FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – July 9, 2019
Contact: Sunshine Royanian Ludder, 646-866-9065, sunshine@alignny.org
STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF CONGRESSIONAL RESOLUTION TO DECLARE A CLIMATE EMERGENCY
Every year, we are experiencing more climate-related catastrophes, from wildfires and hurricanes to floods and severe heat waves. Climate change is a threat to our collective existence and as such, we must address it with urgency. If we fail to take bold action immediately, we are failing ourselves, our children, and the next generations to come. The Alliance for a Greater New York (ALIGN) endorses the declaration of a climate emergency at the federal level and the necessity for a massive-scale mobilization to halt and address its consequences. As with our work to create and win climate justice across New York State – especially for frontline and marginalized communities who often bear the brunt of our climate crisis – we strongly support the explicit prioritization of a just transition policy rooted in principles of racial equity, self-determination, and democracy, in order to guarantee a strong, viable economic future for all. We know that we can create millions of good, family-sustaining union jobs in a green economy. And we know that a meaningful response to the climate crisis requires action and alignment at the local, state, and federal level.
Just this year here in New York, we successfully passed game-changing climate action legislation at both the city and state level to slash greenhouse gas emissions. We urgently need and call upon our elected leadership and representatives in Congress to take equally bold, game-changing action for our nation as a whole. The time is now. We have less than 12 years to make the difference we need to make to build the future we want for our communities and for all our children. We must act boldly and urgently, and we must lead now. We call upon every member of the New York delegation and all members of Congress to join Representative Ocasio-Cortez, Senator Sanders, and Representative Bluemenauer in support of this resolution.
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