Administration taking further action.
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🗳️ The most powerful action you can take to impact climate change is voting. Please vote in the midterm elections because Democrats must maintain legislative control if we want sustained climate action Democrats Abroad is the margin of victory in many elections. |
🌻 Read Our New monthly blog segment, "The Good, The Bad, and the Nerdy!" This month's blog is on Sustainable Flights by
Elizabeth Clarey - A Pennsylvania voter living in the Czech Republic.
🌻 Read Talking to ‘the locals’? Listening to ‘the locals’! by Karen Lee, a member of our Watchdogs Team, who lives in Greece and is an Ohio voter.
🌳 The Artic is Warming Four Times Faster than the Rest of the Planet, Research Shows
🌴 Democrats Designed the Climate Law to be a Game Changer
🌲 EV Provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act Protect our National Security
🎋 Why Keeping Girls in School is a Good Strategy to Cope with Climate Change
🌳 Carbon Capture Plays an Outsized Role in the Inflation Reduction Act’s Emission Reductions
🌴 Researchers Agree: The World can reach a 100% Renewable Energy System by or before 2050
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DA's Disability Caucus will join August's Climate Cafe to discuss the disproportionate impact climate change has on people with disabilities. Compromised health makes disabled people more vulnerable to extreme climate events, ecosystem services loss, or infectious diseases. Join us for an informal discussion this month on this extremely important topic. |
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President Biden will forgive $10,000-$20,000 in federal student loans for those who make less than $125,000 - as the key piece of a larger relief package announced on August 24. Join us for a webinar to talk about how this came about and what this means for Americans abroad. |
🌍 Read the ECCC Statement on the Inflation Reduction Act
🌍 Watch our July Climate Cafe on Queer Ecology
🌍 Did you miss our Co₂nsequences: Global Climate Rally in April You can watch it here We had a lot of great speakers and performers.
🌍 Want to make your lifestyle greener Boost your knowledge Check out our Earth Care Toolkit.
🌍 If you have Netflix, watch the documentary Youth v Gov (2020) or watch the trailer Directed by filmmaker and scientist Christi Cooper YOUTH v. GOV is the story of America's youth taking on the world's most powerful government In 2015, twenty-one young plaintiffs, ages 8 to 19, filed the lawsuit Juliana vs. the United States, asserting a willful violation of their constitutional rights in creating our climate crisis If they're successful, they'll not only make history, and they'll change the future We will have an event with the director and the plaintiffs soon.
A meaningful way to get out our message is through social media We need your help extending our essential message by following, liking, and subscribing to our newly established social media accounts: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube We can’t beat the algorithms without your help.