Dear Valerie ,
The Terra-Gen Project was denied; so how do climate activists move forward from here?
The denial of Terra-Gen’s proposed wind project means we won’t have a large renewable energy project in Humboldt for five or more years. But that doesn’t mean we can’t find other ways to reduce our county’s carbon footprint.
What those ways might be, and how 350 Humboldt can help push them forward, will be the focus of our General Meeting this Thursday, January 16, 6 PM at El Chipotle restaurant, 850 Crescent Way in Arcata. We hope you can attend and join us for dinner if you’d like.
Local climate planners are asking the same question. The evening before, on Wednesday, January 15 at Eureka’s Wharfinger Building, the City of Eureka and Humboldt County will ask the public for more input on developing the county’s Climate Action Plan. Doors open at 5 PM and the program begins at 5:30. This will be a great opportunity to let planners know how you’d like to see Humboldt cut its Greenhouse emissions.
How would you cut Humboldt’s emissions? (Graph courtesy Humboldt County Planning Department).
But while we’re acting locally, there’s a lot to think of globally. A fascinating article in the December 20, 2019 issue of the scientific journal One Earth (found here) describes the massive benefits of a global transition to “Green New Deal” policies, including an estimated 29 million new jobs and a net savings of $73 trillion!
Of course, America’s proposed Green New Deal legislation remains completely stalled, thanks largely to President Trump and Republican Senators, many of whom receive huge campaign donations from fossil fuel developers. Nationally, fossil fuel campaign donations reached $359 million in the 2018 midterm campaign, topping donations from renewable energy by 13-to-1. Read more about that here.
Don’t forget that our next election is fast approaching, with California’s presidential primary on March 3. Nationally, 350.org has not yet endorsed any presidential candidate, but the youthful Sunrise Movement endorsed Bernie Sanders by a landslide poll of its members. Read more here.
We appreciate your action toward a liveable climate, and hope to see you on January 16!
Pat Carr for 350 Humboldt