“As the initial shock has somewhat settled over the past 48 hours, I see a movement-wide emphasis on action from the Biden administration. The Biden administration still has 70+ days left in office, and we are calling on his administration to make the most of this urgent moment by declaring a climate emergency and ensuring that funds allocated to the Inflation Reduction Act are allocated to communities that need that capital the most.
“As the founder of Black Girl Environmentalist, an organization that proudly centers and invests in the next generation of Black women climate leaders, organizations like ours are feeling uncertain about the future. On June 3, a federal appeals court made the decision to block the Fearless Fund’s grant program for Black female entrepreneurs in Georgia. This ruling jeopardizes similar programs aimed at leveling the playing field for Black women, like the one I run to support the next generation of Black women climate leaders. With recent attacks on DEI and race-focused programming, we are quickly approaching a day when Black Girl Environmentalist may not be legally viable. We will need to lean on the climate movement ecosystem to step up and support Black women and other communities of color who will suffer the most from divestment in environmental justice and equity funding and support.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 18: People involved in climate activism hold a demonstration in the Financial District of Manhattan to demand an end to fossil fuel funding by Wall Street and the American government on September 18, 2023 in New York City. The late morning protest, which wound through the area before ending at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York building, resulted in dozens of arrests on September 18, 2023 in New York City. The rally and protest comes as the United Nations Climate Ambition Summit brings world leaders to New York for the UN General Assembly. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)Spencer Platt/Getty Images
“We need to work together. This might sound obvious, but I often see the environmental community going after itself in the name of perfection. We do not have time or energy to waste regarding climate action. Please don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the critically and urgently needed good-enough-for-now. Stacey Abrams has said that progress is on the ballot, not perfection. I think that applies to the climate movement as well. This loss is a terrible setback, but we must bridge divides, work together, and mobilize for climate legislation and the midterms to take back the Senate and House.”
“The federal government is a [small piece] of it. There is no doubt that this administration can slow climate progress, which means that there will be additional emissions and suffering. But climate action largely happens at the level of companies, cities, organizations, universities, tribal nations, churches, individuals, neighborhoods, Girl Scout troops, and classrooms.