We must declare a climate emergency. Some people already have declared one. More entities must do so.

The first few items here were posted on July 2, 2021, in my blog post saying we really are experiencing a climate emergency, so we should declare that.  The remaining items are declarations by various entities and statements urging other entities to declare a climate emergency:

 

In 2020 the United Nations urged world leaders to DECLARE A CLIMATE EMERGENCY:

https://www.ecowatch.com/virtual-climate-summit-2020-2649465278.html?mc_cid=d65edea624&mc_eid=58bffd4d51

 

In 2019 Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (AOC) urged declaring a climate emergency:

https://grist.org/article/bernie-sanders-and-aoc-want-to-declare-a-climate-emergency-does-that-mean-anything/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=daily

AND:

https://www.ecowatch.com/aoc-sanders-emergency-resolution-2639138944.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=7aa6bb0ac0-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-7aa6bb0ac0-85369701

 

In 2019 Pope Francis declared a Climate Emergency in a meeting with Big Oil leaders:

https://www.ecowatch.com/pope-francis-declares-climate-emergency-2638888796.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=40b456dbde-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-40b456dbde-85369701

AND:

https://www.ecowatch.com/pope-francis-declares-climate-emergency-2638888796.html?rebelltitem=3#rebelltitem3

 

In March 2021 the Climate Emergency movement reported seeing an increase in Climate Emergency Declarations across the globe with 1,904 declarations within 34 countries and the European Union to date, covering 12.27% of the global population. In the U.S.,Thurston County, Washington recently joined the list, with a declaration on February 16. 

Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance, a collaborative network of leading global cities working to achieve carbon neutrality, published a new report examining the impact of the Climate Emergency movement in 15 cities across the world. The report — This is Not A Drill: How Cities are Using the Climate Emergency to Make Big New Moves to Decarbonize Locally — is an excellent third-party verification of the importance and impact of the global Climate Emergency Campaign. It provides timely resources for activists and elected officials looking for practical knowledge and inspiration as they work to implement their climate emergency declarations and accelerate local climate action

See more information at www.theclimatemobilization.org

 

Sign this petition telling President Biden to declare a climate emergency now:

A non-profit org, www.globalwarmingproblemsolvers.com urges people to sign this petition:  Tell Joe Biden there’s no time to waste: declare a national climate emergency right now.

 

This petition began in January 2021 to urge President Biden to declare a climate emergency:

https://www.signherenow.org/petition/climate-emergency/iron-pac/?link_id=2&can_id=1d662460c0abb8939c5044c82927552b&source=email-save-the-planet-create-millions-of-jobs&email_referrer=email_1057484___from_1431433___subject_1431431&email_subject=its-an-emergency

 

In January 2021, even Senate Majority Leader Schumer urged Biden to declare a climate emergency:

The article linked below starts with these paragraphs explaining why Biden should do this:

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) called on President Joe Biden to declare the climate crisis a national emergency, echoing calls that other Democratic lawmakers and activists have been making in past months and years.

“I think it might be a good idea for President Biden to call a climate emergency,” said Schumer on MSNBC on Monday. “Then he can do many, many things under the emergency powers of the president that he could do without legislation. Now, [Donald] Trump used this emergency for his stupid wall, which wasn’t an emergency. But if there ever was an emergency, climate is one.”

Here is the article:  https://truthout.org/articles/schumer-calls-on-biden-to-declare-a-climate-emergency-as-ice-loss-accelerates/

 

Also since January 2021 another progressive non-profit org has been inviting signatures on their petition urging Biden to declare a climate emergency and use Executive powers to take strong actions:

https://www.signherenow.org/petition/climate-emergency/progress-america/?link_id=0&can_id=1d662460c0abb8939c5044c82927552b&source=email-its-a-climate-emergency-2&email_referrer=email_1056265___subject_1430071&email_subject=tell-president-biden-declare-a-climate-emergency

 

In December 2020 www.theclimatemobilization.org publicized a worldwide encouragement by the Secretary General of the United Nations for all national governments to declare climate emergencies.  Their e-mail said this:

“Can anybody still deny that we are facing a dramatic emergency? That is why today, I call on all leaders worldwide to declare a State of Climate Emergency in their countries until carbon neutrality is reached.”

Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations 

In a powerful speech at the Climate Ambition Summit 2020 this week, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on all national governments to declare a climate emergency and stay on an emergency footing until carbon neutrality is reached. This is the strongest statement yet by the international body that has adopted the Climate Emergency Campaign goal of getting governments on the record by declaring an emergency and then implementing policies that rise to the challenge. It’s remarkable how far this movement has come; the video from the U.N. is worth watching. 

This is a global shift, as leaders across the world, in governments large and small, come to the understanding that we face “a moment of truth” and a decision point: it’s a choice between Climate Mobilization and collapse. 

If you are as inspired as we are by this moment, consider joining a Climate Emergency Campaign where you live — or starting one! 

On the homefront, a huge shout-out to TCM Montgomery County, Maryland, which achieved one of the first declarations in the U.S. and where the county just released a draft Climate Action Plan that sets out their pathway to zero emissions by 2035!

With the addition of two new national declarations in New Zealand and Japan, over 950 million people (12.8% of the global population) now live in a jurisdiction that has declared climate emergency. Click here for a detailed look at declaration numbers.

The climate emergency declarations coming out of New Zealand and Japan both include inadequate targets for eliminating emissions with goals of “net zero by 2050.” Greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced to zero by 2030 or sooner to avoid catastrophic global heating, the impacts of which we are only beginning to comprehend.

 

Here is an article about the climate emergency that New Zealand declared near the end of 2020:

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/12/02/acknowledgment-next-generation-new-zealand-declares-climate-emergency

 

Many nations and local jurisdictions are declaring climate emergencies.  Joe Biden campaigned for president with a promise to take strong actions for the climate.  He has done a few good things, but he has fallen short in many ways.  Voters need to push him and all other elected officials!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About GlenAnderson 1499 Articles
Since the late 1960s Glen Anderson has devoted his life to working as a volunteer for peace, nonviolence, social justice, and progressive political issues. He has worked through many existing organizations and started several. Over the years he has worked especially for such wide-ranging goals as making peace with Vietnam, eliminating nuclear weapons, converting from a military economy to a peacetime economy, abolishing the death penalty, promoting nonviolence at all levels throughout society, and helping people organize and strategize for grassroots movements to solve many kinds of problems. He writes, speaks, and conducts training workshops on a wide variety of topics. Since 1987 he has produced and hosted a one-hour cable TV interview program on many kinds of issues. Since 2017 he has blogged at https://parallaxperspectives.org He lives in Lacey near Olympia WA. You can reach him at (360) 491-9093 glen@parallaxperspectives.org