IPCC IMPACTS AND ADAPTATION REPORT RELEASED
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released the second part, Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, of its Sixth Assessment Report at the end of February. The report summarizes how climate change impacts humans and ecosystems and, because the science has dramatically improved, is a huge advance on the 2014 report.
Key takeaways include:
- We are experiencing the consequences of global warming NOW and they are widespread and costly.
- Impacts are getting worse, hitting marginalized people – least developed countries and poorer communities, communities of color – the hardest.
- The costs of inaction will far exceed those of mitigation and adaptation. Along with mitigation through emissions reductions, adaptation is now the order of the day and requires broad social and economic transformation.
- The next decade is our window to get this done by mitigation and adaptation, as damages will increase significantly above 1.5C warming.
- Social justice is key to successful adaptation.
Overall, this report goes much further in describing the damaging impacts of climate change on humans, ecosystems and the economy, charting how climate change is disrupting livelihoods and the systems we depend on. The final line of the report is the one you need to know about today: "Any further delay in concerted anticipatory global action on adaptation and mitigation will miss a brief and rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable future for all."
And it is yet another wake up call to take action, now!
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What Climate Actions have you been taking? Tell us in 150 words (max) what you are most proud of: we'll share it in a future newsletter!
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Support ECA with a one-time or recurring monthly gift. Your donations allow us to continue to build a movement of elders taking action on the climate crisis. |
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DECLARE A CLIMATE EMERGENCY NOW: GLOBAL CLIMATE STRIKE MARCH 25
The fossil fuel industry has profited from poisoning our communities and our planet for decades. They’ve fueled a massive energy and environmental justice crisis by sabotaging climate policy and the renewable energy transition. Now, we’re in a climate emergency that threatens all our futures and disproportionately harms communities of color and the poverty stricken. We have the technologies we need to achieve a strong zero-emissions economy, but only with a sharp change in political direction.
President Biden has the executive tools to take action NOW. This article from the Center for Biological Diversity explains that he has the legal power to declare a national climate emergency and unlock significant powers to transform our fossil-fueled and racist economy into a renewable and just one.
You can call on President Biden to Declare a Climate Emergency, click here.
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MICROPLASTICS: EVERYWHERE, EVEN INSIDE US
Microplastics are plastic fragments less than 5 mm long. Entering our ecosystems through sources like cosmetics, clothing, and industrial processes, they are slow to degrade in waters and soils. Scientific studies indicate that microplastics are everywhere on the planet, even in the placentas of unborn babies. Evangelos Danopoulos, lead author, researcher, and PhD student at Hull York Medical School, UK, has found “cell death and allergic reactions as potential effects of ingesting or inhaling high levels of microplastics.”
To contain microplastic spread at home, stop using food storage and microwavable plastic containers, and single-use hot beverage cups. Install a carbon block or distillation drinking water filter. Avoid purchasing food in containers with recycling codes 3, 6, and 7. In your washing machine, use a filtering bag, laundry ball, or install a microfiber filter to keep synthetic clothing fragments from entering the water system. Last year, Grundig launched a washing machine with an integrated fiber-catching filter. More on avoiding microplastics at home
Plastics are products of the fossil fuels extracted and processed by the same industry that gives us planet-destroying carbon emissions. To end the production of plastics, we all must stop buying them. Greenpeace reports that only 9% of all plastic waste globally has ever been recycled. Watch their powerful (and oddly cute) video about the scourge of plastics. While we work to curtail fossil fuel production and its byproducts, we can take steps to maintain our health.
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NOW’S THE TIME FOR ELDERS TO SHOW WHAT WE’RE MADE OF
Grist.org calls it the rare climate tipping point that’s not terrible: “As each hellish new natural disaster is matched by an equally hellish political stalemate on climate legislation, a growing segment of the American population is thinking: What can I personally do to get some climate action going here?” Time to step out of our living rooms?
And what are elders made of anyway? We’ve got hard-earned wisdom; we’re not easily fooled; we are working on our legacy. And we see the big picture; these fossil fuel guys are ruthlessly, relentlessly trashing our grandchildren’s future. Oh, also all other life on the planet. We don’t have time to mess around. We must stop them.
So how much power do elders actually have to force changes we want? Well…plenty: We are a huge cohort; Americans over age 65 number more than 50 million, more than 16.5% of the population. That percentage is significant for what Harvard political scientist Erica Chenoweth calls the 3.5 Percent Rule of social change. She studied hundreds of demonstrations across the 20th century and found that nonviolent protests are twice as likely to succeed as armed conflicts, and protests that engage at least 3.5% of the population have never failed to bring about change. Again, elders alone make up more than 16.5% of the American population.
Add that to the millions of our youth and frontline communities already leading the fight to end the climate crisis and we'll be unstoppable if we just get behind them. Start by joining the Global Climate Strikes on March 25, and every climate protest action after that, until we get it done. And register now to join us for the ECA National Call with Bill McKibben and Third Act.
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BREATHE AGAIN - HEALTHY AIR IS HEALTH CARE TRAINING
Are you concerned about air pollution and the health of your community? Are you willing to step up and talk with others about our concerns? The Breathe Again Collaborative, a group of 7 organizations including ECA, have put together everything you need to talk about air pollution, health and climate justice in your own community. Find session recordings, links to a slide deck, graphics, factsheets, sample scripts, and more on the ECA website!
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Email, call and use social media to contact your Members of Congress, ask them to pass the $550 Billion Climate package and let them know that NOW is time to take climate action! You can take 3 simple actions with this one link - Click here to take action
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Sign the Mercury and Toxics Standards petition. The Environmental Protection Agency has announced a proposal to reinstate the legal foundation of the standards that limit mercury and other toxic pollution from coal-fired power plants. This proposal is a public health necessity, since mercury can harm the brains of babies and children. EPA’s proposal will shore up the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, which have helped slash mercury pollution from coal plants by more than 80% in the decade since the standards were first enacted. It is time to strengthen the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards so that mercury linked to brain damage in children, as well as other pollutants that increase the risk of cancer, lung disease, and other serious health harms, are no longer a threat to our families’ health and well-being.
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On March 25, gather your neighbors and show up for the Fridays for Future Global Climate Strike. Use this map to find a strike action near you. Or start a strike in your community. It is easy. Simply fill out the short and easy form here
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Stop The Money Pipeline - Sign-on HERE to the Customers for Climate Justice Open Letter to CEOs of Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America and Citibank, the largest funders of fossil fuels and deforestation in the world.
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ELDERS PROMOTE THE VOTE - YOU ARE NEEDED! TUESDAY PHONE BANKS OR POSTCARD WRITING. ECA elders have been busy phone-banking and writing postcards to bring out voters. We're co-hosting weekly Elders Promote the Vote phone bank sessions with the Environmental Voter Project, Tuesdays at Noon (ET). Join Elders Promote the Vote and we’ll keep you informed of upcoming voter outreach events. Phone banking not your thing? Help send postcards to inconsistent voters! Sign up to learn more.
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TAKE ACTIONS EVERY DAY WITH THE NEW CLIMATE ACTON APP! Have you been using the easy Climate Action Now app? If you haven’t tried it, download it today from your phone’s App Store (iPhone & Android), use ECA’s invite code 56 so we can keep track of your action too, then follow the simple prompts to get started. With this app, developed by ECA’s partner Climate Action Now, you will add your voice to thousands of others, tweeting, calling, and sending customized emails to your elected officials, corporations, the finance industry and others. Earn points to plant trees for the actions you take! Climate Action Now offers weekly app trainings on Wednesdays at 7 pm ET, Register Now
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ECA 101 For New Members
SECOND FRIDAY MONTHLY
3 PM (ET) | NOON (PT)
Learn more about ECA's mission, actions and how you can become more engaged.
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Monthly National Call
FOURTH TUESDAY MONTHLY
7 PM (ET) | 4 (PT)
We will be joined by Bill McKibben and Vanessa Acara from Third Act to discuss the importance of elders in the climate movement.
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Chat ‘n Act on Plastics - hosted by our sister project Elders for Regenerative Living (ERL)
Thursdays, March 10 – April 14, 10 am PT/ 1 pm ET
Do you know how much plastic you wear and use every day? Join (ERL) hosts, Libby Traubman and Shirley Freriks, for six weekly sessions around the plastic crisis and solutions.
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AND FOR SOME GOOD NEWS TOO!
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Insure our Future -- Travelers adopts a policy to limit insurance for coal and tar sands companies! Travelers was one of the last insurance companies left in the world without any restrictions on coal. Read more here
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Visit the ECA Bonfire Store. SHOP NOW for t-shirts, face masks, mugs, tote bags and support ECA at the same time! All proceeds support ECA programming and events.
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If you shop on Amazon please be sure to use Amazon Smile to support Elders Action Network (ECA's Parent Organization), learn more here
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From groceries and apparel to technology and travel – a percentage of almost everything you buy using the ShopRaise app goes to support our cause. Click to download and start supporting ECA with every purchase. |
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Elders Climate Action is a project of ELDERS ACTION NETWORK (EAN), a 501C3 organization whose mission is to build a movement of elders to address the social and environmental crises of our time. Visit the EAN website to learn about EAN's other action groups and offerings.
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