Photo by Devon Young Cupery. More on Fish for Future via 350 Wisconsin
There’s no getting around it: this month brought heartbreak upon heartbreak, from climate disasters and the horrific budget bill in the U.S. to forced starvation and famine in Gaza.
At the same time, we continue to see remarkable resistance and resilience, even as that resistance should never be necessary. Nothing embodies this better than the Pacific Climate Warriors’ signature rallying cry, ‘We are not drowning, we are fighting!’ And this month, the International Court of Justice — the world’s highest court — upheld the Pacific Islanders’ fight for their right to a future. Naming climate change an “urgent and existential threat of planetary proportions,” the Court declared that those who fuel this crisis are legally obliged to stop the harm immediately.
This historic ruling gives new hope to everyone battling to protect their own community from escalating floods, fires, storms and heatwaves. Polluting companies and nations now face the threat of legal action for violating the human right to a healthy and safe environment. Read on for more examples of hope in the resistance, and in our climate movement’s ability to make progress in challenging times.
Sign up for our newsletter to get these updates first!
CITIES AND STATES TAKING THE LEAD
LEGISLATIVE SPOTLIGHT: A major step towards utility accountability in Maryland (exciting follow-up to last month’s feature!): 350 affiliate Howard County (HoCo) Climate Action in Maryland had a major win! After over two years of campaigning, the Howard County Council adopted energy-efficient building codes. This victory makes Howard County the first Maryland jurisdiction to adopt the latest international model building codes. While the legislation didn’t include everything that advocates wanted, this is still a big win and advocates are committed to continuing to strengthen the county’s building codes, which are generally updated on a three-year cycle.
- Wondering how to talk to your own community about utility justice? Join the 350 Network Council for the second webinar in their two-part series
CREATIVE SPOTLIGHT: 350 Wisconsin showed the power in creative resistance, setting a new world record. In a massive collective effort to protect the Great Lakes and shut down the Line 5 pipeline, 350 Wisconsin and their partners set a new world record for the largest display of origami fish, reaching 86,262 folded fish in total. People contributed origami from every state in the U.S., D.C. and Puerto Rico, as well as Canada and Mexico.
“The collective action of thousands of people who all believe in a future where water is safe, clean, and protected, has been a shining example of what is possible when we come together. This immense accomplishment sends a clear message: Protecting the water now, and for generations to come, matters more than risky oil pipelines like Line 5.” — Britnie Remer, 350 Wisconsin
STANDING UP TO THE WEALTHY ELITE
SPOTLIGHT: Ex-Microsoft employees expose how the AI tool they built props up the fossil fuel industry. Will Alpine helped Microsoft build an AI tool that would be used to help fight climate change. Then Microsoft sold it to Big Oil to turbocharge fossil fuel extraction, causing even more climate harm than AI data centers.
Will and his wife Holly spent years trying to change Microsoft from the inside. Ultimately, they concluded that “Microsoft was using [Will’]s work to distract from the actual, systemic climate harms the company was enabling” (HEATED). So Will and Holly resigned to found the Enabled Emissions Campaign to Big Tech accountable for their climate impacts. They continue to boldly tell their story to the media, including this month’s feature in HEATED. Their story offers lessons on climate organizing from within the workplace, and the importance of whistleblowing when such efforts are thwarted.
& INVESTING IN COMMUNITY RESILIENCE
SPOTLIGHT: Rooted and Rising. It has never been more important to invest in community resilience. As the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina looms, Gulf coast communities are facing the construction of six huge new LNG terminals and several new deep water drilling projects. Meanwhile, massive cuts to FEMA, toxic waste cleanups, Medicare and food assistance leave these communities even more vulnerable to climate disasters than when Katrina hit. But local activists have held strong and fought back, so we co-hosted an event bringing faith leaders and climate champions together to share practical knowledge, strengthen solidarity and plan ahead.
Participants didn’t just talk, they rolled up their sleeves to prepare and distribute 2,000 disaster relief kits to local residents. We thank our co-sponsors, Climate Power, Climate Revival, Counterstream Media, the NAACP and Whole Kingdom, for making this day possible.
Photo by Malcolm J
RESISTANCE ACROSS MOVEMENTS
SPOTLIGHT: Good Trouble Lives On: 25,000 New Yorkers sit-in for victims of ICE disappearances. On July 17th, the anniversary of Civil Rights activist John Lewis’ passing, 25,000 New Yorkers stood together to honor Lewis’ legacy and shut down 26 Federal Plaza, home to New York’s Federal Immigration Court. The New York Immigration Coalition shared these core demands to protect immigrant New Yorkers:
- Pass NY4All and No Masks for ICE
- Shut down 26 Federal Plaza until there is a guarantee of safety
- Bring home all kidnapped immigrants
Photo by Alexa Wilkinson, shared by New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC)
What does this have to do with climate change, and why should we care?
- Climate justice is migrant justice, and we must stand up in the face of this onslaught and protect due process and basic civil liberties for our neighbors, our communities and ourselves.
One Thing You Can Do RIGHT NOW
Donald Trump has threatened to shut down FEMA after this year’s hurricane season ends.
FEMA is one of the few lifelines people have when climate disasters strike. The federal government has already slashed FEMA’s funding, and now Trump has threatened to eliminate it altogether. In an era of worsening climate disasters, this is not only reckless and shortsighted — it is incredibly dangerous.
Send a letter to Congress today and tell them: Don’t let Trump gut FEMA