Climate Change Interest Group

Monthly Meetings

Next Meeting

Tuesday, November 11, 11 AM to 12:30 PM

GNPS Members Register Here

Agenda

• Proposal for District 39 Participatory Budget to reduce flash flooding..

• What can we do as a group to inform our community? Are rebates possible?

• Emailing amongst ourselves (our group’s total list or our active group list).

• Our Web page - making our page a convenient source of climate information.

• Member Resource Exchange – Learning how to add or obtain referrals for home resiliency work.

Previous Meeting

What We Love

We must lay up our supplies – of love, care, trust, community and resolve – so we may resist the storm
Authoritarians like Trump love fear, defeatism, surrender. Do not give them what they want

Guardian columnist, environmentalist and author Rebecca Solnit writes writes a beautiful commentary about love, hope, and community for our post-election moment.

It begins:

"Here we are in a crisis in which almost everything we love is going to be under siege in the US in ways that will affect the world in many ways. Most of all this will be because a Trump administration is going to go to war on climate action domestically and internationally – on nature itself and the ways we protect it and thereby protect the systems on which human life depends.

I was asked to talk about hope. First of all, hope does not mean saying this is not bad, and it does not mean saying that we can defeat it. It just means saying we will keep showing up. That we will not give up. That we will assess our powers and weaknesses and recognise that the future we face looks grim, but we do not know how it will unfold, and neither do those we oppose. How it will unfold depends in no small part on what we do. People too often think hope is smiles and sunshine, when it’s fury in the face of danger and oppression, and pressing on in the storm..."

Link to the full article

Solnit, R. (2024, November 10). The Guardian.

News You Can Use

Special from Friends of Mount Prospect Park. They are not done kicking that skate park to the curb!
Friends of Mount Prospect Park issue letter to Brad Lander concerning proposed skate park

The letter outlines key issues of lost old tree growth, plus potential liability, dangers and damage from skateboarders exiting park. 
Chau, Mandie (2024, October 15).  Brooklyn Daily Eagle..

Speaking of Brad Lander
NYC comptroller Lander to end private market fossil fuel investments.
Brad Lander has announced a new policy that would make New York the first city in North America to end all new private equity investments in mid-stream and down-stream fossil fuel projects like pipelines, fracking and more. In the announcement, Lander said, “Climate risk is financial risk, and we have a fiduciary duty to our beneficiaries to take that risk seriously..." The policy must be approved by City pension fund trustees.

Kerber, R. (2024, October 22). Reuters.

Across the country, voters approved spending billions of dollars on climate resilience and conservation.
The 5 states where environmental ballot initiatives triumphed
 “There’s no sugar-coating” the results of the presidential election or Republicans’ takeover of the Senate, said Justin Balik, senior state program director for the advocacy group Evergreen Action. But “when push comes to shove, there are voters across the country that care about protecting the environment and cleaning up pollution, especially when it’s articulated in concrete, specific terms.”
Winters, J., & Winters, J. (2024, November 7). Grist.

During Trump’s first term, states stepped up with clean power mandates, strong building codes, and EV incentives.  
After Trump win, it's up to states to lead on climate action
"As an advocacy organization that helps state and local leaders “run, win, and legislate on climate change,” Climate Cabinet supported more than 170 candidates in Tuesday’s election. As of midday Wednesday, when Spears spoke to Canary Media, she was feeling cautiously optimistic about the races her group had focused on: “About a third of them we won, about a third of them we lost, and about a third of them are still too close to call.” 
St John, J. (2024, November 8). Canary Media.

Action Opportunities

Attend Friends of Mount Prospect Park's Legal update.
FoMPP talks about legal structure and strategy.
Tune in Wednesday 11/20 @ 7PM EST to plan and participate! 
Join Zoom Meeting
https://nyu.zoom.us/j/96508961718
Meeting ID: 965 0896 1718

An accessible overview of how to get State legislation passed.

About Us

Climate Change Interest Group members are concerned about the effects of climate change on all that we need and value. Our aim is to understand and engage in impactful activities to preserve a sustainable environment. We participate in individual, neighborhood and regional initiatives, and identify opportunities for legislative and direct action.