Howdy!
Where is winter? Will we have snow in the Triangle area this season?
There are many opportunities to join others at events and actions as winter comes to a close and spring arrives.
February 17-20, 26th Great Backyard Bird Count
Join people from around the world and help scientists study birds with the Great Backyard Bird Count! More information here.
Feb 21, #StopMVP Solidarity Teach-in on #StopCopCity
7 pm, online
POWHR is hosting a teach-in on the movement to Stop Cop City and how it relates to our fight to stop the Mountain Valley Pipeline. The teach-in will feature Crystal Mello on building relationships with community organizers across frontline fights, Russell Chisholm on the criminalization of protests, Basav Sen of the Institute for Policy Studies, and Denali Nalamalapu on the connections between our movements. Register here.
February 22, Let’s Clear the Air: The EPA’s New Ruling on Soot Pollution & How to Make Your Voice Heard
7 pm, online
The EPA has proposed to strengthen soot standards that haven’t been reviewed in over a decade. Particulate matter, or soot pollution, primarily from burning coal and diesel fuel, cuts short the lives of over a hundred thousand people in the U.S. each year, disproportionately impacting communities of color and low wealth communities, and children. Hosted by Climate Action NC, we’ll talk about what’s in the draft proposal, the connection between soot pollution and Environmental Justice, and how to make your voice heard via public comment. Register here.
February 23, Climate Change as Class War Presentation and Fireside Chat
7:30 pm, online
Join a presentation by Matt Huber on his book “Climate Change as Class Struggle”, followed up by a Q&A. Register here.
February 24, Third Act North Carolina Working Group Launches
7 pm, online
We are concerned over-60-year-old North Carolinians who are joining Third Act in its efforts toward climate justice and democracy. Featured speakers are Bill McKibben and Jeremy Friedman from Third Act, NC activists Donna Chavis, Matthew Bacoate, and Daniel Suber, and Russell Armstrong from Hip Hop Caucus. You will also hear about the upcoming Stop Dirty Banks Day of Action on 3.21.23! Register here.
February 26, Artbuild with Third Act at Paperhand Puppet Intervention Studio
10-5pm, 6079 Saxapahaw Swepsonville Rd, Saxapahaw
Join others for an artbuild at the Paperhand studio in Saxapahaw to prepare for a national day of action with Third Act. On March 21st across the nation we will be taking action to demand that the worst polluting banks that invest the most in the fossil fuels that are destroying our future, cut it out! or we’ll cut up our credit cards and close our accounts. Come help us build giant scissors, oversized credit cards (that pop apart), and paint and rig banners that will be used throughout NC and in Washington DC. Wear painting clothes!
March 2, The Current State of Waste and Race in North Carolina
12 pm, online
Featuring Courtney Woods, this talk will examine the historical and contemporary impacts that solid waste facilities have on communities of color in North Carolina and reflect on the 40-year history of environmental justice organizing around waste facilities in the United States. More info and register here.
March 7, Farmers for Climate Action: Rally for Resilience
Washington, DC
As part of a three-day event, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is organizing a rally and march of farmers, farm organizations, and farmer allies from across the country to send a united request to Congress to make climate change policy a priority in the 2023 Farm Bill. More information here.
Banking on our Future Pledge and Stop Dirty Banks!
It’s time to leave Citibank, WellsFargo, Bank ofAmerica, and Chase for banks that invest in sustainable communities––not the polluting industries that are destroying our planet! Sign the Banking on our Future Pledge: “If Bank of America, Chase, Citibank, and Wells Fargo are still funding climate-destroying fossil fuel projects in March 2023, I pledge to close my account and cut up my credit card. If I don’t bank at these institutions now, I pledge I won’t do so in the future.” Sign here.
On March 21, we will make good on our pledges together – actually or symbolically – on the 3.21.23 Day of Action to Stop the Dirty Banks!
Together we will demand banks stop funding climate chaos. So far there are four actions taking place in NC in Durham, Greensboro, Asheville, and Charlotte! More details here about the Day of Action.
March 22, World Water Day 2023
More details next month on local event!
March 23, UN Water Conference 2023 Virtual Side Event: Women for Climate Justice Leading Protection of Water
1 pm, online
At this official virtual UN Side Event, grassroots women leaders, water protectors, and international policy experts, will address the impacts of climate change and destructive projects on global water, and share ongoing solutions and strategies for the protection of oceans, freshwater, rivers, and aquatic ecosystems based in a climate justice framework. Speakers include Great-Grandmother Mary Lyons, Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner, Maude Barlow and more. Register here.
Save-the-dates!
April 28 – May 6, Missing Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) NC Virtual Event
The MMIW NC Coalition Virtual event is a race at your own pace and place. You can run, walk, bike, hike, canoe, kayak, basically, any movement anywhere. Our mission of this virtual race is to raise awareness, bring solidarity with Indigenous Women, Girls, Two-Spirits, Relatives, victims, grieving families, and individuals working on the frontlines to end this problem of violence against our Indigenous relatives. The proceeds from this year’s event will go to MMIW Coalition of NC. More information and registration here.
North Carolina Clean Energy Advocates Give State Carbon Plan a Failing Grade
Last month, People Power NC, a coalition of clean energy and social justice organizations that 350 Triangle is member of, released a report card assessing the state’s new carbon plan. On Dec. 30, 2022, the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) issued an order establishing the state’s first Carbon Plan. Unfortunately, the NCUC adhered closely to a proposal by Duke Energy that continued to put profit before people and our environment. The Commission ignored alternative proposals that were submitted by intervenors. The report card criticizes the plan’s lack of urgency regarding climate issues directly affecting North Carolinians, noting “if the NCUC truly wants to ensure that our energy decisions are ‘reasonable and prudent,’ it should quickly phase out fossil fuels and make a much more robust and rapid commitment to renewables, battery storage, and energy efficiency.” Check out the report card here.
TAKE ACTION!
TWO opportunities to make comments on the Mountain Valley Pipeline!
Say NO to the Forest Service’s permit for the Mountain Valley Pipeline here. Comments extended to Feb 21.
Tell the Army Corps: Don’t grant MVP’s permit here! Comments extended to Feb. 25.
View the recording of the excellent January 25th comment party here for more information on both and read Crystal Mello’s MVP POWHR blog here.
STOP WILLOW!
On Feb. 1st, the Biden administration took another step towards approving the Willow Master Development Project – a massive oil drilling development in Alaska’s western Arctic that threatens local communities and wildlife, and the global climate. Extracting millions of barrels of oil in Alaska would only increase temperatures in a region that’s already warming four times faster than the rest of the world. Willow will disproportionately impact the community of Nuiqsut, a predominantly Iñupiaq village of about 500 people already suffering extreme pollution from existing oil projects.
The Biden administration is expected to issue its final decision on the project as soon as March 6th. That means we still have time to pressure Biden and his Department of Interior to DENY this dangerous project.
Send a message to Biden and Bureau of Land Management here.
Call the White House switchboard at (202) 456-1414 and tell them you want to leave a comment:
“Hi, my name is (X) and I’m calling with People vs. Fossil Fuels to express my deep concern over the Willow Master Development Project. The Willow Project would lock in irreversible climate pollution for the next 30 years. Approving this project would severely jeopardize the President’s own climate goals and push us further into a climate emergency. The President must STOP WILLOW!”
Tell the UNFCCC: Protect the climate talks from fossil fuel interests here. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, the CEO of oil and gas company ADNOC, has been appointed President of the UN climate talks (COP28) happening later this year in the UAE. This is totally unacceptable!
Tell President Biden, Stop Formosa Plastics from building a mega-polluting petrochemical plant in St. James Parish, Louisiana here.
Tell the EPA we need a stronger rule limiting respirable dust and soot here. While the EPA’s soot standard proposal is a step in the right direction, it’s still insufficient to combat deadly levels of soot pollution in our air.
Two action alerts in solidarity with East Palestine, OH experiencing one of the worst environmental disasters in the United States!
Tell Gov. DeWine to Request Federal Disaster Declaration for East Palestine Train Spillhere.
Sign the Train Derailment Response-OH and PA Must Take Action to demand medical monitoring, independent testing, and transparent, public information sharing from OH and PA governors here.
Articles and recordings
If you missed ARTivism’s Renewal of Resistance: An Evening with #StopMVP ARTivists on January 31st, a link to the recording of the powerful program is here.
Recording of last month’s The Human Cost of Hog Waste here.
Fossil Free Media, a nonprofit media lab that supports the movement to break free from fossil fuels, has just launched a newsletter that will provide the latest talking points for the fight against fossil fuels. Subscribe to the Fossil Free Memo here.
A new report from Climate and Community Project, Achieving Zero Emissions with More Mobility and Less Mining here.
“This report finds that the United States can achieve zero emissions transportation while limiting the amount of lithium mining necessary by reducing the car dependence of the transportation system, decreasing the size of electric vehicle batteries, and maximizing lithium recycling. Reordering the US transportation system through policy and spending shifts to prioritize public and active transit while reducing car dependency can also ensure transit equity, protect ecosystems, respect Indigenous rights, and meet the demands of global justice.” Listen to a conversation with Dr. Thea Riofrancos, the lead author of the report, about reducing the need for lithium on David Roberts’ Volt Podcast here.
How to reduce the power of a petrostate? Get off fossil fuels as quickly as we can
“What is the best way to reduce the power of a petrostate, whether it is Russia or Saudi Arabia? It is for the rest of us to get off fossil fuels as quickly as we can. And the only way that’s going to happen is if we design policies that are actually fair for working people. That is going to require for the forces that got us into this mess, which are oil companies and petrostates, to actually foot the bill for this transition.” Interview with Namoi Klein here.
Thanks for reading and for taking action! Peace and love for our beautiful Earth, Karen