Jim Hightower / Our Revolution – 2017-08-31 22:46:32
https://go.ourrevolution.com/page/s/act-on-climate-now
ACTION ALERT: Houston Hurricane —
A Harbinger of Climate Change
Jim Hightower / Our Revolution
(August 31, 2017) – Devastating floods along the Gulf Coast and across the world this week are not isolated incidents — they are our new climate reality. We need members of Congress to take radical steps to combat the worst effects of climate change now before things get even worse.
Senators Bernie Sanders and Jeff Merkley, and Representatives Tulsi Gabbard, Pramila Jayapaul, Raul Grijalva and many others have introduced legislation to transition our energy economy off of dangerous fossil fuels to renewable energy.
The tragedy of the devastating flooding from Hurricane Harvey has already cost dozens of lives, with tens of thousands of families flooded out of their homes, and hundreds of billions of dollars needed to help Houston and surrounding communities along the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast recover.
In addition, we have to think more broadly about the ravages of climate change. In the same week as Harvey, torrential rains have caused mudslides in Sierra Leone that have claimed more than 1,000 lives, and the worst monsoon storms in South Asia have resulted in flooding that has killed more than 1,200 people across India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. Twentieth century infrastructure is not equipped to handle this new climate reality, and our over-reliance on fossil fuels has only exacerbated the effects of a warming climate.
In times of global crisis, the United States has always striven to be a leader. The future of our planet is in peril, but we have the capacity to expand newly innovated technologies on a massive scale. Like Franklin Delano Roosevelt established the Tennessee Valley Authority at the height of the Great Depression to bring new technology to vast swathes of our country, creating millions of new jobs in the process, we need a modern day initiative to transition away from fossil fuels and embrace renewable energy.
Members of Congress like Senators Bernie Sanders and Jeff Merkley, Representatives Raul Grijalva, Tulsi Gabbard, Pramila Jayapal, and many others have introduced strong pieces of legislation to rapidly transition our economy off of fossil fuels to renewable energy. We must come together as one nation and one people by supporting these efforts and more.
No matter an individual’s party affiliation, global climate change is a crisis that demands cooperation and coordination amongst our political parties and the countries of the world.
We cannot predict natural disasters, but we can work to mitigate the worst effects of human-caused climate change. There is still time to act to ensure tragedies like we have seen in the Gulf Coast, Sierra Leone, South Asia, and regions around the world do not get worse.
Now is the time for change. Incrementalism is no longer a viable option. Your leadership in the global climate movement can help to ensure a better future.
In solidarity,
Jim Hightower, Board Member, Our Revolution
ACTION: Sign our petition calling on Congress to pass legislation to end our reliance on fossil fuels and move to sustainable energy. Help us save the world for ourselves and future generations.
Our Revolution, 603 2nd Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002
