For me, being in a car or on an airplane is like being in limbo.
It’s this dead zone between two places.
But to walk, you’re some place that’s already interesting.
You’re not just between places.
Things are happening.
~ Rebecca Solnit
Author: Tracy Abell
Climate Movement Mondays: Green New Deal for Public Schools
Hey, welcome back to Movement Mondays in which I typically highlight a frontline community hit hardest by the effects of the climate crisis and then offer a quick action you can take on their behalf. Before I get to that, though, I wanted to share some good news:
Last week in the days following the massive March to End Fossil Fuels in New York City, (coincidence? I think not!) Biden announced the formation of the American Climate Corps which is a reboot of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) of the Great Depression. Per the White House press release, “The American Climate Corps will focus on equity and environmental justice – prioritizing communities traditionally left behind, including energy communities that powered our nation for generations,…” The program aims to put 20,000 young people to work which is a number far short of what’s needed, but it’s a start. And hopefully, the program will be expanded after it gets going. You can read an article about it here and sign up at the American Climate Corps website to specify your areas of interest and learn more.
Okay, let’s get to the Green New Deal for Public Schools! This legislation is sponsored by Rep. Jamaal Bowman and Sen. Ed Markey and “would invest $1.6 trillion over 10 years to fund green upgrades that remove all health harms and carbon pollution from every public school in the nation while taking on environmental and racial inequities. It will unleash the potential of safe and inspiring public education for 50 million K-12 students in every neighborhood across the country. And, it will add essential staff to vulnerable schools, create 1.3 million good paying jobs annually, and reduce carbon emissions by 78 million metric tons each year— that’s the same as taking 17 million gas-powered cars off the road!”
About 150 high schoolers from across the US gathered in Illinois for a summer camp to hone their activism. Photograph: Heather Chen/Courtesy of Sunrise Movement
I’m excited about this legislation for a whole bunch of reasons, including that it would upgrade HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) which we should already have done during this ongoing COVID-19 pandemic! Good air quality is essential to good health and good learning. WHOA! In the time since I began writing this post, the number of co-sponsors for the legislation has risen from 48 to 54!
Want to make that number climb? Go here (scroll down) to personalize a short message to your representative and two senators, asking them to sign on as co-sponsors. That’s it!
Thank you for reading and adding your voice to these efforts. Solidarity! ✊🏽
Fauna and flora
I spent the last couple hours working on my work-in-progress and decided to reward myself by looking through photos from this past week’s camping trip. Here’s a Steller’s Jay that did me a solid by posing long enough for a decent photo :
Such a handsome bird. And here’s a Yellow-rumped Warbler that also visited a nearby tree:
Gotta appreciate a bird with such an obvious marking AND a name that directly corresponds to said marking. Kudos to the ornithologist!
Here’s one of the many chipmunks that drove Emma to distraction:
Finally, here’s a sampling of some late-blooming wildflowers spotted while we hiked around Lower Cataract Lake:
My research says these flowers are called Mayweed / Stinking Chamomile / Dog Fennel which don’t really seem like names that suit the flowers. Granted, I didn’t give them a sniff but surely there’s another name that would better represent their appearance/demeanor. [Oops, just saw that they’re officially listed as a noxious weed here in Colorado, so maybe “Stinkin’ Chamomile” was just the most polite term available.]
Thankful Thursday: second time’s the charm
Almost exactly two years ago, Zippy and I attempted a hike to Eaglesmere Lake in the White River National Forest, but were thwarted in our efforts (in no small part because Zippy had forgotten shoes and was hiking in socks and Tevas + we’d forgotten to bring the trail info + we missed the turn due to a very faded trail sign). I wrote about that experience here. Today, I’m happy to report that yesterday we made it to Eaglesmere Lake!
Zippy took this wide-angle shot with his phone.
click to enlarge
It’s true that the last time we attempted the hike, the trail sign was old and faded. But what’s also true is that there was at least a mention of Eaglesmere Lake on the middle sign. Not so anymore. Here’s the new sign we encountered yesterday:
No mention of Eaglesmere Lake whatsoever. So, if we hadn’t been better prepared this time (as in knowing we’d started on Trail 61 and needed to turn right at Trail 60), we would’ve been hosed again. Fortunately, we had proper footwear AND trail info!
After hiking the 4.3 miles there, I asked Zippy to photograph me with the elusive lake in the background to show we’d prevailed. I wanted documentation, darn it!
And Zippy wanted a photo of me without the visor and hood:
Then we ate a late lunch. We were the only people there because, once again, we’d gotten a late start which meant that everyone else had already been and gone by the time we arrived. After eating, I clambered over the rocks to photograph the grasses (?) floating on the water.
click to enlarge
After a little more rest, we started back. Along the way, we spotted a Downy Woodpecker in the same area where we’d watched a woodpecker circle the trunk of an aspen tree two years ago. We grinned at the synchronicity. Then just a little farther down the trail, we were treated to a sighting of the larger Hairy Woodpecker! Hooray!
We arrived back at our campsite at 5:30, tired from our exertions but very grateful we’d accomplished what we’d set out to do. All hail Eaglesmere Lake!
Climate Movement Monday: protecting the Gulf
Welcome back to Movement Mondays in which I discuss all things climate and frequently highlight a frontline community enduring the worst effects of the climate crisis, along with a request to take action on their behalf. Today we’re focusing on the communities along the Gulf of Mexico, people and places that are treated as sacrifice zones due to extractive energy practices. They do not want more oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico. Rather, they want a just transition to renewable energy sources that will provide safe, good-paying jobs while also protecting the water, air, and land where they live.
Fire that resulted from the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig.
US Coast Guard / Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
Today’s quick action is to personalize a letter to the White House Council on Environmental Quality, demanding that Biden keep his campaign promise for no new oil and gas leases on federal land. The White House is about to release the “five-year plan” for oil and gas leasing in the Gulf of Mexico. The following is fromHealthyGulf.org
The “five year plan” is the guiding document for how the Federal government leases offshore areas to private companies to explore and drill for oil and gas. With climate change accelerating and the clean energy revolution upon us, we can’t afford to expand drilling in the Gulf. The people of the Gulf Coast want President Biden to honor his campaign pledge of no expansion of oil and gas drilling. Tell President Biden we need a five year plan with no new leases!
Access the letter here and personalize with your own outlook and experiences following the hottest summer in recorded history. When the scientific community tells us over and over and over again that in order to have a livable planet we must keep all fossil fuels in the ground, we must act. When people and communities tell us over and over and over again that they are negatively impacted by extractive energy practices, we must act.
(NOTE: To learn more about the Deepwater Horizon tragedy in 2010 which surpassed the Exxon Valdez tragedy of 1989, go here.)
SOME UPDATES:
Yesterday, an estimated 75,000 people took to the streets in New York City* to demand an end to fossil fuels. Here’s a segment from DemocracyNow that includes a speech from Sharon Lavigne of Rise St. James. (Rise St. James is a faith-based grassroots organization fighting for environmental justice as it works to defeat the proliferation of petrochemical industries in St. James Parish, Louisiana.) Sharon and her community would be very happy to know we’re sending letters that demand no new oil and gas leases in the Gulf!
*There were corresponding climate actions to #EndFossilFuels on all 7 continents!
Today, Sunrise Movement and 50+ organizations signed onto a letter to Biden asking him to use his Executive Order to establish a Civilian Climate Corps akin to the CCC during the New Deal. This modern CCC would offer good-paying, safe jobs to young people who’d be working to combat the climate crisis. The idea is a win/win. And speaking as someone who, pre-pandemic, spent a lot of time as a young-at-heart member of Sunrise, a CCC would go a long ways toward easing their acute anxiety about their futures on this planet. PLEASE feel free to contact your Senators and Representative to ask that they push Biden to establish a modern CCC. 🙂
Thank you for reading this far. Please let me know if you were able to attend a climate action near you this past week. (There was nothing in Denver (!) but there were other rallies in other cities throughout Colorado.) We’re heading out for a couple nights of camping tomorrow and I look forward to a dose of Nature. Wishing you and yours a good week. Solidarity! ✊🏽
Ebike learning curve
Last week, I gave thanks for our new ebike. I also mentioned that I hadn’t ridden a bike in quite some time. No biggie, right? Everyone knows that saying, “once you learn to ride a bike, you never forget.” Well, I’m here to say there might be things you forget. At least, I did.
I took my first ride on Friday, the day after the bike arrived. I was nervous but mostly excited. Zippy is a dedicated bicyclist and has invested in a carbon-fiber frame bike that weighs 18 pounds, and he offered to ride next to me as I rode the ebike that weighs 60 pounds (plus another eight pounds or so for the two baskets) to make sure I knew how to use all the controls. When we took off up the street, my handlebars were wobbling like mad which made me think he hadn’t properly mounted them. I panicked a bit but he assured me they were tight and that the wobble was due to my death grip. So I relaxed my grip and pedaled without wobble. Yay! A few minutes later, I needed to stop to make a seat adjustment so I squeezed the hand brakes and started to put my foot down. Well, I didn’t get my foot down in time and the bike tilted to the side. I tried righting it but those 68 pounds were too much for me and I went down with the bike. 
BAM! I hit my right butt cheek on the pavement. This photo was taken today and, as you can see, the four-inch bruise has reached the vibrant multi-colored stage.
It wasn’t just me that got messed up. The right handlebar also hit the pavement and now the plastic end-cap is torn up. Oh, and the back basket also has a scrape along the side.
My maiden voyage was off to a bad start.
I’m happy to report I continued riding without incident and logged ten miles in our very hilly up-and-down neighborhood. The next day, we headed off to the library. Again, as we started down the street, my handlebars wobbled like mad. The death grip was back. But the wobbles were over quickly and we rode the five miles to the library. Some of it was in traffic which made me nervous, but Zippy was there to show me the way.
After I’d returned books and checked out another batch, we were at the bike rack preparing to leave again when a petite woman in her 80s struck up a conversation about ebikes. Turned out, she loved bicycling and is searching for a suitable ebike. I told her in no uncertain terms to get one that was small and light, and then told her my tale of woe. She nodded with understanding and then proceeded to tell us about the day she rode her bike down a big hill on Morrison Road. She’d wondered why the cars were moving so slowly and then realized it was because she was going so fast. Right after that realization, she encountered a situation that prompted her to use her brakes (which she said she should not have done), and went sailing over the handlebars. She showed us the six-inch scar on her elbow that’d shattered. Aside from being horrified on her behalf, all I could think was “I wish you hadn’t told me that right before I get back on my bike!” She was very cool, though, and I’d love to be as active as her at that age because she also shared that she’d put on her in-line skates the other day just to see if she could still go skating. Fortunately, she decided that wasn’t wise, but I admire the hell out of her spunk.
The library trip was a little over ten miles in total. And today I just rode another ten miles around my immediate neighborhood and the surrounding neighborhood to practice some more. There were no wobbles, no falls, and no scary stories of tiny women flying over handlebars. A pretty mellow experience, actually.
I’m thinking/hoping that my bike-riding procedural memory has fully kicked in. HOORAY!
Climate Movement Monday: good news + updates + March to End Fossil Fuels
Welcome back to another edition of Movement Mondays in which we discuss all things climate-related! I’m happy to share some good news today: last week, Biden cancelled the seven remaining oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Image from Wikimedia. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
From pbs.org: The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s 1.5-million-acre (600,000-hectare) coastal plain, which lies along the Beaufort Sea on Alaska’s northeastern edge, is seen as sacred by the Indigenous Gwich’in because it is where caribou they rely on migrate and come to give birth. The plain is marked by hills, rivers and small lakes and tundra. Migratory birds and caribou pass through the plain, which provides habitat for wildlife including polar bears and wolves.
Note: While living in Alaska, I spent many hours collection signatures to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil and gas drilling, and once had a run-in with then Senator Ted Stevens. Needless to say, last week’s announcement was a long time coming! However, a 2017 tax law included a provision that there be two lease sales in the region in 2024. Biden needs to repeal the oil and gas program and permanently protect the Arctic Refuge on behalf of the Gwich-in. Also? Biden must cancel the Willow Project!
In less happy news, here are some updates on the Weelaunee Forest and Cop City in Atlanta:
- Last week, the Republican Attorney General in Georgia filed RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) charges against 61 people while Democrats (Atlanta Mayor, Atlanta City Council members, and Senators Warnock and Ossoff) remain silent. In the document, the AG included a section on the “Anarchy background of Defend the Atlanta Forest,” which includes this: “Some of the major ideas that anarchists promote include collectivism, mutualism/mutual aid, and social solidarity, and these same ideas are frequently seen in the Defend the Atlanta Forest movement.” (see p 25). Guess what? I sign off each of these Movement Monday posts with “Solidarity!” and a raised fist. Also? Zippy and I deliver food boxes to people via the Rocky Mountain Mutual Aid Network. The state of Georgia is trying to criminalize people for taking care of other people. And on p 28 of the document, they decry “zines.” Oops, I’m also guilty of zine-making! My point here is that these are dangerous and oppressive charges meant to crush a movement and scare people away from action.
- Today, organizers in Atlanta delivered 116,000 signatures in support of a Stop Cop City referendum to the city clerk. (Note: Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens was elected in November 2021 with 44,655 votes). Organizers were told the city would accept the signatures but NOT begin the verification process because of a legal injunction. This is an anti-democratic stalling tactic, as is their promise to use the same signature verification process the Democrats (rightfully) sued over in 2019 with the charge that signature verification disenfranchises marginalized communities. Again, prominent Democrats have remained silent on this hypocrisy. (Remember: in 2020, people all around the country rallied to support Warnock and Ossoff in their Senate races in order to beat back the Republicans’ fascism, only to see authoritarianism on full display over Cop City.)
- You may wonder why so many around the world are rallying in support of #StopCopCity and that’s because this affects us all. Allowing them to build that urban warfare training center in Atlanta (to better learn how to crush movements such as the climate movement) will embolden the further militarization of the police. Already, there are plans to build a Cop City in Colorado Springs and Baltimore (like Atlanta, both cities have Black Democrat mayors) and another in Ohio. Plainly put, it’s vital for our collective survival to #StopCopCity.
Last week, I wrote about the potential for a UAW strike and today want to share an article from The Lever (“New At 6:30: Anti-Union Propaganda“) about the media coverage of the looming strike. Adam H. Johnson lays bare the bias in the media reports, including the conflict of interest between NBCUniversal and General Motors. It’s a quick read and offers insights into how we as viewers can be manipulated by the deliberate framing of stories in the news.
Finally, I want to remind everyone that the March to End Fossil Fuels is happening in NYC on September 17th. There are also events happening all around the world (September 15-17th) as people gather to demand an immediate transition off the fossil fuels that are literally killing us with extreme heat, wildfires, flooding, pollution, etc. Check out this map to find an event near you.
If you read this far, thank you so much! I send wishes for a good week that includes moderate weather and temperatures. Solidarity! ✊🏽
Thankful Thursday: assortment edition
Hello, out there! I haven’t been around much because I’ve been hunkered down in the revision cave. However, today I am thankful because:
- I finally, finally sent my revised manuscript to my agent earlier this week!
- A family member made it through a surgery today!
- Our new ebike was delivered this afternoon and Zippy just finished putting it all together (minus the front and back baskets)!
While Zippy is a bicyclist, I haven’t ridden a bike in years and have been content to keep running for my cardio exercise. So why the ebike? We’d like to avoid using our gas-powered vehicle as much as possible and because we live on a hill, running errands on a bike is very daunting. Zippy can ride up the hill but I’d have to get off and walk a bike for the approximate mile of incline. Oof.
But now I’ll have pedal-assist when it comes to that big ol’ hill. I’ll be able to go to the library to return books and check out more! It’ll be a breeze going to the office supply store when I need another notebook or some pens! When Zippy is missing an ingredient for whatever delicious meal he’s preparing, I’ll be able to zip down to the supermarket and back! Yay yay yay!
In case anyone’s interested, the Heybike sale is going for another day. I realize it’s still LOTS of money (I’m also very thankful for our ability to invest in this bike), but wanted to put this info out there. Customer satisfaction seems to be very high for this bike. I’ll keep you posted on our experiences. In the meanwhile, I hope you and yours are having a good week!
Climate Movement Monday/Labor Day: solidarity with UAW
Happy Labor Day on this Movement Monday! While the climate crisis continues to intensify, there is much to celebrate as workers organize and strike for better pay and working conditions. Here’s a great round-up on recent and upcoming union activity from Joshua P. Hill. Today I want to focus on the United Auto Workers (UAW) which is a great example of what a “just transition” should look like as we transition off fossil fuels to renewable energy. It’s important to remember the intersection between climate justice and worker justice. Today I’m asking you to make one quick phone call in solidarity with the auto workers (scroll down for details)
This is a complex issue and I’m nowhere near an expert on what’s happening, but it boils down this: Electric Vehicles (EV) are changing the UAW landscape and the workers need protections as the Big 3 automakers (Ford, Stellantis, General Motors) pivot to EV production. The following is an excerpt from An Open Letter to Big 3 Auto CEOs: The Climate Movement Stands with UAW!
Within the next few years — the span of this next contract — lies humanity’s last chance to navigate a transition away from fossil fuels, including away from combustion engines. With that shift comes an opportunity for workers in the United States to benefit from a revival of new manufacturing, including electric vehicles (EVs) and collective transportation like buses and trains, as a part of the renewable energy revolution. This transition must center workers and communities, especially those who have powered our economy through the fossil fuel era, and be a vehicle for economic and racial justice. We are putting you on notice: Corporate greed and shareholder profits must never again be put before safe, good-paying union jobs, clean air and water, and a liveable future.
I’d already decided today’s post would be an informational piece about the 150,000 UAW workers poised to strike and then was thrilled to receive an action alert from Climate Mobilization Project this morning. PLEASE take one minute to leave a message for the billionaire-CEOs of the Big 3 auto companies in support of the autoworkers. Here are the specifics:
When you call 318-300-1249, you’ll hear a brief intro about the contract negotiations from UAW. At the beep, just leave your message. That’s it!
Some points that you can bring up include:
- The EV transition cannot be a “race to the bottom” that further exploits workers.
- Workers deserve to benefit from the revival of new EV manufacturing. They deserve good union jobs with fair wages, job security, and dignified working conditions.
- In recent months, workers and their communities have experienced unprecedented extreme heat, smoke pollution, flooding, and other disasters.
- The leaders of auto companies have historically made decisions that exacerbated both of these crises over the past few decades — driving further inequality and increasing pollution.
- Auto manufacturers can either do right by the workers who have sacrificed to keep companies profitable, or can face a united labor, environmental, and climate movement that is ready to fight side by side with UAW workers to win their demands.
The info you’ll hear before leaving your messages includes the fact that the Big 3 made a combined $21 billion in profits in just the first six months of this year . . . so a simple “Share the wealth” message is very appropriate!
Bonus: Here’s a short video clip of Shawn Fain, UAW President, on the gap between workers and billionaires. Gotta love it!
Thank you in advance for reading and taking action! These are scary times, but also exhilarating as we witness workers standing together for the collective good. Solidarity! ✊🏽
Climate Movement Monday: STOP utility shut-offs during extreme heat
Welcome back to Movement Mondays in which I typically highlight a frontline community enduring the worst of the climate crisis and then offer a quick action you can take on their behalf. Today’s frontline communities are the elderly and low-income households, especially people of color. I’m amplifying a message received from 198methods.org regarding utility companies shutting off people’s power despite the extreme heat still slamming much of the country.
Image by Claudia Engel from Pixabay
The following background info is from an email received from 198methods.org but if you’re pressed for time, click HERE to personalize a letter to your two Senators and one Representative, asking them to use their power to increase funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). If we can send billions of dollars to fight a proxy war in the Ukraine, we can certainly afford to make sure people don’t die due to the combination of extreme heat and heartless utility companies shutting off their AC.
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Even before this summer’s record breaking heatwaves utility costs were projected to increase by 11.7% from last summer. And, as always, those most impacted are the elderly, low-income households, and especially black and brown communities that suffer the worst pollution, and pay the highest utility rates, on average. The federal government provides funding to help low-income households pay for heating and utility bills through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). But those funds are available to les than 20% of all the households that need help, and 85% of the funding is reserved for winter heating bills. This is just one of many reasons we’ve been calling on President Biden to declare a climate emergency – and is one of the many problems he could fix through executive action once he’s declared a national emergency. But if President Biden won’t act, Congress must. The National Energy Assistance Directors Association is asking Congress for an extra $3 billion in funding to help six million households pay their utility bills this summer. Close to 20 million households are already behind on their utility bills. But only 19 states, plus Washington, D.C. have laws in place to prevent utility shut-offs during the summer. And greedy utility corporations have clearly noticed — they’ve increased shutoffs by 15% over last year and have disproportionately targeted Black and low income households. Utility shutoffs are cruel, and the fact that they’re targeting poor, black, brown, and frontline environmental justice communities is an attack on our ability to organize, as well as our human rights. Without the right to refuse payment — when service is spotty or the power company refuses to invest in clean, reliable power sources like rooftop solar or batteries — consumers are left with no recourse but to pay the bill or risk heat-related illness, or even death. Congress can help address this crisis by immediately increasing funding to LIHEAP by $3 billion, so millions of families can stay cool in their homes without having to worry about their utilities being shut off. But only President Biden can declare a climate emergency and order all utilities to provide service regardless of debt or payment, while mandating we truly build back better after each heat wave by investing in solar, storage, and publicly owned clean energy for all. Click here to send a letter to Congress urging them to increase funding for LIHEAP, now. Thanks, |
Please take two minutes to click HERE to personalize a letter to your two Senators and one Representative, asking them to use their power to increase funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
Thank you for reading and taking action! Please, if you or someone you know is suffering extreme heat and have had the power turned off, reach out via my contact form and I will get you some help.
Solidarity! ✊🏽
Caturday revisions
As I revise my middle-grade manuscript today, I’ve been visited by both cats. Marcel came up on the table next to my laptop, sniffing around, wondering why I wasn’t reading on the couch where he could nap in my lap.
Still, his presence was much less of an annoyance than his brother Loki’s many visits throughout the day when he’s either cried to be fed some more or demanded I pet him (some more), and nipped at my hand when I stopped.
I haven’t been around the blogging community as much as I’d like this month because I’ve been working hard to make this manuscript shine and after hours on the computer, my eyes need a rest. I hope to catch up with everyone after sending off my revisions. In the meanwhile, I’ll have to settle for the company of my two feline friends and their tag-team visits.
Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend. Happy #Caturday!
Renewing a weary spirit
It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men’s hearts,
as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanation from old trees,
that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit.
~ Robert Louis Stevenson
She’s a Lady
My intent was to quickly post this cheery photo from my backyard of a Painted Lady butterfly on a sunflower (along with bonus insect), but then decided I should take the time to verify that this is, indeed, a Painted Lady. It is.
July 20, 2023
But in the verification process, I also learned a few facts:
- Painted Lady butterfly is the most widespread of all butterfly species in the world (found on every continent but Antarctica and Australia).
- Their entire lifespan (from egg to death) is 15-29 days (so, life expectancy is 2-4 weeks).
- Females lay up to 500 eggs in that time.
- They migrate, sometimes 100 miles/day, and can fly up to 25 mph.
- They’re very lovely and bring smiles to the observer (okay, that’s more opinion than fact, but tell me I’m wrong).
Contemplating that 4-week lifespan makes me think of all the time and energy I waste on things that don’t matter. Time to get busy living my life to the fullest! Spoiler alert: I won’t be laying 500 eggs.
Climate Movement Monday: declaring a climate emergency + good news
Welcome back to Movement Mondays in which I write about climate-related issues along with quick actions you can take on behalf of people and planet. I won’t lie, it was tempting to not post anything today so that I could avoid thinking about what’s happening all across the globe. Here in the Denver metro region, the wind’s been blowing hard across the dry land while multiple wildfires burn in the southwest portion of the state. A new report says over 300,000 Colorado homes are at risk of burning in wildfires, second only to California. In Lahaina, Maui, 114 people are confirmed dead and another 1,000 are missing (including many unhoused people), while yesterday in southern California, residents faced torrential rain and flooding due to Tropical Storm Hilary PLUS a 5.1 magnitude earthquake. As I write this, the National Hurricane center is warning that “continued life-threatening and locally catastrophic flooding” is expected over portions of the southwestern U.S., along with “record breaking” rainfall and potential flooding in states as far north as Oregon and Idaho.
That’s (some of) the bad news. The good news is that the calls for Biden to declare a climate emergency via the National Emergencies Act are growing louder. A quick online search turned up “How Bad Do Things Have to Get for Joe Biden to Declare a Climate Emergency?” and “Editorial: Biden says he’s ‘practically’ declared a climate emergency. Why won’t he do it for real?” and “Biden faces calls to declare climate emergency as he heads to Maui.”
Associated Press-Lynn Sladky // Students cheer during a protest organized by the U.S. Youth Climate Strike outside of Miami Beach City Hall, as part of a global day of climate action, Friday, Sept. 20, 2019.
Declaring a climate emergency would unlock powers allowing Biden to implement drastic measures to address the climate crisis. July 2023 was the hottest month ever recorded on the planet, and we the people need to make our wishes known so that Biden uses his power for good. Please, take two minutes to contact the White House.
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Call the WHITE HOUSE SWITCHBOARD: 202-456-1414 and ask to be connected to the COMMENT LINE. Leave a brief message with the volunteer operator: “Please declare a climate emergency via the National Emergencies Act to unlock your powers to combat this climate crisis. No new fossil fuel projects!”
You may also send an email.
Repeat as necessary. 😉
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GOOD NEWS
“Ecuadorians reject oil drilling in the Amazon, ending operations in protected area”
The Inflation Reduction Act is fueling a factory frenzy. Here’s the latest tally.
** Remember, on September 17th, the March to End Fossil Fuels will be held in New York City from 1p – 4pm. The march will coincide with the UN Climate Action Summit and is being organized by a coalition of local and national organizations. There’s tons of info here, including links to volunteer (including making phone calls & sending texts) and/or donate in support of the march. The GET INVOLVED page has more info, including “hubs” (both by interest AND region) that you can join. This is a massive and exciting effort that has huge potential to shift climate policy.
Thank you for reading this far and I invite you to leave a comment about conditions where you live, feelings around climate change, or to share some good news. In the meanwhile, I send wishes for moderate weather wherever you are, raising my fist in solidarity! ✊🏽
Twofer Tuesday: two anniversaries
Today is a bittersweet day for Zippy and me. It’s the one year anniversary of his mother’s death and also our wedding anniversary. He suggested we go for a hike to soothe our aching hearts while also celebrating us. So, we got ourselves together and headed to nearby White Ranch Park where neither of us had been before. Here are two selfies taken along the trail, one by me and the other by Zippy.
The temperature was in the upper 80s which was pretty darn warm, but portions of the trail were shaded. And, to Emma’s delight, we had to cross a stream on the way out AND the way back, so twice she was able to be belly-down in cold water.
I also had the double pleasure of seeing an American Kestrel on the way out and way back, both times in the same area. And my second sighting included two kestrels! I was a great distance away so my photos aren’t great, but here’s a twofer of those majestic birds (click to enlarge).
Despite them being an invasive species, I’m very fond of thistles and their many, many permutations. Here are two I especially liked.
We only saw a couple Rocky Mountain Beeplants during the hike, but this one caught my eye for being two-headed. While I didn’t examine it closely, it truly appeared to have one bloom growing out of another.
It was a good afternoon and hike, the perfect excursion for today. We’re all glad to be back inside where it’s cooler. Zippy and Emma are already cleaned up and napping, and I’m guessing our sweet little doggie is dreaming of that refreshing mountain stream.
“May I please stay here forever?”
Climate Movement Monday: Lahaina/Maui + good news
Welcome back to Movement Mondays in which I highlight a frontline community that’s bearing the brunt of climate change. Today I’m focusing on Maui and the town of Lahaina. The current death toll is 96, but officials believe that number will increase as the search continues for the estimated 1,000 missing persons.
Maui Fire Relief + Off-Grid Shelter Setup donations here
Maui Community Power Recover Fund donations here
The hall of historic Waiola Church in Lahaina and nearby Lahaina Hongwanji Mission are engulfed in flames along Wainee Street in Lahaina, Hawaii, Aug. 8, 2023. // Matthew Thayer/ | The Maui News | AP
Wildfires are not a natural force in Hawaii’s islands and used to be a rare occurrence. “Hawaii’s ecosystem is not adapted to fire. It is destroyed by fire,” says Elizabeth Pickett, co-executive director of the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization. “So we don’t have good fire and bad fire. We have bad fire, period.” That quote comes from the WIRED article “The Scary Science of Maui’s Wildfires” that also includes background on the invasive grass species introduced by European settlers, grasses that have spread across the island and are intensely fire-prone.
Emily Atkin wrote in her HEATED newsletter (“Lahaina used to be a wetland: Nature didn’t turn the historic Hawaiian community into a tinderbox. People did.”) how the fire that decimated Lahaina wasn’t entirely due to climate change. Colonialism played a huge role in what happened there, specifically European colonizers who illegally diverted the water for their sugar crops, turning a former wetlands into a tinderbox susceptible to the deadly combination of fire and high winds.
Maui Fire Relief + Off-Grid Shelter Setup donations here
Maui Community Power Recover Fund donations here
There’s huge concern that disaster capitalists will use this tragedy to further enrich themselves while driving Indigenous people from their lands. Realtors and investors are already calling families that have lost their homes to the fire, offering to buy the land. Oprah Winfrey owns 2,000 acres on Maui where she lives part-time, and there are calls for her to donate that acreage back to the Indigenous community. The Landback Movement to get Indigenous lands back in Indigenous hands is gaining exposure and momentum in the wake of the fire.
The people of Maui are going to need much more than thoughts and prayers as they rebuild their communities. Thank you in advance for helping out as you can. I send wishes for a good and safe week, wherever you are! Solidarity! ✊🏽
P.S. — here’s a bit of GOOD NEWS: “Judge rules in favor of Montana youths in landmark climate decision”
Wordless Wednesday: evening sky
Climate Movement Monday: power plant rules + March to End Fossil Fuels
Welcome back to Movement Mondays! I hope wherever you are, the weather is moderate. I’m grateful for cooler temperatures and some rainfall yesterday in this part of Colorado, although I’d like to share that bounty with other regions not faring so well (for instance, southwest Colorado where my son who is a server keeps dropping his daytime patio shifts because the heat is too much for him). Climate change is accelerating even more rapidly than predicted, but there’s so much we can do right now to avert the worst. In that spirit, today I’m asking for you to personalize a BRIEF LETTER to the EPA and Biden regarding power plant rules. Comments are due tomorrow (August 8) and we need the people’s voices so that the utility companies don’t dominate the conversation.
Per 198methods.org: President Biden’s EPA has proposed new rules to limit global warming pollution from power plants, and if done right, they could eliminate up to 90% of global warming pollution from the electric sector!
President Biden promised to cut global warming pollution 50% by 2030, and to eliminate all global warming pollution from the electricity sector by 2035. But because of a prior Supreme Court ruling, the EPA can’t tell utilities what fuel to use (like solar instead of fossil fuels) in order to provide that electricity. So, instead, the draft rules from the EPA focus on how much air pollution, including global warming pollution, that power plants can emit.
The draft rules are a big step in the right direction, requiring 90-100% reductions in emissions. But there are three big loopholes that the EPA needs to fix:
1. The new rules need to start immediately and require full compliance with the rule by 2030, not 2035.
2. The EPA must make sure the rule applies to plants that produce 85-100MW, down from 300MW, so that smaller gas plants are covered.
3. Biden needs to stop supporting false solutions like hydrogen and carbon capture and storage.
Those three key points are already laid out in the comment template, so all you need to do is personalize with a line or two about the air quality or extreme weather you experience. If you want to learn more, Drew from 198methods put together a more detailed explanation & video about this EPA process (which goes back to 2015 and Obama’s “Clean Power Plan” that was one of his major goals for the Paris Climate Agreement.) Spoiler alert: the Supreme Court’s dirty hands are all over this.
Thank you in advance for taking three minutes to submit your comment to the EPA and Biden!
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One last note: I want to put September 17th on your radar. The March to End Fossil Fuels will be held in New York City from 1p – 4pm that day. The march will coincide with the UN Climate Action Summit and is being organized by a coalition of local and national organizations. There’s tons of info here, including links to volunteer (including making phone calls & sending texts) and/or donate in support of the march. The GET INVOLVED page has more info, including “hubs” (both by interest AND region) that you can join. This is a massive and exciting effort that has huge potential to shift climate policy.
Thank you for reading this far! Remember, there’s so much worth fighting for and together we can create a livable future. Solidarity! ✊🏽
Friday Haiku – open mic
ample evidence
nature’s engineers were here
damn, missed them again
your turn
hit me with a haiku
please
Wordless Wednesday: boulder tableau
Twofer Tuesday: ungulate edition
On the evening of our first night at Lodgepole Campground in Pike National Forest last week, we walked on the surrounding trails and drank in the natural beauty (while slapping at pesky insects). There are many beaver ponds in the area and we were happy to see a young moose in one.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have my long lens so the images are weak but am posting these because I love moose and was so excited to see one. I was spoiled by daily moose sightings when we lived in Alaska. (Sometimes they’d come in the yard to eat the raspberry canes and the crunching sound was loud enough to be heard through the walls.)
As we stood admiring this youngster, Zippy quietly said, “Um, where is the mom?” And with that, we quickly walked away. Because all those Alaska moose sightings had also taught us the danger of getting between a calf and cow moose. (In fact, one day when I was skate-skiing on the Coastal Trail, pulling Wildebeest in the pulk that was attached to my waist, I saw a calf on one side of the trail and a cow on the other. I stopped and while somewhat frantically attempting to turn us around, tipped the pulk on its side. Fortunately, the pulk had a six-point harness that prevented my son from falling out and I was able to get the sled upright again so that we could head away from the protective mother moose. Whew!)
Our second ungulate sighting of the trip was on the day we left as we drove back out to the highway. These pronghorn were standing at the fence, staring as we went by. (Zippy calmly remarked, “Hello, fellas.”) I stopped and slowly reversed to get a photo but by the time I got my camera up, they were moving away to safety.
I regret not getting a photo of their inquisitive faces, but there’s still a lot of personality in the way pronghorn walk away. A combination of nonchalance and hypervigilance. Either way, it was a lovely final image.
Climate Movement Monday: hope + determination
Welcome back to Movement Mondays! Last week I was out in nature, refilling my well as we camped in Pike National Forest. We hiked the West Jefferson Trail through many lodgepole pines, marveling at the way the trees worked in community to support each other. Massive trees leaning on smaller trees that continue to grow as they support the weight of others. Witnessing that felt sacred and brought tears to my eyes.
July 25, 2023
Our trip was a much-needed respite from the realities of our quickly changing climate and today I’d like to offer some thoughts and hope from the frontlines of the fight for a stable climate and just transition off fossil fuels to renewable energies. The good news is that we have the answers and technology, and only lack the political will. Also? Many, many people are speaking up and more are joining the fight each day. But we need people to understand that we do, indeed, have the power to avert the worst of the climate crisis. As Rebecca Solnit tweeted: We spent a lot of time trying to convince people climate is real and urgent; that has mostly been accomplished. Now we have to convince people that we can do something about it, that we have the solutions, that most people already take climate seriously and support action, that doing what the climate demands could produce an era of abundance, not austerity, that the main obstacles are political, that civil society has overthrown regimes and status quo and changed the world before and can again.
The status quo is not permanent! However, the powers-that-be want to normalize this extreme weather and are feeding us headlines like this:
We must not buy into this narrative that wants us to accept an unlivable planet and future. Instead, let’s center this sentiment:
And this:
There are more of us than them and at the forefront are young people who are literally fighting for a livable future. Elise Joshi, executive director of Gen Z for Change, interrupted Biden’s press secretary at the Voters of Tomorrow’s summit last week to confront the Biden administration over its climate policy. Newsweek wrote about it and you can watch the video here. (See how brave, young Elise takes a steadying breath before she begins speaking.)
On a final note, I think it’s helpful to remember that we’re raised in this country to pride ourselves on our individualism. We’re told to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps rather than accept “handouts.” But humans are social beings and we need each other–socially, emotionally, and physically. We are better and stronger together, and our survival depends on each other. So, I invite you to step into this moment and join the fight. Make your voice heard! I’d love to connect with you and hear what’s happening in your corner of the world, so please leave a comment. (And don’t think your comment has to be in agreement with what’s here–my intent is to start a conversation and find some common ground. Any and all thoughts are welcome!) Let’s be like lodgepole pines and lean on each other!
Solidarity! ✊🏽
Sunday Confessional: the best laid plans
Tomorrow we’re leaving for higher elevation and cooler temperatures. For this, I am very grateful and know we’re exceedingly privileged to be able to avoid the heat. My confession? I’d hoped to have written and scheduled a Climate Movement Monday post (and possibly a couple other posts with some of the photos I’ve been taking), and that’s not going to happen. But if you do have anything to share, climate-wise, I’d love to hear (especially if it’s good news!), so please leave a comment.
One of the many sunflowers in the backyard. July 19, 2023
In the meanwhile, I extend wishes for a good week, moderate weather, and lots of smiles and laughter.
Red-eyed kinship
Feeling a kinship with this Spotted Towhee and its red eyes.
In my backyard. July 20, 2023
Just spent the last couple hours staring at my manuscript on my laptop as I made revision notes in the margins. My agent sent me a whopping seven pages of editorial thoughts/questions at the beginning of the week and after spending several days mulling over her email, I’m now plotting how to implement the changes I want to make. I’ll be honest: today’s session was harder than yesterday’s when optimism was high and I actually allowed myself to think “This isn’t going to take as long as I’d thought!”
But the cool thing about the writing process is that none of the emotions I feel last forever. Not the positive or the negative. So, I’m going to step away from the manuscript and rest my eyes, knowing that tomorrow will bring its own set of emotions. Whatever they are, I’ll be ready (but hopefully, not reddy). Sorry, not sorry. 🙂
Wordless Wednesday: imprisoned rocks
Tracy Abell 