“You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.” -Angela Davis

Featured Action Organizations

• Movement Generation Justice and Ecology Project: Movement Generation was birthed in the early 2000s in unceded Lisjan Ohlone territory, what is now known as the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Their work is rooted in the belief that by bringing ourselves into right relationship with seeds, soil, each other and the ecosystems that hold us, we can create a better way forward. Through their initiatives, they seek to pave the way for a just transition, and usher in this transition through a deep cultural shift that reimagines dominant narratives and transforms culture towards economies based in deep relationships.
• Flint World: A South Korean company that uses waste oils for energy production and allows users to do the same. The fuels include but are not limited to waste cooking oil, animal fat/oil, plant oil, microalgae oil, coffee oil, and insect oil. Starting with their small, simple technology, they believe that we can change some of the current problems in our environment and the energy sector.
• Mighty Earth: A global advocacy organization for trees and the living planet. Their goal is to protect half of Earth for Nature and secure a climate that allows life to flourish. They are results-oriented and aspire to be “the most effective environmental advocacy organization in the world.” Their team has achieved transformative change by persuading leading industries to dramatically reduce deforestation and climate pollution throughout their global supply chains in palm oil, rubber, cocoa, and animal feed, while improving livelihoods for Indigenous and local communities across the tropics.

Featured Calls to Action

Upcoming

Global

• The COP28 summit hosted by the United Arab Emirates is currently taking place from November 30 to December 12, 2023 in Dubai. Stay updated on COP28 and climate-related developments here.
• Nexus Action: Learn about clean cookstoves. Cleaner cookstoves typically replace existing stoves that burn the dirtiest fuels (wood and coal) with technologies that use locally produced alternatives such as wood pellets, solar, or electricity. Advanced biomass stoves are another option that can cut emissions by up to 95 percent by forcing gasses and smoke from incomplete combustion back into the stove’s flame. See the Nexus entry to learn more about how you can get involved.
• Check out Beyond Plastic’s gifting guide for the upcoming holiday season.
• Learn about how indigenous peoples and local communities are using satellite data to fight deforestation and see if these strategies might be helpful in your communities. Given the escalating threats faced by environmental defenders, understanding the innovative use of satellite data to reduce deforestation becomes crucial. These forest monitoring technologies allow communities to rapidly monitor and document forest disturbances over large areas and long periods of time at low cost, and from the safety of a laptop, without risking face-to-face confrontation with encroachers.
• As the present and ongoing threat of the climate and environmental emergency becomes increasingly evident, we will need to find ways to process and bear the many complex and dysregulating emotional responses that emerge. The Climate Psychology Alliance of North America’s upcoming workshop “How to Facilitate and Host a Climate Café: An Online Experiential Workshop” will support participants in developing the confidence to facilitate your own climate cafe. Learn more and sign up here.

United States

• President Biden announced a new initiative to train young people in high-demand skills for jobs in the clean energy economy. Learn more about the American Climate Corps or sign up to enroll here.
• Check out the latest report Climate Change in the American Mind, Fall 2023 by Yale Program on Climate Change and Communication. Published twice a year, this national survey investigates, tracks, and explains public climate change knowledge, risk perceptions, policy support and behavior.
• We love Costco, but we don’t love that their Citi branded credit card is currently funding fossil fuel projects that threaten our living Earth community. Send a message to Costco’s leaders to ask them to drop their credit card relationship with Citi.
• A proposed bill would make it easier for the mining industry to dump huge amounts of rock waste on public lands that wildlife depend on and people cherish. Urge your senators to oppose this bill and save public lands from becoming private waste dumps.

Canada 

• The federal government is ending its funding program for heat pumps. Tell Prime Minister Trudeau and his ministers to increase support and funding for heat pumps.
• The McClelland Lake Wetland Complex in northeast Alberta is an important area for migratory birds amid a region full of toxic tailings ponds; the peats in the area help pull carbon from the atmosphere. But oilsands giant Suncor has plans to mine half of it. Send an email to express your concern about Suncor’s high risk operational plan.
• A Federal Court judge, Justice Angela Furlanetto, has ruled that a federal government decision to list plastic items as toxic was “unreasonable and unconstitutional.” Reach out to Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault and express your support for the plastics ban.
• Carbon capture and storage has become a key plank of the Canadian oil and gas sector’s decarbonization goals, but a new report from the International Energy Agency warns against banking on the technology as the planet continues to warm. Sign the petition calling on Prime Minister Trudeau and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to cancel their new subsidies for Big Oil.
• Writing a letter to voice your opinion is not only therapeutic but can make a difference. The more of us who do it, the more likely some action will come of it. If you feel called to do so, you can find a compiled list of emails for city councilors and mayors for most municipalities, plus CRD, MP/MLA, and Premiere contacts here.

Ongoing Opportunities & Action Resources

• The David Suzuki Foundation (Canada-based) offers comprehensive resources for engagement at the local government level. View guides on assessing your local government’s climate plan and working with local leaders on climate action. You can also check out their Act Locally page.
• For Educators: Yale Climate Communication’s resource guide for educators of middle and high school students. In addition to teaching the science behind climate change, it is critical to help students become effective climate change communicators, and these resources aim to facilitate that.
• Specific Stop the Money Pipeline actions that can be applicable to people in many countries:
  • Move your money and divest from fossil fuels.
  • If you are a college student, learn about and launch a reinvestment campaign.