CO₂nsequences: ECCC November 2025 Newsletter

Posted by Dana Freling
January 09, 2026

Chair - Global Environment and Climate Crisis; Vice Chair - DA Finland; Steering Committee - Global Women's Caucus; Member-Reproductive Justice Task Force

Message From the Chair

This month reminds us why every election — and every action — matters for the planet. Nov. 4th was a great day at the ballot box for our planet, with climate-friendly initiatives and candidates winning nationwide.

Mikie Sherrill won the New Jersey governor’s race, running on affordable, clean energy and a promise to tackle these problems head on by declaring “a state of emergency on energy costs” on her first day in office.
In Virginia, Abigail Spanberger won the governor’s seat, the first female ever, on a platform that included a call for data centre operators to pay electricity costs in a region that hosts over 13% of the world’s data centre capacity. Her “Affordable Virginia” plan includes expanding wind and solar generation, promoting home weatherization, and streamlining permitting.
California voters approved Proposition 50, which will allow the state’s Democratic majority to redraw congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Who draws the lines often decides who defends our environment.
In Georgia, a state Donald Trump carried in 2024, two Democrats won a statewide race for Public Service Commission, putting Democrats on the commission for the first time in nearly 20 years.

Climate-friendly policies—those centering on transit, in particular—won on a local scale, too.

Voters in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, which includes the city of Charlotte, handily approved a 1% increase in the sales tax to finance nearly $20 billion in transportation improvements.
In Ellensburg, Washington, 65% of voters approved a permanent 0.2% sales tax to fund the municipal bus system.

So you see, the BLUE WAVE was also GREEN! Big thanks to everyone who helped get out the vote! However, our work is far from done.

At COP30 in Belém, Brazil, the world gathers to confront the climate emergency — but the Trump administration is nowhere to be seen. Instead, 100 U.S. governors, mayors, and local leaders showed up to say: America still cares. California’s Gavin Newsom delivered a searing speech, calling out the administration’s climate change denial and doubling down on clean energy and justice for those communities most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

The message from Belém is urgent: it’s time to move from promises to plans, from targets to action — to finally chart a real road map away from fossil fuels and toward adaptation and resilience. Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called for world leaders to prepare a road map to “overcome dependence on fossil fuels.” Negotiators from some of the most ambitious countries are trying to build a coalition to deliver on the promise made in Dubai. The key will be not only to convince developing countries to bypass the traditional fossil fuel-based development model, but also to face up to potential U.S. pressure.

Please join us at the Environment & Climate Crisis Council (ECCC)’s November Climate Café, for our annual COP Roundup, featuring members who are attending this year’s U.N. Climate conference on the ground. (See details below)

Our call to action: The EPA is moving to gut the Clean Water Act, one of America’s bedrock environmental laws. We need you to contact your representatives and tell them to Vote NO on any attempt to weaken the Clean Water Act. Clean water is not a partisan issue — it’s life itself.

Together, we can keep the U.S. in the climate fight, no matter who occupies the White House. From your city abroad to Belém to your home state, your voice matters.

Let’s keep pushing — for clean air, clean water, and a livable future. 🌱

In solidarity,

Dana Freling

Chair - Environment & Climate Crisis Council

Please join us for our November Climate Café on the 24th at 11am ET / 5pm CET, where we will join DA members who are participating in Brazil’s COP30. The conference winds up on the 22nd, so this will give us the opportunity to reflect on the success and failures of this important global gathering, its conclusion, and its implications for planetary health.

RSVP

Want to know where the country you live in ranks on emissions, clean energy and climate policy? Check out the map!

Call to action: The EPA is moving to gut the Clean Water Act, one of America’s bedrock environmental laws.Call and write your representatives — local, state, and federal, Democrat and Republican — and tell them to Vote NO on any attempt to weaken the Clean Water Act. Let them know climate is a priority·

Every action matters, no matter how small. For inspiration and strategy, check out Democrats Abroad’s Resistance Roundtables — a blueprint for effective organizing. And be sure to subscribe to DA’s Take Action Newsletter.

Finally, consider volunteering with the ECCC. Whether you’re passionate about legislative tracking, social media or communications, your skills are needed. Contact us at [email protected].