Effective Individual Actions
- Start talking with your family and friends about how you feel about the environmental catastrophe we are in, and then start talking with co-workers and the public. Encourage them to start conversations with their family and friends.
- Vote for a bold candidate who is clearly a champion for a livable planet – who has an aggressive plan for stopping the digging up and burning of fossil fuels, and speeding up the transition to clean renewable energy.
VOTING FOR A LIVABLE PLANET: A VOTER GUIDE
Which candidates will take bold action and lead us toward a livable planet?
Republican Platform on the Envirornment:
“The Republican Party believes that proper stewardship of our natural resources and agricultural lands will be achieved through sound science and adherence to Constitutionally-guaranteed property rights…Therefore, we support:
Maintaining clean air, water and land through reliance on peer-reviewed scientific research that establishes proven threats and workable remedies, and opposing such actions as the Kyoto Global Warming Treaty…
Upholding the Freedom to Farm and free enterprise in the agricultural economy, while reforming the antiquated structure of government programs, such as the Dairy Compact, that hurt Minnesota Farmers.,,
Opposing legislation that places a state-wide moratorium on feed lots and logging roads – townships and counties should decide these matters.”
Minnesota Republican Party web site
Republicans’ New Suite of Measures to Fight Global Warming
There is not going to be an overall target to reduce emissions, which is likely to stoke skepticism from critics. Other kinds of targets are related to capturing carbon-dioxide emissions, with a focus on trees, clean-energy innovation and funding, and conservation, focusing on plastic. Greater reliance on natural gas and nuclear power. Better battery storage.
New House Republican climate change plan focuses on trees, plastics and innovation, Axios, Amy Harder, 1/21/2020
Democratic-Farmer-Labor Platform on the Environment:
We believe in leaving the world in better condition than we found it:
We support:
- Preservation of biodiversity and wilderness.
- Strong environmental programs with provisions for strong enforcement that provide for healthy surroundings for all citizens and for sustainable, long term use of natural resources and a strong role for government in environmental protection.
- Living and working conditions free from significant exposure to poisons and radioactivity in air, water and soil.
- Responsibility of individuals, businesses and government to notify others of the possible environmental hazards, to clean up those they have created, and to compensate others for any resulting damages.
- Industry incentives, public education and collection programs to reduce consumption of resources and production of hazardous waste.
We oppose:
- Disposal of hazardous wastes below ground.
- Nuclear power, as it is not a viable energy source.
Democrats New Suite of Measures to Fight Global Warming
The draft Green New Deal 10 year Mobilization Plan, H. 109
The draft Climate Leadership & Environmental Action for our Nation’s Future Act (CLEAN):
Novel approaches such as a climate bank to help states, local communities, and the private sector transition to a clean economy, a Buy Clean Program to move the economy toward low-carbon construction materials and products used in project receiving federal funds, new state-federal partnerships for climate action.
Utilities must work toward 100% carbon-free electricity by 2050. The transportation sector to be emissions free by 2050. Building and industry to use materials from more environmental friendly sources while meeting tighter building codes.
Democrats outline sweeping legislation to make U.S. carbon neutral by 2020, The Hill, 1/9/2020 (the “White Paper” of CLEAN, Committee on Energy & Commerce, is hyperlinked in the article and details How We Got Here, Overview of the CLEAN Future Act, targets, power sector, building and efficiency, transportation, industry, environmental justice, super pollutants, economy-wide policies, next steps.
VOTING MATTERS
In 2016, there were 324 million citizens eligible to vote, but only 139 million voted. That was a turnout of 58% (74% in Minnesota). Of those who voted, 66 million voted for Hilary Clinton and 63 million for Donald Trump. Approximately one million citizens did not vote. The two main reasons for the non-voters were a dislike of the candidates or their campaign issues. Other reasons were a feeling that their vote would not make a difference, being too busy or having a conflicting schedule, having an illness or disability and being out of town or away from home. Why Registered Voters Say They Didn’t Vote in 2016,” Pew Research Center, 6/1/17. Other reasons for the irregular voter or occasional voter was being purged from the voting rolls, the difficulties of registering to vote, the appeals of Russian trolling, the loss of already low wages, and the long lines on election day. To not vote has been to vote.
“The history of successful electoral campaigns is as much the story of stopping women and people of color and immigrants and disabled people and young people and prisoners and low-income people from going to the polls as it is of attracting people to the polls.” The Other Swing Vote, Ibram X. Kendi, The Atlantic, January 2020. When you combine someone’s dislike for a candidate or campaign issues, with voter-suppression policies and voter-depression messaging, many do not vote.
In 2016, of eligible voters in the United States, 42% identified themselves as Independents, 29% identified as Democrats, and 26% identified as Republicans.
- Become part of a massive organized global movement.
“The answer to the question ‘What can I, as an individual, do to stop climate change?’ is: nothing. You can’t do anything. In fact, the very idea that we, as atomized individuals, even lots of atomized individuals, could play a significant part in stabilizing the planet’s climate system or changing the global economy is objectively nuts. We can only meet this tremendous challenge together, as part of a massive and organized global movement.” Advice for the Next Generation of Climate Activists, Naomi Klein, 9/19/19
