Love in Action : Climate Change and the Election with POW
Love in Action : Week 10
Love in Action : Alternating Wednesdays 12-1pm mst
Please join Lead with Love for zoom webinars every other Wednesday that highlights current issues related to justice, freedom and climate change that need of our help. We will provide tangible actions and perform these efforts during the 1 hour meeting.
This week our efforts will focus on Climate Change and the Election. This session will be hosted in partnership with POW.
We cherish our sacred outdoors, believe in science, believe in the healing power of nature and believe in the ability to live in harmony with the earth. We sense the urgency and understand that if not for widespread immediate action, led by the government, we are risking permanent damage to this Earth that we cherish.
If you haven’t yet registered for Love in Action, please do so by clicking the button below.
What You’ll Need
Pen/Pencil
Paper/Journal
Computer with Email/Wifi
Phone with mms
Some Background on
Climate Change
It is difficult to grapple with the causes and impacts of climate change. The world is so big and we are often doubtful of our own impact, however science is crystal clear that CO2 emissions are increasing faster and at greater levels than any time in history and cause is man-made.
What’s the deal with global warming?
A really over simplified overview:
Atmospheric CO2 and temperature data taken from Vostok Ice Cores. Birch Aquarium, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, UCSD. CO2 data (in blue) is in parts per million (ppm).
The sun emits light waves that penetrate the earth’s atmosphere and warm the earth. Most of this light energy is radiated back into space , as infrared radiation, but some becomes trapped in our atmosphere and assists in regulating the temperature and keeping us warm. However, the pollutants in the air thicken the barrier through which the light rays should pass back to space, so more of that infrared radiation becomes trapped in our atmosphere. This causes temperatures to rise.
Of this we are certain: as CO2 levels rise, so does the earth’s temperature.
As temperature rises, it causes stronger more energetic storms with increased precipitation. We see this through more dangerous and frequent hurricanes, typhoons, tornadoes and flooding. The rising temperature also disrupts weather patterns that relocate this precipitation, so simultaneously we experience droughts and water insecurity in new and increasing areas.
Further, with rising temperature, glaciers are melting and creating unstable glacial land masses. This causes increases in sea levels. A dramatic rise in sea levels will put massive populations at risk (in the U.S., we see this disproportionately impacting poor and BIPOC communities).
Some forecasting models predict hundreds of millions of refugees needing to be relocated as a result of flooding and environmental disaster.
Some Global Warming Facts
This summer, Death Valley’s heat hit 130 degrees, one of the hottest temperatures ever recorded on Earth. LA county also broke its highest record ever at 121 degrees.
The concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in our atmosphere, as of May 2020, is the highest it has been in human history.
2019 was the warmest year on record.
The years since 1998 have all been the warmest on record.
9 of the 10 hottest years on records have occurred since 2010.
We’re experiencing more extreme weather patterns.
Climate Clock installed in NYC counting down balance of days to achieve 0% CO2 emissions
2050 Deadline
The IPCC, a global organization of scientists, established a goal for net zero greenhouse emissions by 2050 at in the Paris Conference. This target was determined as a marker to avoid what they referred to as a global catastrophe. We’ve been encouraged to think of this as necessarily achieving a 40 - 50% reduction in CO2 equivalent gases by 2030. This is a daunting task, but achievable. Many countries and companies have made incredible strides in green recovery plans. And there may be incredible lifestyle improvements that support these new technologies and policies.
About Protect Our Winters
Forthcoming content from protectourwinters.org
POW’s Mission
POW helps passionate outdoor people protect the places and lifestyles they love from climate change. We are a community of athletes, scientists, creatives, and business leaders advancing non-partisan policies that protect our world today and for future generations.
Outdoor State
Whether you are a hiker, biker, fisherman, angler, skier, snowboarder, mountain biker or someone who simply finds balance and inspiration in nature, then you are part of The Outdoor State which is a community of 50 million strong in the United States. So while the fossil fuel lobby may outspend environmentalist 20-1 in D.C., the outdoor community has its own power in its shared passion that crosses state borders and even party lines. We are a group of people who share a common ground of a love for the great outdoors.
POW’s Work
Based on estimates in the 2018 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, we have just over a decade to drastically curb our emissions to avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis. Staying at or below 1.5˚C means we have to slash our greenhouse gas emissions 45 percent below 2010 levels by 2030 and reach net zero emissions by 2050.
We believe it takes three things to solve the climate crisis:
Technological & Financial Solutions: We must incentivize a clean energy future (think big-scale renewables and storage, tax credits and carbon pricing).
Political Will: With the right people in public office, we can work with them to make climate a top policy priority.
Cultural Shift: Our nation’s attitude about climate change needs to shift, so that not acting on climate is no longer an option.
POW’s Policy Agenda
Carbon pricing incentivizes practices that reduce emissions, making fossil fuels more expensive and creating opportunities to use more clean energy sources.
We must transition to a renewable energy economy to significantly reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and curb greenhouse gas emissions.
Transportation produced the most greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S in 2017. Strong advocacy to transform transportation can reduce those emissions.
Fossil fuel extraction on our public lands is a massive contributor to our country’s greenhouse gas emissions. We’re working to keep fossil fuel extraction out of the places we love.
Candidates and POW’S
Climate Change Policy Agenda
Forthcoming content from Corey Cronin with powactionfund.org
This is top of ticket information about the presidential candidate’s positions on POW’s 4 areas of focus. The information is pulled directly from POW Action Fund’s site, pickyourline.org. PLEASE VISIT THIS SITE to learn the environmental positions of your down ballot candidates. Even if you already know who you’re voting for, this is essential information for us to enable better climate policy.
Electric Vehicles
BIDEN:
Biden has pledged to restore the full electric vehicle tax credit to incentivize the purchase of electric vehicles.
Biden has pledged to develop a new fuel economy standard aimed at ensuring 100% of new sales for light- and medium-duty vehicles will be electrified and requiring annual improvements for heavy duty vehicles.
Biden supports the deployment of more than 500,000 new public charging outlets by the end of 2030.
Biden will direct the U.S. Department of Energy to invest $5 billion over five years in battery and energy storage technology to spur breakthroughs that can boost the range and slash the price of electric cars.
Biden has pledged to work with Amtrak and private freight rail companies to further electrify the rail system.
TRUMP:
Trump is quoted as saying going to all electric vehicles “is not going to work.”
Trump has repeatedly proposed ending all subsidies and tax credits for electric vehicles and EV infrastructure in his budget plans.
The Trump Administration has rolled back fuel efficiency standards and is trying to prevent states like California from setting their own emissions rules.
Clean Energy
BIDEN:
Biden believes in taking an “all low and zero-carbon technologies” approach to producing energy.
Biden’s plan calls for a 100% clean energy economy that will have the United States reaching net-zero emissions no later than 2050.
Biden has called for $2 trillion of clean energy investment over the course of his first term.
Biden pledged to set a 100% clean-electricity standard by 2035.
Biden has pledged to work with government entities and the private sector to modernize the nation’s electric grid to meet the changing needs of a net-zero greenhouse-gas-emissions economy.
Biden wants the U.S. to install 500 million solar panels over the course of the next five years.
Biden has declared his administration would not finance dirty energy.
Biden will call for a world-wide ban on fossil fuel subsidies by the end of his first term.
TRUMP:
Trump has long boasted that he is a friend of the coal industry and oil and gas development.
The Trump Administration cut funding for the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, supporting research and development of clean energy technologies, by over 70%.
At the beginning of the economic downturn of 2020, the Trump administration worked to provide economic relief to extractive industries. Trump’s plan called for the government to purchase 75 million barrels of oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as a cash infusion to the oil industry.
Trump has long fought against wind energy development and has falsely claimed multiple times that wind turbines cause cancer.
Carbon Pricing
BIDEN:
Biden has not specifically called for using a cap-and-trade program or carbon tax.
Biden has expressed support for states enacting cap and trade and renewable energy credit (REC) markets to help achieve their climate and clean energy goals, signaling possible support for similar programs at the federal level.
Biden has called for polluters to “bear the full cost” of their emissions and has suggested the creation of a carbon market, but has not clarified his position.
TRUMP:
Trump tweeted in May of 2016 that he does not “support or endorse a carbon tax!”
Early in his term, Trump Administration Officials met with a group of Republican politicians who were calling for a $40 per ton tax on carbon. After the meeting, the White House said they were not considering a carbon tax.
The Trump Administration sued California for entering a cap-and-trade agreement with Quebec in 2019. The Administration said only the federal government has power to enter an agreement with a foreign country to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.
Public Lands
BIDEN:
Biden has pledged to ban new oil and gas permitting on public lands and waters, and modifying royalties to account for climate costs.
Biden has committed to conserve 30% of America’s lands and waters by 2030.
Biden has pledged to permanently protect ANWR and pursue a global moratorium on offshore drilling in the Arctic.
Biden has pledged to reverse the shrinking of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monuments.
Biden has pledged to restore funding to the Department of the Interior, reversing budget cuts implemented during the Trump Administration.
Biden opposes rollbacks to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
TRUMP:
Trump signed legislation to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to domestic energy production.
Trump ordered the largest national monument reduction in history, shrinking Bears Ears National Monument by 85% and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument by 50%. Documents and communications from officials within the Department of Interior show oil and gas exploration opportunities were the primary reason for reducing the monuments.
The Trump administration reversed President Obama’s moratorium on new leases for oil and gas development on federal lands.
Action List
Make A Plan:
VOTE WITH THE OUTDOOR STATE : IF YOU LOVE THE LAND, MAKE A PLAN
Get started with POW’s Make A Plan to Vote Tool, and they’ll:
Guide you through requesting an absentee ballot.
Print your application and mail it to you with a pre-stamped return envelope. Really.
Help you plan your approach to the polls for in person voting.
Send you reminders to assure you don’t miss any deadlines!
Remember too, sharing your plan and your voting experience can be an inspiring and relatable way to motivate your friends and family!
POW Action Fund Voter Guidebook
You’ve reached the crux of the election, but the Voter Guidebook is here to help.
“We get it, voting is hard—but knowing who to vote for is even harder. Don’t worry, POW Action Fund has done the leg-work and is here to help you pick your line. Check out our Voter Guidebook, just plug in your address and we’ll show you who is on your ballot and where they stand on climate.” - POW Action Fund
Follow this link to learn about your candidates, from top of ticket and down the ballot, and their position on climate related issues.
Get Out the Vote
with POW’s Team App
Use POW’s amazing Team App to easily and quickly encourage your friends and family to hit the ballots. Pro tip: start by reaching out to your friends in swing states: Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Arizona and Florida. Another pro tip: know some ambivalent voters? They might appreciate your support as well. You can use the Team App to give them a little boost!
What’s Your Outdoor Story?
Studies show, you are more influential when you connect and relate with people. Use your story to create a shared experience that can help convey the impact of climate change and the urgent need to address climate solutions.
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POST about climate change and voting:
#climatechangeisreal
#climatecrisis
#makeadamnplan
#loveinaction
Share images showing your support for climate action. Tag:
@protectourwinters
@ileadwithlove
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