Author: Tracy Abell

Climate Movement Monday: Declare a Climate Emergency + flood relief

/ Tracy Abell / 7 Comments

Hello, again! Before going any farther, I want to ask you to PLEASE keep up the pressure on Biden to declare a Climate Emergency under the National Emergencies Act (which unlocks all sorts of executive powers–scroll down for specifics). Personally, I cannot get a call through to the White House Comment Line (202 456 1111) so I email Biden and now have a daily plan to call my two Senators and one Representative to implore that they use ALL their power to pressure Biden to declare a climate emergency. If you don’t know your Senators, look here. To find your Representative, look here. Personalize your communication by letting them know what climate-induced extreme weather you’re experiencing. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! 

Okay, so it’s another Movement Monday post in which I typically highlight a frontline community enduring the immediate effects of the climate crisis then offer ways to support that community. Today my focus is on helping those impacted by flooding, specifically in the northeastern U.S. (However, horrific flooding is also happening all around the globe while deadly heat waves affect other regions. For instance, a region in northwest China just hit a record-breaking 126 degrees.)

The GOOD NEWS is that China is leading the world in taking aggressive climate action to implement renewable energy. The link to Kyle’s twitter thread with its many articles on what China is accomplishing can be found here. Read it and expand your vision of what is possible! There’s plenty of reason for hope!

 

Related to that good news, while Texas endures weeks of deadly temperatures that strain its power grid, solar power and battery storage played a huge roll in preventing blackouts. (See what’s possible?) You can read about that here.

Okay, now here are some organizations helping out those in the northeast.

NEW YORK & VERMONT:

  • Team Rubicon is a veteran-led humanitarian organization that serves global communities before, during, and after disasters and humanitarian crises. They’re on the ground in New York and Vermont, and are accepting donations for their annual fundraising goal of $120,000. Donate here.

VERMONT:

  • Vermont Public is partnering with the Vermont Community Foundation to collect donations for the Vermont Flood Response & Recovery Fund 2023 today (7.17.23) through midnight on Sunday, July 23rd
    Donate here OR donate directly to Vermont Community Foundation here.

There was also flooding in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts (and possibly other places I’m missing?), but I’ve been unable to find organizations accepting donations. PLEASE let me know if you come across any reputable places to donate and I will update this post.

Thank you for reading and caring for others in their time of need. We’re all in this together and collective action is what will save us! 

Solidarity! ✊🏽

All hail the monarch!

/ Tracy Abell / 4 Comments

I have many memories of milkweed plants and monarch butterflies from my childhood in Wisconsin, but haven’t seen a living monarch in quite some time. Years and years and years, to be (in)exact. There’ve been some sightings of no-longer-living monarchs, one in Florida and another here on a neighborhood street a looong time ago, along with increasingly frequent milkweed sightings that make me happy because the plant is crucial to monarchs’ survival, which is why I got upset when a patch of milkweed on the corner got hammered by hail last month. I was able to restore one plant to an upright and stable, position, but then a couple weeks later noticed someone had chopped it down. *sob*

Well, I’m thrilled to report an update. As we finished our neighborhood walk this morning, we stopped three houses up the street from our home to admire a patch of milkweed in bloom. Sharp-eyed Zippy whispered, “Look.”

My heart soared as we silently watched that delicate beauty move about the bloom. I reminded Zippy of his phone which he slowly and carefully took out to document the moment. I’m so grateful for this photo and will return to it again and again. It’s hard times on the planet these days, but the magnificent collaboration between this butterfly and plant gave me a much-needed boost. May it do the same for you.

Climate Movement Monday: resources

/ Tracy Abell / 7 Comments

Welcome back to Movement Mondays! Today’s post isn’t focused on a specific frontline community, but is instead a collection of resources you might be interested in perusing. The intensifying climate-related weather around the world made me feel a bit wobbly about my role on the planet this morning, so I’ve been reading the excellent LET THIS RADICALIZE YOU: ORGANIZING AND THE REVOLUTION OF RECIPROCAL CARE by Kelly Hayes & Mariame Kaba.

The title comes from something Mariame Kaba has said over the years, “Let this radicalize you rather than lead you to despair,” a sentiment that resonates deeply with me. The book is about building community and organizing for the collective good. Here’s one snippet that made me feel a whole lot less wobbly this morning:

That quote is a good reminder that the smallest action can be revolutionary. The example that came to mind as I read was masking. Every time I wear a mask I’m saying “Our govt may not care about us, but I refuse to abandon you or you or you.” 

I admire both authors immensely, not only for their ongoing efforts on behalf of people and planet, but for their graciousness in welcoming others into the fight. Let This Radicalize You isn’t only for aspiring organizers, but also for anyone wanting stronger connections in their communities, along with those who might need a little pep talk to get them out of bed in the morning.  🙂  Haymarket Books is offering the book for 40% off right now (only $10.77 for the paperback!) and you can get that here.

My second resource recommendation is also new to me and I wanted to share while it’s on my radar. INHERITED is a storytelling podcast about young climate activists from around the world. They’ve produced two seasons of episodes and Season 3 will drop later this month.  You can access episodes here.

Third, an op-ed from Christiana Figueres who is a Costa Rican diplomat who served as Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 2010-2016. The title of her piece: I thought fossil fuel firms could change. I was wrong. The piece opens with this:

“More than most members of the climate community, I have for years held space for the oil and gas industry to finally wake up and stand up to its critical responsibility in history.

I have done so because I was convinced the global economy could not be decarbonised without their constructive participation and I was therefore willing to support the transformation of their business model.

But what the industry is doing with its unprecedented profits over the past 12 months has changed my mind.

Let’s remember what the industry could and should be doing with those trillions of dollars: stepping away from any new oil and gas exploration, investing heavily into renewable energies and accelerating carbon capture and storage technologies to clean up existing fossil fuel use. Also, cutting methane emissions from the entire production line, abating emissions along their value chain and facilitating access to renewable energy for those still without electricity who number in their millions.

Instead, what we see is international oil companies cutting back, slowing down or, at best, painfully maintaining their decarbonisation commitments, paying higher dividends to shareholders, buying back more shares and – in some countries – lobbying governments to reverse clean energy policies while paying lip service to change.

On top of that, the industry as a whole is making plans to explore new sources of polluting fossil fuels and, in the United States, intimidating stakeholders who have been moving towards environmental, social and governance responsibility.”

You can read the piece in its entirety here. I wasn’t aware of Christiana Figueres or her willingness to give fossil fuel corporations the benefit of the doubt, but I’m glad she’s seen the light and is now using her substantial platform to voice her opinion. Good news!

As always, I’d love to hear what’s happening in your part of the world + any good news/bad news + book/article/podcast recommendations you might have. Basically, I want to feel more connected with YOU.

Solidarity! ✊🏽

 

Thankful Thursday: House Wrens

/ Tracy Abell / 5 Comments

I just spent a whole bunch of time at my laundry room window with my camera, watching the House Wren family. In mid-April, I sent a wish into the universe for wrens to nest in the box Zippy put up beneath the deck (a nest box he found while cleaning out his mother’s home) and then in early June I noted wrens had moved into the nesting box!

For the past week or so, there’s been a clamor coming from that box. A frenzied wall of sound that prompted me to tell Zippy “Sounds like 16 babies in there!” The noise level goes WAY up when a parent arrives with food, causing many spontaneous smiles on our faces. But it wasn’t until today that I went down with my camera and, oh my goodness, what fun! Not only fun, but educational.

First off, all those sounds appear to come from just two babies. (I never saw more than two beaks poking out.)

Second, those wren parents work their butts off.

Not only does a parent bring food every food minutes, but they also remove poop after each feeding. (That was my guess after watching for a while, but I had no idea how it was done.) Per Wikipedia, the nestling produces a fecal sac within seconds of being fed, which the parent removes. The below image isn’t great (click to enlarge), but it does show the sac in the parent’s beak.

 

However, the poop saga doesn’t end there! If the nestling doesn’t produce a fecal sac, the parent will prod around the little one’s hind end (no, that’s not the correct anatomical term) to stimulate excretion. Which explains the next image.

 

After the nestling(s) took the insect, the adult waited a bit and then dove into the nesting box. This only happened the one time, so I’m guessing the little ones were doing a pretty good job of pooping right after eating. Probably not fun having Mom up in their business.

 

At one point, I was baffled by all the sounds I was hearing because neither nestling was visible at the hole. Who was so agitated? And where was the sound coming from? I stared and stared at that hole in the box. Then movement caught my eye and I noticed an adult with a moth in its beak on a timber below the nesting box. It made no sense, but it was clearly the one singing the song because I could see their throat move. Weird, I thought, singing with its mouth full. What’s up with that? And the dancing?

When I described what I’d seen, Zippy suggested that maybe the adult was trying to entice the youngsters to leave the nest. That made perfect sense to me, but a quick online search didn’t turn up any info to support or deny that theory. Either way, it was so delightful watching that tiny bird dance around with an enormous moth in its beak, all the while singing a beautiful song.

That was the most enjoyable laundry room experience I’ve ever had! Thank you, universe, for granting my wish. This wren family is balm for my soul.

Climate Movement Mondays: deadly heat & the incarcerated

/ Tracy Abell / 16 Comments

Welcome back to Movement Mondays in which I typically highlight a frontline community enduring the worst effects of climate change and then offer an action you can take on their behalf. However, today’s post is mainly intended to raise awareness about a deadly issue. Before going further, I need to say that I am a PIC abolitionist. Per criticalresistance.org: prison industrial complex (PIC) abolition is “a political vision with the goal of eliminating imprisonment, policing, and surveillance and creating lasting alternatives to punishment and imprisonment.”

Image by Fifaliana Joy from Pixabay

Okay, one of the aspects of climate change is how it affects people and planet in ways we might not have considered. I include myself in that statement. Because even though I’m active in the climate community and have done tons of reading on abolition and social justice, I hadn’t truly made the connection between climate and incarceration. But then an incarcerated friend wrote to me, mentioning how he was worried not only about the unhealthy air due to the Canada wildfires but also about the coming oppressive heat in the prison that doesn’t have air conditioning. My friend is not being whiny. Climate change poses a unique threat to the incarcerated and the insanely high temperatures around the country are literally killing people in prisons. (By the way, climate-induced flooding is another deadly threat to the incarcerated.)

The New Republic reported that in the last several weeks, at least nine people died heat-related deaths in Texas prisons (although the Texas Department of Criminal Justice has not acknowledged the deaths as such). “But only last month, Texas senators killed a bill that would have established a prison temperature standard of 65 to 85 degrees, as well as funding of $545 million for the first two parts of a four-phase air-conditioning installation plan. Despite a $32.7 billion budget surplus this year, the legislature allocated no funds specifically for prison air conditioning.” 

Then there’s Louisiana. Taproot Earth created a May 2023 policy report on climate and incarceration, and in that introduction states: “The rate of incarceration in Louisiana is higher than anywhere else in the world. Black people are 33% of the state’s population, but make up 52% of people in jail and 67% of people in prison.” (Note: The state relies on pretrial incarceration which means that people who can’t afford bail are incarcerated until trial.) The introduction also says this: “Louisiana is also particularly vulnerable to the climate crisis, due to its geographic location on the Gulf South and its production of the fossil fuels that drive the climate crisis and poison nearby communities. Louisiana is at high risk for sea level rise, coastal loss and flooding, increased heat waves, and storms that are increasing in frequency and intensity.”

So what can be done? The report makes many recommendations (including that Biden must Declare a Climate Emergency) and from page 19 of the report: “As the climate crisis worsens disasters and increases their frequency, these carceral facilities and the beds within them will become only more cruel and dangerous, leading to premature death of incarcerated people. To release people from the disaster within the disaster, all environmentally vulnerable carceral facilities must be closed–and when a disaster strikes them, they must not be rebuilt or reopened. This requires a state-wide study of carceral infrastructure and its vulnerability, especially in the context of climate-exacerbated disasters.” No more new prisons!

The good news is that people are organizing around this issue and there’s an increased urgency to that work as climate-induced extreme weather continues to hit every part of the globe. Texas Prisons Community Advocates (TPCA) is rallying at the state capitol on July 18th and they will gratefully accept a donation.

If you’ve read this far, thank you thank you thank you. Please keep your eyes and ears open to what’s happening in your own states. Maybe there’s a group organizing around climate and incarceration or maybe proposed legislation that would help keep the incarcerated alive. Or maybe you’ve seen a story or two in the news about prisons. No matter what it is, I’d love to converse with you about it because climate and abolition are two issues close to my heart.

Solidarity! ✊🏽

Pondering and plotting

/ Tracy Abell / 4 Comments

After talking (in very general terms) with a friend/critique partner today about my work-in-progress, I had an epiphany. I realized it was possible to slightly expand the primary setting for my story in a way that will allow me to more deeply explore some elements/themes I’d like to include. And yes, I realize that last sentence is pretty cryptic, but until I have a complete first draft I always err on the side of “keep your mouth shut, Tracy.”

But now I’ve now got a whole bunch of questions I must answer before implementing that change in the setting. As in, I need to know the how and why behind the expansion of the setting. Does the property I want to add belong to the protagonist’s family or a neighbor? Is that property already in good shape or is it in need of restoration? Would money change hands or could it be a barter system?

I’m very excited about this new idea. I’m also feeling bombarded by the many possibilities bouncing around my brain. Overwhelm alert!

Here, in solidarity on this #Caturday, is Marcel looking equally overwhelmed (although I’m pretty sure he’s not drafting a novel and is merely plotting how to move that heavy brick currently sitting on top of the kibble bin  ). May the two of us settle down and find clarity in the not-too-distant future. Well, one of us, at least.

We have the power

/ Tracy Abell / 6 Comments

For a whole lot of reasons (*gestures widely*), my climate anxiety is elevated today, so I picked up my copy of Not Too Late: Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility and opened it in search of some grounding wisdom. I found that in Gloria Walton’s essay “Shared Solutions Are Our Greatest Hope and Strength.”

Capitalistic values have promoted individualistic mindsets and made us believe our resources are finite and competitive. But that doesn’t have to be our reality. We have the power to tap into abundance and collaboration. It’s our collective responsibility to envision and create the world we want together. We need bold, sustainable solutions that benefit many, not just the few. We can also hold community and grassroots values that nurture a regenerative, healthy, and equitable planet–the values that connect us to our family, our communities, and ultimately to each other.

Yes, yes, and yes!

Wild Rose. June 16, 2023

And now I’m off to continue drafting my middle grade novel centered on a bold and sustainable solution that will benefit many, not just the few.

 

Climate Movement Monday: MVP update + contact Biden

/ Tracy Abell / 7 Comments

Welcome back to Movement Mondays in which I typically highlight a frontline community enduring the worst of the climate crisis and then offer an action you can take on their behalf. Today, I’ll be asking you to contact President Biden on behalf of ALL of us. But first, I want to update you on the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP). I most recently wrote about the MVP here (and that post includes links to the five previous posts about MVP), when Biden included it in the debt ceiling “negotiations.” Unfortunately, as noted in my June 5 update: [. . .], despite the overwhelming pushback on making Appalachia a sacrifice zone, Biden and the Democrats refused to vote for Senator Kaine’s amendment to remove all text related to Mountain Valley Pipeline from the Fiscal Responsibility Act. According to that legislation, ALL permits must be passed without judicial review within 21 days. 

Senator Joe Manchin insisted MVP be included in the Fiscal Responsibility Act because “The Mountain Valley Pipeline is a crucial piece of energy infrastructure that will help balance global supply and demand while strengthening our energy and national security.” Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm repeated that same national security fear-mongering in her letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), also writing, “. . . I request that if there is any further Commission-related action on this project, it proceeds expeditiously.” 

Guess what? An independent analysis of the Mountain Valley Pipeline reported last week that MVP will only be able to operate at 35% capacity.

The contentious Mountain Valley pipeline will likely operate at an average of only 35 percent capacity once built, resulting in a “limited impact” on Appalachian gas production, according to an energy analytics firm.

East Daley Analytics, a company that monitors operational risk across the oil and gas industry, predicted the pipeline would carry far below its capacity of 2 billion cubic feet per day, citing the limits of the Transco gas pipeline system. 

Including MVP in the Fiscal Responsibility Act had zero to do with debt ceiling issues and zero to do with national and energy security. The Mountain Valley Pipeline is and always was about further enriching fossil fuel companies at the expense of people and planet. 

San Diego 350. Image by Ryan Ezpinoza

Okay, now for taking action on behalf of ALL of us who are enduring extreme weather events around the country whether that be wildfire smoke from Canada, life-threatening heat waves,  flooding, hail, tornados, etc. It is clear this is a Climate Emergency and we need to push Biden to declare a climate emergency under the National Emergencies Act and use his executive powers**.

**That would give us the ability to reinstate the crude oil export ban, end new fossil fuel projects and drilling, redirect disaster relief funds toward distributed renewable energy construction in frontline communities, and marshal companies to fast-track renewable transportation and clean power generation. All while creating millions of high-quality union jobs.

Biden also has the power to deny approvals for any new fossil fuel projects, and mandate a phase out of fossil fuel production on federal lands and waters — two actions which scientists have stated are essential to staying under the global warming limit necessary to avoid the very worst of the climate catastrophes.

Thank you for reading this far! I wish you healthy air, water, and temperatures, wherever you are. Solidarity! ✊🏽

Thankful Thursday: documented poppy

/ Tracy Abell

I photographed the neighbors’ glorious poppy on June 8 which is good because even if it had bloomed this long, it would be no-more.

Last night we had heavy hail that shredded leaves and plants around the neighborhood and today we had another round of very heavy rain** and more hail. While I do appreciate the moisture (my perspective is “as long as we’re soggy, we won’t start on fire”), there’s such a thing as moderation. We’re clearly experiencing extreme weather all around the globe, but I won’t go into the depressing realities of the climate crisis.

Instead, today I give thanks that I took the time to document this gorgeous flower so that it could be enjoyed forever. May it bring you a smile!

** 1.5 – 2.5″ of rain in 1-2 hours in our neighborhood

Oops, I did it again

/ Tracy Abell / 9 Comments

Last night we returned from three days in southwest Colorado where we visited son Wildebeest, his girlfriend, and their new cat (shout-out to adorable Franklin!) Halfway through the six-hour drive home, we stopped for gas in Del Norte. I pulled Moby the campervan next to a pump before noticing a sign that said if we used that pump, pre-payment was required inside. Zippy asked me to move to another pump.

I pulled forward and began circling another pump island so that the gas tank would be on the correct side. A truck was parked at the neighboring pump which meant that because I hadn’t made a wide turn, I had to back up a bit. I did so using the side mirror, watching as the rear of the van remained clear of the pump island guardrail. Plenty of space! Then I put Moby in DRIVE and moved forward.

CRUUUNCH
Immediate expletives from Zippy
Nonsensical panicked embarrassment from me that also included expletives

While I remained frozen in the driver’s seat, awash in a sea of excruciating déjà vu, Zippy got out to assess. He quickly reported that I’d somehow hit this guardrail so that Moby’s left rear tire was pushed against it, leaving no room to move forward.

No, I wasn’t taking photos in the middle of the chaos. This was taken afterward.

As Zippy examined the situation, a man using the opposite pump came over to see what was going on. I wanted to disappear. Instead, I sat there behind the steering wheel, talking to myself and bowing my head in shame. The man with the truck I’d backed up to avoid hitting, noticed my angst and assured me everything was okay, that it was only a vehicle. Then he joined the other two men’s discussion about the best strategy for getting Moby unstuck. Truck Man had me put Moby in park while the three of them tried rocking the van to get it free. But they weren’t strong enough and no one else joined the effort, so Truck Man instructed me to crank the steering wheel ALL the way and then sloooooowly back up.

LIBERATION!

As I shouted my thanks and gratitude to them, Truck Man grinned and said, “Now you have a good story about that first blemish.” He got in his truck and drove away while the other man talked with his friend who’d just come outside, pointing to Moby and mimicking the rocking motion. Apparently, he’d also gained a good story. My face burned with the knowledge that my carelessness was at the core of his retelling.

See, this wasn’t my first experience getting stuck like that. Many years ago when I was in high school, my boyfriend worked at a gas station/garage and one afternoon I went there to borrow his beloved Camaro. After going inside to get the keys from him, I got in the car that was parked between two white gas tanker trucks, and backed out.

CRUUUNCH

The car was wedged up against one of the tanker trucks. My boyfriend LOVED that car and I had to walk back inside to let him know what I’d done. Not only that, I had to tell him in front of his co-workers who hooted and hollered before following us outside to witness my humiliation. There was no best approach in that situation–going forward would scrape the car and going backward would scrape the car–so my boyfriend chose to back it out.

SCRAAAPE

Thanks to me, there was blue paint on the white tanker truck and white paint on the blue Camaro. Over the years, the sting of that humiliation lessened as it turned into a memory of me being young and foolish. And because nothing like that had ever happened again, it morphed into a funny story from my early driving years. Until yesterday.

Except, while yesterday’s embarrassment came on fast, this time it faded relatively quickly. Zippy was nothing but kind. Truck Man was not only kind, but also funny. And the other guy? Well, he now has a story to tell about his role in freeing a cargo van. To be clear, my high school boyfriend had also been pretty chill about his Camaro and it would be easy to blame my flaming red embarrassment on his co-workers. But I’m pretty sure what I’m feeling right now is the result of being decades beyond where I was when backing up that dark blue Camaro. Also?

There’s no blue paint/evidence on Moby. Just some faint red smears.

Heck, they could be ketchup.

Thanks for the memories, Del Norte!

Twofer Tuesday: bunny edition

/ Tracy Abell / 8 Comments

We are a rabbit-rich neighborhood this year. It’s typical for us to see at least one rabbit per yard as we walk our two-mile loop. Fortunately, Emma has gotten blasé about their presence and doesn’t go bonkers when she sees them. Often, she doesn’t notice them but Zippy and I have fun saying, “There’s one there and another over there and two babies hiding by the bush.”

But we don’t have to take a walk or even leave the house in order to see them. There are always (and I mean always) bunnies in our front yard.

Dining on the front lawn. May 19, 2023

The elders are wise and stay in the front where Emma can’t get to them. But last week we spotted one of the youngsters in the fenced backyard which I photographed through the window.

Zippy went out to open the gate so it could go back in front, but it went farther into the back. We kept Emma inside and checked to make sure the little bunny was gone before letting her out again.

Silly bunny. Why go into a space where a dog frequently roams? And why leave the grassy front for the mulch-covered back? And while we’re at it, do you rabbits really believe flattening your ears against your head makes you invisible?

Doesn’t matter. Bunnies are always welcome here.

Climate Movement Monday: multi-pronged approach

/ Tracy Abell / 3 Comments

Welcome back to Movement Mondays! I hope wherever you are, the air is clean and healthy, because that’s what everyone and everything on this planet needs and deserves. Today I’m going to highlight two organizations with different approaches to ending the fossil fuel era that has clearly accelerated the climate crisis. As I write this, the fires in Canada have burned 11.6 million acres and wildfires are expected to continue throughout the summer. Clearly, it is way past time to transition off fossil fuels.

There is no one “right” way to force this transition and I’m of the belief that we need to keep throwing everything we have at the issue, hitting the powerbrokers and decision-makers from multiple angles. This post is a result of back-to-back emails received today from two groups with very different approaches to ensuring a livable planet.

Twitter image celebrating the allyship between Third Act and Climate Defiance during D.C. actions last week.

Third Act is an organization of people 60 years-old and older because “as a generation we have unprecedented skills and resources that we can bring to bear. Washington and Wall Street have to listen when we speak, because we vote and because we have a large—maybe an overlarge—share of the country’s assets. And many of us have kids and grandkids and great grandkids: we have, in other words, very real reasons to worry and to work.”

Third Act’s email was a reminder about the launch of their latest campaign focused on Public Utility Commission (PUC) Advocacy. Alongside more than a dozen other partners, we’re building the largest-ever coordinated nationwide initiative to influence Public Utility Commissions (PUCs) in order to strengthen clean energy policies and build a better future — with clear, smokeless skies — to pass on to our grandchildren. Here’s an early peek/explanation of PUCs. On Wednesday (June 14th), they’re hosting a one hour teach-in (6-7 pm ET // 3-4 pm PT). RSVP here. I hope to see you there!

The second email came from Climate Defiance.  (“We are young. We are livid. We are no longer willing to be disposable.”) This organization takes a direct approach to dealing with the powerbrokers and decision-makers. One of their main points is that “Online petitions won’t solve climate change.” (And yes, as someone who frequently asks people to sign petitions in these Movement Monday posts, I feel called-out. But I recognize that petitions are only one tool AND signing one is just a first step that I hope leads to other engagement and involvement on the issue.) Climate Defiance is about (peacefully and calmly) getting in the faces of the powerful and this is their theory of change:

  • We need consistent, mass-turnout, nonviolent disruption to stop business as usual and compel politicians to act.
  • When we engage in direct action—whether through a strike, a blockade, or a mass occupation—we break through.
  • People see us. People tune in. People engage. Our movement grows.
  • Direct action puts the state in a double-bind: allow the action (and the disruption) to continue OR crack down, further driving up public support for the cause.

 

Climate Defiance has taken a number of successful actions in the past months, the most recent  including presenting a Harvard law professor with a Big Oil’s Bestie award. Jody Freeman is a a self-proclaimed “environmentalist” who receives $350,000 per year for sitting on the board of ConocoPhillips, the company behind the massive carbon-bomb Willow Project in Alaska. Activists demanded Freeman stop Willow or step aside! Video shows those who came to hear Freeman’s keynote address seeming quite uncomfortable by Climate Defiance’s action. Success!

Not everyone is ready or willing to act at this level of involvement**, and that’s okay. There are other ways to support Climate Defiance’s efforts. If you like what you’ve read here, I hope you check them out and then consider a donation and/or amplifying their efforts on social media.

If you’ve read this far, I’d love to hear your thoughts on these two groups AND/OR suggestions for other groups I can highlight here in future posts. Thank you for being here and I wish you a wonderful week. Solidarity! ✊🏽

**although I predict as the crisis worsens and more are directly affected, that will rapidly change.

Thankful Thursday: clean air hike

/ Tracy Abell / 7 Comments

While many, many other communities continue to struggle with unhealthy and hazardous air quality due to wildfire smoke, the air has been clear in the Denver metro area. Zippy, Emma, and I ventured out into the open space for the first time in weeks after lots of rain made the trails too muddy. Hooray for them being almost completely dry again!

Here are a few highlights, beginning with the Turkey Vulture soaring overhead when we got on the trail:

One of a few blooming Paintbrushes:

And finally, an enormous bumblebee drinking from a lupine (I wish I could include audio because this bee was BUZZING):

I’m grateful for the clean air, the glory of the natural world, and my ability to move about on the trails. I humbly receive these gifts.

Seize this hazardous moment: please take 1 quick climate action

/ Tracy Abell / 4 Comments

The northeastern portion of the United States is currently experiencing what millions around the world endure on a daily basis as they struggle to breathe polluted air. The smoke from wildfires in Canada are engulfing the northeast and I feel horrible for the people living there (and everyone else around the globe breathing bad air).

I appreciated the contrast of the photos in the above tweet, but the text is incorrect: NYC is currently experiencing HAZARDOUS air quality (they’ve moved far beyond Unhealthy) as seen in this chart:

NYC is at 342 on the AQI.** 

The one bit of good news in this dystopian nightmare is that the experience of hazardous air quality might finally, finally shake the power brokers into rethinking their climate stances. Third Act is encouraging us to send a quick email to the CitiBank CEO (Jane Fraser), her chief of staff (Margo Pilic), and the Chief Sustainability Officer (Val Smith) who are currently breathing that hazardous air.

MESSAGE: “Please stop funding the expansion of fossil fuels so that we may all breathe easier.” (Note: I also included my Colorado wildfire smoke experiences)

(I sent one email addressed to Jane Fraser and CCd the other two):
jane.fraser@citi.com
margo.pilic@citi.com
val.smith@citi.com

Thank you for reading and I hope wherever you are, you and your lungs are safe. Solidarity! ✊🏽

 

**updated AQI 392

Climate Movement Monday: MVP update + Cop City testimony

/ Tracy Abell / 3 Comments

Welcome back to Movement Mondays in which I highlight a frontline community facing the worst of the effects of climate change and then typically offer an action you can take in solidarity with that community. Today, though, I’m just here with an update on the debt ceiling “negotiations” and Mountain Valley Pipeline plus a link to the live public comments in Atlanta as the city council hears from many, many people (again) about the proposed Cop City before voting on funding the project. This follows on the heels of SWAT teams raiding the house from which the Atlanta Solidarity Fund operates, arresting and charging the three people there with charity fraud and money laundering. Those are felony charges! Fortunately, they were released days later on $15,000 bond.)

Image by Tuna Ölger from Pixabay

Confession? I’m exhausted by the horrible decisions and actions taken by those in power. Last week was hard and today I’m watching and listening to the people of Atlanta speak out. It’s powerful testimony from many perspectives and balm for my soul, and I encourage you to check it out. Here’s a tally of those for and against Cop City.

UPDATE: So quickly, in case you didn’t hear, despite the overwhelming pushback on making Appalachia a sacrifice zone, Biden and the Democrats refused to vote for Senator Kaine’s amendment to remove all text related to Mountain Valley Pipeline from the Fiscal Responsibility Act. According to that legislation, ALL permits must be passed without judicial review within 21 days. (Unfortunately, that’s not the only horrific pieces of the so-called negotiations, but I don’t have the heart to list all of it here or even find an article that lays it all out. PLEASE leave a link if you have one!) The good news? People will continue to fight for environmental justice for the Appalachian region and for every other frontline community.)

Now I’m off to continue watching the people of Atlanta. Solidarity! ✊🏽

Climate Movement call to action: dirty debt ceiling deal

/ Tracy Abell / 5 Comments

Remember Sen. Joe Manchin’s Dirty Deal? We keep beating it back ( see here, here, here, here, and here) and Manchin keeps resurrecting it like some climate-bomb zombie that refuses to die, this time with the help of Joe Biden. And now they’re calling it the “Fiscal Responsibility Act” but it’s just the same old giveaway to fossil fuel companies. PLEASE, we need phone calls and emails today and tomorrow! We’ve won before and together we’ll do it again!

Here’s the context from Protect Our Water, Heritage Rights (POWHR): Bipartisan negotiations between President Biden and Speaker McCarthy have resulted in a debt ceiling bill called the “Fiscal Responsibility Act” that forces completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline by requiring the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to issue permits for the Mountain Valley Pipeline within 21 days and prohibits judicial review of permits, drastically guts core environmental protections like NEPA, hamstrings agencies, shrinks social safety nets and harms communities as part of a manufactured crisis.

The GOOD NEWS is that Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia has submitted an amendment to remove the Mountain Valley Pipeline from the Fiscal Responsibility Act, stating “This provision is completely unrelated to the debt ceiling matter.” And just minutes ago, Rep. Jennifer McClellan (also of Virginia) announced she and the entire Virginia House delegation have submitted their own amendment to remove MVP from the bill. YES!

The following numbered action items come from (POWHR) and are listed in order of priority, but ANY action you can take is appreciated!

Sample script- short version

“Hi __, I’m __ from __. Please oppose the “Fiscal Responsibility Act” and pass a clean debt ceiling bill.”

Longer version

“Hi __, I’m __ from __. Please oppose the “Fiscal Responsibility Act” and pass a clean debt ceiling bill. Exempting the Mountain Valley Pipeline from the law and judicial due process is unconscionable and sacrifices impacted communities. Gutting core environmental protections, slashing social safety nets, punishing the working class and forcing completion of the MVP must be rejected. Please reject this and pass a clean debt ceiling.”

  1. Call your representative to demand a Clean Debt Ceiling
  2. Call these Democrats (note: I identify myself as a “global climate constituent):
  3. Call your senator to demand a Clean Debt Ceiling (can also send email via Appalachian Voices action alert)
  4. Call these senators (thank Kaine and ask the others to support his amendment)

The entire POWHR action tool kit containing sample tweets, graphics, and the complete list of numbers to call is here.

Thank you for reading, taking action, and fighting for a livable planet! The Appalachian region is NOT a sacrifice zone. We the people have the power to create a better world. Solidarity! ✊🏽