THE “ADULTS” IN THE ROOM TAKE ON TRUMP
ACTION ONE: JOIN THE CHILDREN AT FRIDAY’S SCHOOL STRIKE FOR CLIMATE.
The school kids will begin a week of mass actions this Friday at 10:30 a.m. outside Portland’s City Hall. The daylong rally is to demand an Oregon Green New Deal and an end to fossil fuels in Oregon. Join them! More information at: https://actionnetwork.org/events/pdx-climate-strike-4?
ACTION TWO: CALL YOUR SENATORS
SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR WYDEN AND MERKLEY:
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling because…
The majority of Americans want action on climate change, and I’m one of them. I’m asking that you challenge Trump and demand he remove the barriers to the government’s climate science work. All agencies and departments have been muzzled but we can’t make good decisions without good data.
CALL SENATOR MERKLEY
CALL SENATOR WYDEN
ACTION THREE: CALL YOUR HOUSE REPS
Not sure who your U.S. Representative is? Find out here.
SAMPLE SCRIPTS FOR REPRESENTATIVES:
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling because…
The majority of Americans want action on climate change, and I’m one of them. I’m asking that you challenge Trump and demand he remove the barriers to the government’s climate science work. All agencies and departments have been muzzled but we can’t make good decisions without good data.
CALL SUZANNE BONAMICI (OR-01)
CALL GREG WALDEN (OR-02)
CALL BLUMENAUER (OR-03)
CALL PETER DEFAZIO (OR-04)
CALL KURT SCHRADER (OR-05)
BACKGROUND:
At last we have some good news on climate change. The bad news hasn’t changed –– we’re still rushing toward a climate catastrophe with just a dozen years left to postpone the worst impacts. Last year, total carbon in the atmosphere reached its highest level in 3 million years. And greenhouse gases are rising rapidly.
The good news is that children, who understand the science, are mobilizing globally. They are lead by a Swedish 16-year-old, Greta Thunberg. Her “School Strike for Climate” will likely draw millions from 150 countries this Friday. Her message to adults is simple: “You are stealing our future.”
Trump is a proudly ignorant, wealth-obsessed climate change denier and he has rich polluters and their dark money supporting him. Trump is blocking access to climate data, muzzling climate scientists, and crippling efforts to mitigate climate change.
He is even accelerating climate change by weakening methane regulations and fuel economy standards.
Researchers estimate that climate chaos will produce 1.5 billion climate refugees by 2050. Watching the cruelty Trump has already inflicted on climate refugees from Central America and the Bahamas is a warning of the brutality ahead.
Join the kids on Friday at Portland’s City Hall. Then tell your representatives to fight like hell for our children’s future.
SOURCES:
Vox, Sept. 17, 2019: “Greta Thunberg is leading kids and adults from 150 countries in a massive Friday climate strike” https://www.vox.com/2019/9/17/20864740/greta-thunberg-youth-climate-strike-fridays-future
Washington Post, September 16, 2019: “Most American teens are frightened by climate change, poll finds, and about 1 in 4 are taking action” https://beta.washingtonpost.com/science/most-american-teens-are-frightened-by-climate-change-poll-finds-and-about-1-in-4-are-taking-action/2019/09/15/1936da1c-d639-11e9-9610-fb56c5522e1c_story.html
GQ, September 6, 2019: ”How Trump Remade the EPA into a Pollution Green-Lighting Agency” https://www.gq.com/story/trumps-epa-business-vs-environment
New York Times, September 12, 2019: “85 Environmental Rules Being Rolled Back Under Trump” https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/climate/trump-environment-rollbacks.html
Washington Post, September 13, 2019: “Americans increasingly see climate change as a crisis, poll shows” https://beta.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/americans-increasingly-see-climate-change-as-a-crisis-poll-shows/2019/09/12/74234db0-cd2a-11e9-87fa-8501a456c003_story.html
Los Angeles Times, September 15, 2019: “Editorial: Climate change is already here. 2020 could be your last chance to stop an apocalypse” https://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-climate-change-crisis-global-warming-part-1-story.html
The Hill, September 11, 2019: “Sharpiegate and 120 other Trump attacks on science” https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/460937-sharpiegate-and-120-other-trump-attacks-on-science
