Climate activists in New Mexico commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day today by You can walk from four directions to Santa Fe’s State Capitol.We are calling on legislators to take bold action against climate change.
The Capitol, also known as the Roundhouse was created to represent the sun’s rays and the four directions, four seasons, and four phases of human life.
Robb Hirsch founded Climate Change Leadership InstituteIt was founded nearly 20 years ago, and he is its executive director. He said that it was appropriate for people rally on MLK Day.
Hirsch stated, “It’s great on Martin Luther King Day that the community rises up in a peaceful, nonviolent manner.” However, Hirsch added, “But rise strong, to demand action on this critical and vital issue for our future.”
Hirsch stated that the walkers will meet outside of the Roundhouse at noon.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Santa Fe Branch, the Green Amendment for the Generations Group, 350 New Mexico and the Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter will all be participating.
New Mexico has depended on oil and gas for its economic growth for a long time. Hirsch said however that the event is not about requiring specific policies in this year’s legislative session but rather ongoing, clear action.
Hirsch stated that “there’s a lot more equivocating going around” because “a lot of elected officials, unfortunately… are taking campaign funds from the very same industries that we need regulating.”
Hirsch stated that climate change is a civil right issue of our times because, while it affects all people, the most likely to be affected by it are those of color and those of lower income.
Hirsch said that Martin Luther King Day is vital to this. “The Civil Rights Movement – brave citizens who participated in it – showed us a way of action to get things done even when people thought there was no way to get the Civil Rights Act or the Voting Rights Act passed.”
The New Mexico Legislature has short 30-day sessions. These sessions are held in even-numbered years and usually focus on the state budget for the next year.
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Washington state legislators will meet in Olympia next week to begin the 2022 legislative session. It is seen by groups working on climate change as another opportunity for the state to act.
Kelly Hall, Washington director Climate Solutions, stated that the Legislature has made significant progress in recent years – including Committing the state to 100% clean electricity by 2045. Hall believes that the state must do more to address climate change’s growing effects. Hall stated that she believes the top priority for this session should be ensuring buildings use clean energy.
She said that “a lot of buildings at the moment do combust fossilfuels indoors.” This has a significant effect on the climate and indoor air quality.
Hall suggested that the state develop a targeted electrification program to encourage utility customers to invest into electric appliances. Gov. Jay Inslee also named decarbonizing buildings as one of his top priorities. His prioritiesThe session is being held because buildings are the fastest growing source of carbon emissions in the State.
Leah Missik from Climate Solutions Washington transportation policy manager said that public transport is another area that requires attention. She pointed out that climate-friendly ways of getting around also have other benefits.
“For a very long period, we have underfunded public transportation,” she stated. “And also, Washington state has not spent enough to ensure that folks who don’t drive or cannot drive can safely get around by walking, or by using a bike or another means.”
Hall stated that action is urgently needed and that the state must be proactive.
“Investing wrong, right now, will have consequences for years to come,” she stated. “And just make those events worse and more severe.”
The Washington Legislature is set to meet on Monday and adjourn by March 10.
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Only two people are still missing after the Colorado wildfire that destroyed nearly a thousand homes in Louisville and Superior, which was the most expensive ever recorded.
The Marshall Fire was finally put out by the first snowfall in Denver Metro, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis reported Sunday on the fact that both federal officials and state officials are intensifying their recovery efforts.
Polis said, “To the families that have lost everything,” and added, “We are setting up everything we can to help your get through what is likely will be one of the most difficult periods in your life.”
President Joe Biden approved a disaster declaration on Saturday. Federal Emergency Management Agency Chief Deanne Kriswell and around 100 staff members are currently on the ground in Colorado.
People in need of assistance are encouraged to visit the website “disasterassistance.govPeople with disabilities can text or call the Disability and Disaster Hotline at 800-626-4959.
Joe Boven ran to his family’s Louisville home on Thursday. The house, which Boven claimed contained generations of heirlooms, was already ablaze by the time he made it through road closures and barricades.
Boven said, “Hundreds of thousands of years of history just went ablaze.” It’s quite devastating. It’s amazing that we still have the people, even though all that history is gone. It’s wonderful they’re still here, so we can continue to make history in the next century.
The cause of the fire is still unknown. Climate scientists at the state’s top universities point out that the fire was caused by the hottest and driest period in recorded history, which occurred between June and December.
Boven stated that his family will find a new home, but he would like leaders to take action faster to reduce climate pollution.
Boven stated, “Having watched so much people lose their homes, and knowing so many people don’t now have a place to go, I think it’s vital that we truly see our planet and, you know, our natural environment as our home as a whole.” Because there is no other place we can go.”
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Record-breaking October and November news coverage on climate change was triggered by record high temperatures, torrential rainfall, unlikely tornadoes and devastating wildfires. data compiledA researcher at the University of Colorado-Boulder.
Max Boykoff, the lead investigator for the Media and Climate Change Observatory at the university’s Department of Environmental Studies said that the terminology used to describe the phenomenon has also changed. It has moved from terms such as “greenhouse effect” or “climate change” to “climate catastrophe”, and “climate emergency.”
Boykoff explained that “We’ve been discovering there’s an expanded vocabulary for describing what we see and what our research has revealed through our research, as well as what we are discussing in terms of politics or policy.”
Boykoff’s team surveyed 127 sources, including radio, television, and newspapers, in 13 languages, from 59 different countries, to gather the most recent data. Colorado is the latest example of climate change intensifying. A fire that was fueled by extreme winds and drought destroyed nearly 1,000 homes in suburbs north Denver.
Boykoff expects to see an increase in news coverage on climate change.
Boykoff observed, “You know, there isn’t one pivotal event that we have found over time that changes either the content or the amount.” “But it’s a lot of these stories coming together that create these moments when climate change is on our agenda.”
Boykoff said that climate stories can be related to drought-related fires, extreme weather events, and agriculture, depending on where you live. He worries that if communities lose their local information resources, they will not be part of the solution.
Boykoff observed that “if you don’t have local reporters talking to these local issues, some communities will have a hard-time understanding what’s going on around them.”
He also added that the use of the term “climate disaster” by U.S news outlets increased 50% between 2020-2021 and tripled in the United Kingdom.
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