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Dear Friends,

There are days when I get utterly preoccupied playing defense against the fossil fuel industry, trying to stop pipeline after frack well after coal port. It’s necessary work -- but there are also days when I remind myself we’ve got to go on offense too.

Today’s one of those days. We’re launching the next phase of our fossil fuel divestment campaign, bringing it off campus to include city, state, and town governments; religious denominations, museums, foundations -- anyone with an investment portfolio. If someone’s investing in the destruction of the future, we’re going to ask them to sell those shares.

Here’s how to get started. Our web-team has set up a new online petition tool that makes it easy for you to join up with a local campaign or start your own. These petitions will help you build up some local pressure, as well as start a local email list you can use for organizing (they’re so easy to use, even I can figure it out).

Click here to find or start a local divestment petition: www.GoFossilFree.org/start

Once you’ve got a petition going, it’s time to start organizing. Host a local meeting to get your group together, set up meetings with your key decision makers, make the case for divestment, and then figure out the type of pressure you’re going to need to get a victory. You’ll find some useful resources up on the GoFossilFree.org website -- and don’t hestitate to get in touch if you need help.

Click "Read More" to check out the full letter. 

Crossposted from India beyond coal.

Coal Kills! We knew it all along and now a strong report has confirmed the obvious. A new report from Urban Emissions supported by Greenpeace and Conservation Action Trust shows that in the year 2011-12, 80,000-115,000 premature deaths have been reported due to emissions from coal. The report, the first of its kind in the country also shows that a massive number of asthma cases, totalling to more than 20 million were reported in that single year. The repors states that these numbers are conservative estimates which means that the number of casualties from coal could in fact be much higher.

Through detailed analysis, the report shows that the largest impact of emissions is over Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Indo-Gangetic plain, and most of central-east India. These are regions with high population density and greater vulnerability to impacts of coal . Using a conservative value of Rs. 2,000,000 ($40,000) per life lost, the premature mortality estimates from this study would result in a health cost of Rs. 16,000 to 23,000 crore ($3.2 to 4.6 billion) annually.

The emissions are a result of India’s growing dependence on coal for growth. With plans to dramatically increase power capacity generation through coal, the number of pre mature deaths is only set to rise. This is a dangerous trend that demands our attention and any more deaths are unacceptable. The alternatives in the form of decentralized renewable energy and energy efficiency are already here and their adoption is critical if we want to curtain these deadly impacts.

We need a moratorium of further mining in India and power plans near densely populated areas, we need a strong movement against coal! The India beyond coal project of 350.org is aimed at building the narrative against coal and pushing for the alternative solutions that already exist. Our day of action on November 10th 2012 showed that there is a growing fight against coal and the results of this report will only push us to do more to safeguard the health and lives of millions of Indians.

Here is an infographic on the health impacts. Please share it with your social networks. The full report can be dowloaded here. 

This blog was sent to us by Brian Kennedy, a nursing home volunteer from New York state.

Our group came together in a nursing home in Upstate New York. First we only talked politics, then someone said, “We’re a lot of talk, no action.” For this group, all over 85, and mostly wheel chair bound, talk seemed like the only option. But they wanted more.

As a nursing home volunteer and the group’s coordinator, I had just heard Bill McKibben on NPR speak of climate change. I emailed 350.org and said we were interested in the rally on February 17th, but let them know we could not march and preferred not to be arrested. A quick response told us we could join the ranks of marchers by sending a picture and telling our story.

These usually quiet senior citizens said, “Let’s do it, for ourselves, for our kids, for their kids.” They became excited, resourceful. Bernie, an ex-GE engineer and veteran of the Battle of the Bulge, told us all he knew about climate change and fracking. Ralph, who had been the Director of Education for the Cayman Islands, said, “It’s important to educate, to share our knowledge.” He shared his first hand knowledge of nuclear energy systems. Betty proclaimed with a smile, “I’m proud to represent women in this project.”

Charlie, a social worker and WWII vet, rallied us with, “First we fought for democracy, now they need us again, to fight for the planet.” I began getting calls at home at all hours from a team member who was busily drafting up a letter to go straight to President Obama.

This project has raised the long silent voices of these nursing home residents and allowed them to stand, when they literally cannot, for something vitally important.