Hello! As mentioned, I’ll be scarce around here as I prepare to move out of state (scroll to the bottom of this post for a quick action on behalf of the United States Postal Service), but wanted to share Bill McKibben’s “How We Make Progress Now” today because I think it contains important info, including a list of Trump’s actions in his first days back in office:
The attacks on sensible energy policy have been swift and savage. We exited the Paris climate accords, paused IRA spending, halted wind and solar projects, gutted the effort to help us transition to electric vehicles, lifted the pause on new LNG export projects, canceled the Climate Corps just as it was getting off the ground, and closed the various government agencies dedicated to environmental justice. Oh, and we declared an “energy emergency” to make it easier to do all of the above.
Image by Nino Souza Nino from Pixabay
McKibben continues on to lay out different strategies for the coming years and ends with this [emphasis mine]:
” . . .in the climate movement we have something else going for us. All those years of pipeline fights and divestment battles occurred in a period when fossil fuel was the cheapest way to power a society. That’s no longer true; now it’s Trump and his friends fighting uphill against economic gravity. And they know it—Trump moved so fast to ban new wind and solar—indeed to literally define ‘energy’ to exclude them—because every poll shows they are far more popular than hydrocarbons.
We need to figure out how to leverage those facts in the years ahead—creatively, in ways that make use of our advantage in truth and beauty and minimize our current lack of political power.”
You can read the piece in its entirety here. It’s clear that over the coming years, the climate movement will need to apply different strategies and creativity in our efforts. We need to be fierce, agile, and show up for each other as needed.
On another front, go here to take a quick action on behalf of the United States Postal Service which is also under attack, which would be especially catastrophic for rural communities.
Thank you for reading this far. Solidarity! ✊🏾
Tracy Abell 
Great to know that fossil fuel is no longer the cheapest way to power society. Sounds like some great leverage. I’ll take that action for the postal service. While snail mail (especially junk mail) isn’t exactly saving fossil fuel, it’s still, unfortunately, necessary especially for those who aren’t connected to the internet. And, then again, how green is the internet? Anyway, as always, thanks for sharing all this, Tracy.
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YES to that tidbit being great leverage and I hope it’s wielded wisely (and fiercely). Thank you for taking action on behalf of the USPS which is a great institution. I wish the powers that be would’ve expanded services to include banking, etc as envisioned because that would be even more meaningful for communities. Instead, we’re facing down privatization. I appreciate your engagement, Mara.
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Tracy, thanks for sharing McKibben’s article. While our current leadership may be able to turn back the clock on clean energy here in America, the rest of the world moves ahead with China taking the lead.
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Hi Rosaliene. Yes, we’re turning back the clock and yes, China is accomplishing amazing things. Truly inspirational. It helps to know not every country is as idiotic and selfish as the U.S.
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