Earth Care News
December 2018
In this newsletter:
Support VTIPL – Please Donate!
Save the Date! Faith Climate Action Week: April 5 -14
Vermont Representative Peter Welch Signs onto Green New Deal
2019 Climate Economy Model Communities Program – Apply Now
Urgent Call for Vermont Leadership on Climate Change
VT Revenue-Neutral Carbon Pollution Fee Supported by Mayor Weinberger
Bipartisan US Climate Change Bill Aims to Cut Emissions By 90%
Carbon Tax Defeated in Washington State – Now the Push Moves East
Denying Climate Change is Not Just Political – It’s Deadly
Rise: From One Island to Another
Fourth National Climate Assessment
Support VTIPL – Please Donate!
Your end-of-year donation to VT Interfaith Power & Light is vital. VTIPL operates on a tight budget. Extra funds are needed to re-design the website to be able to provide better service. Donations can be made online here or send a check to: VTIPL P.O. Box 209 Richmond, VT 05477 Thank you!
Save the Date! Faith Climate Action Week: April 5 -14
Faith Climate Action Week will be from April 5 – 14 in 2019. This is the time when pastors will be preaching sermons about climate change and congregations will engage in a variety of actions. The website for this national IPL program has resources from prior years, and 2019 materials will be available in a couple of months. Congregations can pre-register now.
Vermont Representative Peter Welch Signs onto Green New Deal
You can send an email here to thank Rep. Welch for signing onto the Green New Deal, and to ask him to now sign onto the OFF Act. Here’s informationabout the Green New Deal. Find out about the OFF Act – Off Fossil Fuels for a Better Future Act – here.
2019 Climate Economy Model Communities Program – Apply Now
The Vermont Council on Rural Development is inviting towns to apply for the 2019 Climate Economy Model Communities program. This is a great opportunity to rally your community together to identify and implement strategies that improve your local economy while also tackling climate change. An overview of the program can be found here, along with RFP materials. Applications are due on January 18, 2019. Email or call Jon Copans (802-225-6393) with questions.
Urgent Call for Vermont Leadership on Climate Change
Recent reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the National Climate Assessment have made it very clear that we are in a planetary emergency, with just 12 years to cut fossil fuel use in half to avoid the worst effects of global climate change. VTIPL is part of a Vermont coalition that is urging our Vermont legislators and Governor to champion and support policies, such as carbon pollution pricing, that address the problem comprehensively. Read the coalition’s vision statement and proposals, and plan to advocate with us during the legislative session.
VT Revenue-Neutral Carbon Pollution Fee Supported by Mayor Weinberger
Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger wants Vermont to become the first state to pass a revenue-neutral Carbon Pollution Fee. He has formed a coalition of mayors throughout the Northeast who also support a carbon pollution fee. His Dec. 1 press release gives the details.
Bipartisan US Climate Change Bill Aims to Cut Emissions By 90%
Read this blog post from the World Resources Institute for more information about “the first bipartisan U.S. climate legislation in a decade”.
Carbon Tax Defeated in Washington State – Now the Push Moves East
The ballot initiative was defeated in Washington State after the fossil fuel industry pumped over $30 million into negative ads opposing it. The work continues in Vermont and other Eastern states. Read more.
Denying Climate Change is Not Just Political – It’s Deadly
In this Sojourners magazine article, Avery Davis Lamb, an IPL colleague in the D.C. area, writes of the California wildfires and the terrible impacts they continue to have – especially on people with low income who are least able to adapt. He speaks about acknowledging that these wildfires are due to human-caused climate change, and says, “As people of faith, our role is to envision and build a world of justice and peace.”
Rise: From One Island to Another
This video is recommended. In it, two indigenous poets – one from the Marshall Islands and one from Greenland – meet and share a moment of solidarity, and they say to us, “each and every one of us has to decide if we will rise.” (Video is 5.5 minutes)
Fourth National Climate Assessment
The National Climate Assessment is mandated by the U. S. Congress. A report is released every four years. Here is the fourth National Climate Assessment, released in November 2018.
VTIPL helps people of faith and spirit better understand the climate crisis and take action to care for Earth.
Vermont Interfaith Power and Light
P.O. Box 209, Richmond, VT 05477
info@vtipl.org 802-434-3397 www.vtipl.org
