To stop runaway climate change, it is necessary to get governments to use their unique powers to retire fossil fuels and build climate safe communities.
The Advocate is a new monthly feature that we will share through the My Climate Plan Weekly newsletter.
My Climate Plan is a new membership organization to help people across Canada, the United States and the world to take effective action to defend their homes from climate impacts and help everyone live in a climate safe community.
The Advocate will help you cut through the noise to focus on the most effective thing you can do that month to get your government to act. You can expect that most editions will focus on retiring fossil fuels and most will point to the campaigns and work of other organizations.
To start, we will focus on actions in Canada and the US, where most of our members currently live.
From time to time, we will also include My Climate Plan campaigns that focus on preparing and defending our homes and communities from climate impacts.
You can get the Advocate by subscribing to the My Climate Plan Weekly here.
For people in Canada:
Right now Canadians have a unique opportunity to give the government official feedback on the draft cap on oil and gas emissions.
Canada has some of the largest fossil fuel reserves in the world, and the impact of burning the fossil fuels buried in the country is far greater than the (also substantial) impact of the fossil fuels we burn domestically.
The federal government has released a draft of their policy for capping this climate warming pollution – and while it’s a good start it also has some key flaws. Canadians have till February 5th to submit official feedback to the government – so this is the moment. You can learn more and send a letter through:
West Coast Environmental Law’s oil and gas cap campaign – https://www.wcel.org/blog/speak-about-canadas-plans-cap-oil-and-gas-sector-emissions
Leadnow’s emissions cap comment campaign – https://act.leadnow.ca/EmCap-comment
For people in the US:
As we were writing this piece, news broke of what may be one of the biggest climate victories in US history: the Biden administration halting approval for massive LNG export terminals.
The export terminals would have been a triple whammy for Americans: driving gargantuan GHG emissions, increasing energy prices for Americans, and spreading pollution to hard hit Gulf states like Louisiana.
The New York Times gave a lot of credit to Bill McKibben, who in turn pointed to the work of local organizers like Roishette Ozane. You can hear her reaction and analysis of the news here:
Ozane leads the Vessel Project of Louisiana – one of the most inspiring organizations turning climate disaster into community building for action to stop climate change. To celebrate this victory, and ensure that this effective front-line community has the resources it needs to stop the halted approvals for good, we recommend donating here: https://www.vesselprojectoflouisiana.org/donation
Stay tuned for the next Advocate for recommendations about making a difference in the US in this election year.
Your Car in the Cold (EVs > ICE)