Organizations Supported
Women's Earth and Climate Action Network, International
The Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) International is a climate justice-based initiative established to unite women worldwide as powerful stakeholders in sustainability solutions, policy advocacy, and worldwide movement building for social and ecologic justice. Home of "Women Speak: Stories, Case Studies & Solutions from the frontlines of Climate Change"
Movement Generation Justice & Ecology Project
MG inspires and engages in transformative action towards the liberation and restoration of land, labor, and culture. Rooted in vibrant social movements led by low-income communities and communities of color, committed to a just transition away from profit and pollution and towards healthy, resilient and life-affirming local economies.
“Conviction is worthless unless it is converted into conduct.”
Climate Change and Mass Extinction
We Are: all interconnected, and contribute to this very real and existential threat
We are not separate from this Earth that 7+ billion people, and nearly 9 million unique species of life, share. It is a tiny oasis measuring only 8,000 miles across, floating, spinning (at 1,000 miles per hour) and racing (at 67,000 miles per hour) around its orbit in an incomprehensibly infinite and mesmerizing Universe.
All planets and life in the Universe were created from the Big Bang 14 billion years ago and the subsequent creation of trillions of stars thereafter. The very elements that make up our bodies were birthed in the furnaces of stars of yesteryear. We are, indeed, stardust.
All life on Earth is interconnected—not just to the Earth herself, or from our collective origins, but in our co-dependency on each other to thrive. Life on Earth has co-evolved through a miraculous and ever so delicate balance over billions of years, which must not be taken for granted.
While she has weathered astonishing change over billions of years, life on Earth has not always fared so well. Scientists describe five previous mass extinction events in our planet's history, and believe we are now in the midst of its 6th-- the "Holocene." Importantly, this is the very first human-made, and the very visible and devastating effects of climate change are incremental, and only just emerging. The informed predictions from an overwhelming consensus of scientists is that life on Earth is facing its greatest threat yet: ourselves.
See “Habitat loss threatens all our futures, world leaders warned” Guardian UK 11/’18
“Amid the worst loss of life on Earth since the demise of the dinosaurs … Since 1970 humanity has wiped out 60% of mammals, birds, fish and reptiles, according to the latest Living Planet report by WWF, which warned that the loss of wildlife was now an emergency that is threatening our civilisation.”
See “The Age of Megafires: The World Hits a Climate Tipping Point,” Yale E360, 9/’20
“From Siberia to Australia to the western U.S., massive fires have consumed millions of acres this year and spawned fire-generated tornados and other phenomena rarely seen before.”
“in California. But it was 12,000 lightning strikes that caused the huge blazes this summer… Like so many aspects of the burgeoning number of wildfires, the increase in lightning is connected to climate change. Lighting increases by about 12 percent for every 1 degree Celsius temperature increase.”
Climate change, and mass extinctions, are real, and here.
The time to passively learn, and patiently observe, has long past.
Our legislators engage in apathy and public denial, whether they actually believe the science or not. Theirs is a crude and simple calculation: short-term wealth for their benefactors vs. empathy for all other life, including the plant and animal kingdoms, our children, and the developing world. We can not wait any longer for our leaders to act conscientiously, we must take it upon ourselves.
Thankfully, aspirational public policies, public/ private investment, and public advocacy campaigns are finally emerging alongside inspirational grassroots movements.
We must “shoot for the moon,” because it’s better than needing to live on it.
What You Can Do to Help fight Climate Change:
A) Being mindful where you spend $ may be the single most important thing you can do, with the fastest impact on positive change. Critical to support Small/ Local in an age when corporate exploitation has caused so much harm to people and planet.
B) Publicly support orgs protecting: Forests, Oceans, Air, Water, Soils, Animals, Plants, Biodiversity
Find one today and make any kind of donation.
If you have kids -- let them help pick. It All helps!
See Excellent Tips at the UN “Lazy Person’s Guide to Saving the World”
C) Place to start, at Home: Learn Your Carbon Footprint
Food:
Buy Direct from your community at Farmers Markets.
At grocery stores, buy small, local, seasonal, heirloom, organic farms.Move towards more plant based diet
Use sustainable seafood guide from www.seafoodwatch.org
Less packaged foods, No GMO
Save $ by reducing food waste. Buy only what you really need
Project Drawdown: Reduce Food Waste is #1 most important solution!
(see their recommended Top actions list)
Water:
Conserve All. Especially hot water.
Plan ahead. End use of plastic/ bottled water.
Replace lawns w native, drought tolerant plants in landscapes
Transportation:
Drive less. Switch to hybrids/Electric (supported by 100% green energy). Carpool. Keep tires inflated
Use public transport.
Walk. Bike.
Support sustainable cities efforts, new culture for urban planning
Fly less
Renewable/ Green Energy
Sign Up for renewable energy provider to your Home: In CA , in San Fran
Use LED bulbs ...
Conscientious Consumer:
Support your local small businesses. They reflect the values of your community.
Consider that low prices today come at a Greater Cost to Society (exploitation of the environment, and workers earning poverty wages get assistance from the middle-class) If you can afford, Please consider...
Re-Use, Re-Cycle.
Buy Second Hand. There is soooo much of everything out there... Have fun with it.
D) Visibly Support Public Events, through Social Media or Attending in person. Bring your family. Make your Support and presence physically known!