Sunrise Movement to Meet in Mt. Airy, Shed Light on Green New Deal

by 
Lynne Iser, for the Shuttle

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports that we have just over a decade to get carbon emissions under control before catastrophic climate change impacts become unavoidable.

For decades we have been hearing about this impending climate crisis, and many have marched, lobbied and signed petitions.

In the past few months, young activists have formed the Sunrise Movement and have lobbied Congress, demanding that Democrats in the House support the Select Committee for a Green New Deal. This group will be at Mt. Airy Nexus on March 12 from 4-9 p.m. to talk about their organizing efforts and encourage others to get involved.

Green New Deal bills were introduced into the House and the Senate on Feb. 7. The measures are an effort to shift to a more equitable, clean energy economy that leaves no one behind. There are several key goals:

  1. Tackling the climate crisis by meeting 100 percent of the power demands in the U.S. by using clean, renewable, and zero-emission energy sources by 2030.
  2. Creating good paying “green” jobs.
  3. Counteracting racial and economic inequity.

This is part of a coordinated plan that includes voter registration/electoral work, supporting local environmental fights, and campaigning for the passage of the legislation.

The plan isn’t perfect, but it is a start towards tackling all three of these goals, recognizing that climate change and inequality are intertwined problems that require intertwined solutions. These policies also offer a big opportunity to galvanize momentum toward systemic change.

Mt. Airy Nexus is located at 520 Carpenter Lane. For more information and to RSVP: www.weaversway.coop/event/sunrise-movement-here.

Lynne Iser is a local activist and organizer who is an “elder ally” of Philadelphia’s Sunrise Movement.