On Earth Day, Monday, April 22, 2019, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Indivisible Mohawk Valley is sponsoring the Rally to Protect the Earth. The event will be held at the Oneida Square Roundabout in Utica and will celebrate Earth Day by calling for immediate action to address climate change.
We will be specifically calling for the passage of bold climate legislation: “The Climate and Community Protection Act” in New York and a national Green New Deal.
Aaron Strong, assistant professor of environmental studies at Hamilton College, will be the main speaker. He has an extensive background on the subject, including attending the international climate negotiations as a delegate four times.
“The imperative of climate action simply cannot be understated,” said Strong. “Climate change is not just an environmental issue – it is an economic issue, a social issue, an issue of justice and equity, and an issue which shapes all our decisions about energy, transportation, land use, zoning, water, emergency services, budgets and education.
“What our communities will look like for us and for our children will be determined by what we do right now to address this urgent problem.”
The New York State Climate and Community Protection Act (drive.google.com/file/d/1gN9vFJrvnRpuN88LeSi6WKv2uKCPK1m8/view) is the most ambitious and far-reaching climate bill in the country. No other legislation cuts greenhouse gas pollution from all sectors of the economy, protects communities and workers on the front lines of climate change, ensures that jobs in the new energy economy conform with fair labor standards and requires all state government decisions to align with climate and equity policies.
The Green New Deal (gp.org/green_new_deal ) would turn the tide on climate change, revive the economy and make wars for oil obsolete. It would initiate a World War II-scale national mobilization to halt climate change, the greatest threat to humanity in our history, create 20 million jobs by transitioning to 100-percent clean renewable energy by 2030 and investing in public transit, sustainable (regenerative) agriculture, conservation and restoration of critical infrastructure, including ecosystems.