Issue 132

September 11, 2019

“Wanting clean air AND water is not elitist. Our children are dying. They have brain damage. Go ahead, call them elitist."

☛ Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Hannah Lutz Winkler

? The clock is ticking ?

The first major hurricane of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season hit last week, killing over 30 in the Bahamas and flooding parts of North Carolina. This week we’re talking about the most recent weather catastrophe and what our government officials are doing (and NOT doing) to address climate change.

Today we're also taking a moment to stop and reflect on the September 11 attacks, and to remember those who lost their lives 18 years ago.

Hurricane season is just beginning, and we know that global warming is intensifying the impact (and therefore the damage) caused by hurricanes. That means we need to be better prepared, right? Wrong in Trump’s America. While Hurricane Dorian was blasting across the Atlantic coast, the Trump administration announced it would transfer ~$155 million from FEMA’s disaster relief fund to increase the number of ICE detention beds! Not only is the Trump admin denying that climate change is real and rolling back important environmental policies (like energy efficiency light bulbs, because why)—they are also using essential emergency funds to bolster their xenophobic + racist agenda.

We need to address the root causes of global warming and climate change. The U.S. is one of the world’s largest historic polluters of greenhouse gases: today it produces about 15% of total global emissions, and experts have said it's impossible to solve climate change without international curbs on emissions. The policy that the majority of environmental economists agree is the most effective way to cut emissions is a tax or fee on carbon dioxide pollution. This policy was untenable even when Dems had control of the Senate and House, but there's reason to be optimistic. Over half of our Dem presidential candidates have endorsed a tax or fee on carbon dioxide pollution, and we’re going to hold them to it!

How can you keep the pressure on our candidates and electeds?

—Contact your House and Senate reps and ask them to support climate legislation. Find your member of the House here and Senate reps here.

—Support those suffering the cost of climate change today by donating to The National Association of the Bahamas' Hurricane Relief Fund or the World Central Kitchen teams (Chef José Andrés’ organization) who are providing food on Grand Bahama and the Abacos.