HomeMy WebLinkAbout060124 Director’s Notes_ From Ben Jealous_ May 2024ALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
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Dear John,
This past Tuesday was Sierra Club's 132nd birthday. Nearly a century and a half after our founding, we are at a moment more critical to our environment and the survival of our planet
than perhaps ever before. And there is no other organization better suited to continue leading the green movement during this important time.
Our victories for land conservation, clean energy, and more continue at a historic pace. I have included some of those key updates in this newsletter. Additionally this month, I was
proud to kick off a joint national tour I’m doing with Dr. Homer Wilkes, the US Department of Agriculture's Under Secretary for Natural Resources and the Environment, to promote the
USDA’s $1 billion urban forestry initiative. That initiative, made possible by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, aims to expand access to trees and green spaces in hundreds
of communities across the country. Our first stop was Phoenix, AZ, where our Grand Canyon Chapter hosted a series of events including a tree planting ceremony. <https://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?
qs=c2612c720219f403f5ef963f78f0b0eebbacfb513531d8c5ad2149138d9fa2038b715a59942ae0472514e315d3a65778af247193ecfaa874> And I was honored to join our Massachusetts and New Hampshire Chapters
for a celebration of New England going coal-free.
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Photo by Laura Maretich
As you may be aware, like many organizations, we are adapting to the changing times and economic landscape. Strategic operational changes are not out of the ordinary, but they are not
easy. We are committed to the effective stewardship of this iconic institution. And we remain dedicated to making sure the Sierra Club is strong, and positioned to successfully lead
our movement for the next 132 years.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support and all you do.
Ben
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SPOTLIGHT: Biden's Anti-NAFTA Moment
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Photo by Trevor Adeline/Alamy
It has been more than 30 years since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) helped decimate the American manufacturing sector. The new trade framework being put forward by the
Biden administration is the anti-NAFTA moment American workers have been waiting for. The tariffs announced this month on electric vehicles (EVs), solar panels, batteries, semiconductors,
and materials like aluminum and steel are part of a broader regime of policies and investments creating the foundation for America’s leadership in the next economy.
For more, read my op-eds on Biden’s anti-NAFTA moment <https://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=c2612c720219f4035a679a4f94ede5521d13ed288f4865c2566555c9325e05c4d36c0c87b6fd65e5bd39267b133db9d4106fd446
dcdef74d> and how clean energy’s naysayers are helping China and hurting American workers. <https://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=c2612c720219f403ed6b0bc1fa78a28133d46668307913156b71d16a56028d7533
4cb502b2e5d424f9c89cd303009515cae9b8b4d5988629>
More Highlights
New York Times covers the Sierra Club’s pioneering on winning tactics:
We ended May with the New York Times publishing an in-depth feature on our successful use of economic arguments to eliminate the burning of our dirtiest energy source: coal. We know
that expanding our movement means meeting people where they are with our messaging and organizing tactics. That also goes for affecting policy change, in how we are appealing to regulatory
agencies that are often focused on the economic bottom line. And with renewable sources like solar and wind now less expensive and more efficient than coal, we’re embracing the argument
and it is working. Read the article <https://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=c2612c720219f403d9f6d5aec4f90eefd3bdf09fc14904d64d9ac66d6234dba6e89f303f8730cb3342c7d220918b4621770dfd9bbeb15083>
(NY Times subscription may be required)
TWO New Reports!
* The reviews are in and scamming taxpayers is out. Sierra Club's latest report has been endorsed by leading members of Congress including Senators Elizabeth Warren and Sheldon Whitehouse.
The report is Trading Away Our Climate: How Corporations Use Trade and Investment Agreements to Undermine Action on Climate Change <https://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=343b6e04bdc3613f2836e0a24e
116207f4e3d082312714e7c5e5df4db26a05563d0d1938f3efceab44f5783d8dd48c487f6c88ed073d5210> . It exposes how fossil fuel giants exploit outdated trade agreements to hinder climate progress
that bleed our tax dollars dry in the name of alleged "lost" company profit. These pacts, under the investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) system, prioritize corporate profits over
public welfare. The report calls for abolishing ISDS to meet the global goal of limiting warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels. As Sen. Warren said, "Giant corporations
have and continue to weaponize ISDS – a secretive and rigged arbitration system that multinational companies use to bypass domestic courts and challenge protections for the environment,
workers, and consumers around the world. It’s time to shut the door and eliminate ISDS from all existing trade agreements once and for all.”
* Along with our partners, Sierra Club released the 15th annual Banking on Climate Chaos <https://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=343b6e04bdc3613f4420a8862ba9791a9615f49545350af998b4e70fe09694030e1ef
64167f0126450da8fc455b0710686fc45ea92b69be5> report. Among our findings were that banks financed fossil fuels by $6.9 trillion dollars since the Paris Agreement – $705 billion provided
in 2023 alone. JP Morgan Chase, Mizuho, and Bank of America are the three top funders.
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Coal leasing ended in the Powder River Basin:
The Biden administration announced that it will end coal leasing in the Powder River Basin, the largest coal-producing region in the United States. The Powder River Basin, spanning Montana
and Wyoming, is the source of 40 percent of all US coal, and 85 percent of coal produced on public lands. In addition to being a major victory for Sierra Club’s clean energy work, the
decision marks a major shift in federal management of coal in the region. It recognizes that the market is shifting away from coal in favor of cleaner and more affordable energy sources.
OAK Week 2024!
On May 21, a group of youth environmental advocates joined us in our nation’s capital for a series of outdoor activities and educational sessions as part of the Outdoors Alliance for
Kids’ (OAK) annual OAK Week event. OAK, which Sierra Club helps lead, is a national strategic partnership of more than 130 businesses and nonprofit organizations from diverse sectors
with a common interest in connecting children, youth, and families with the outdoors. This year, our special guests included Brenda Mallory, Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality,
and Andrea Delgado, Chief of Staff for Natural Resources and Environment under the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
This is just a sampling of the many big wins from another exciting month. We are always happy to discuss any of our campaigns and would love to hear from you with any questions or feedback.
You can reach me directly at ben.jealous@sierraclub.org or contact Shabina at shabina.bahl@sierraclub.org.
Thanks again!
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