We Are Not Powerless
It is easy to feel powerless when we consider what it will take to reduce further damage to life on the planet caused by the continued use of fossil fuels and the creation of nearly indestructible petroleum-based products. What can one person or one family or even a whole bunch of us possibly do in the face of massive corporate power and money, and political foot dragging?
Of course, each of us must continue to reduce, recycle, and reuse. But that, while essential, is not enough. We know that.
A recent article in the New York Times, The Climate Crisis Is Raging But We Are Not Powerless reminds us that one way we can exercise power in support of climate action is through “supporting the environmental nonprofits that turn donations into collective action.”
Conservation, environmental, and climate action nonprofits use our donations to fund collective actions in support of legal, political, social justice, and climate education work.
The point, simply, is that we must raise the economic cost of continuing to emit greenhouse gases and the political cost of regulatory inaction.
Here are links to some climate action nonprofits to which a donation can multiply our power:
Massachusetts Climate Action Network (MCAN), Mass Audubon, Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions, Environmental League of Massachusetts, The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Environmental Justice Movement, Woodwell Climate Research Center, 350.org, 350 Mass, and CREDO Mobile.
If you have environmental nonprofits for us to add to the list, please send them to Chris Doyle in the Climate Action Group.
The Cape Ann Climate Coalition is initiating a sign-on letter blitz to let our legislators know about bills we think must move forward. One of those bills is so-called 100% Clean Act,
An Act to Transition MA to Clean Electricity, Heating, Transportation
This bill transitions the 3 main greenhouse gas (GHG) producing sectors (electricity generation, heating, and transportation) to 100% Clean Energy – electricity by 2035, heat and transportation by 2045. One million homes and 300 million sq ft of commercial space must be retrofitted to clean heating by 2030. A trust fund will be created to offset costs associated with switching residential customers to new technologies. Read more by clicking this link.