Hello friends, how are you? How are we?
Last week a student in the class I am teaching at Hamline University shared this website that tracks how the world’s countries’ actions are on track for meeting the Paris Agreement goal to keep temperatures within a 1.5℃ increase. It assigns each country, based on its actions, to one of 5 categories: critically insufficient, highly insufficient, insufficient, almost sufficient, and 1.5℃ compatible. I shared it with my team here at Climate Generation via Slack.
On Thursday, I walked into our shared room and found a coworker, seated quietly with her hand across her heart, breathing slowly and intentionally, with this same website open on her laptop.
You see,
there are zero nations
whose actions are ambitious enough
to limit warming to 1.5℃.
The UNFCCC Conference of the Parties 29 started this week in Baju, Azerbaijan. I hope you are signed up to receive the Digest and follow our amazing delegates. For the third year in a row, a petrostate with human rights issues is hosting this critical conference. My expectations are low for this diplomatic space where there is no accountability and everyone seems to show up for their own nation’s interests instead of what is best for all of us and the planet.
The United States just elected a convicted felon, sex offender, and climate change denier to the presidency. It is highly likely that federal agencies and programs that have been providing climate literacy resources, environmental justice action and climate adaptation resources will go dark. And, while I know what this means for the planet and our collective future, I am more sure than ever that the work we do here at Climate Generation — igniting and sustaining the ability of youth, educators and community to fight the systems perpetuating the climate crisis — is more important than ever. The only way we push back against mis- and disinformation is to educate, organize and build intergenerational power for climate justice. The only way we are prepared to transition to a viable future is through climate change literacy and climate justice education.
We are ready for the challenge ahead. Will you join us?
Susan Phillips
Executive Director
