Climate Changed, then Sandy changed us.
Perhaps the only good thing to come out of the horror of Superstorm Sandy was that politicians, from Chris Christie to Barack Obama, were finally willing to connect the dots between climate change and extreme weather events like hurricanes. Many New Yorkers connected the dots, too. People could see that climate change was here and threatening the largest city in the US, as well as New Jersey, home to cultural icons like Bruce Springsteen and Jersey Shore.
That's why I attended a rally this past Sunday for a just and sustainable rebuilding in New York City, where climate change demands were front and center. It was inspiring to see how community activists deeply understood the link between top-down, unresponsive governing and climate-destroying behaviors. The activists doing some of the most important work in New York City get that a government financed by Big Oil is unlikely get rid of the mold in your house left behind by Superstorm Sandy. And they understand, as one sign read, that we need a "System Change" if we're going to solve climate change.
Here at Environmental Action, we've been all about system change since our founding in 1970, so we're going to keep pushing to grow the environmental movement nationally, and locally. But we need your help — as a volunteer Climate Captain in your community — to make it doesn't take another Sandy, wildfire, landslide, or oil spill to wake people up. If you agree that what happens in these places and everywhere hurts everyone everywhere," then we need you to sign up now. We are all one planet, with one climate. Will you stand up and help others connect the dots between climate change and local disasters?