Category: Climate Change

Time for Leagues to talk about the Climate Crisis

9/3/2019

Everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything…

Well, we now know that we have to do something about the climate, and that we can start by talking about climate change and what it means to our lives, our environment and our children’s future. (Did you notice that we said “climate change”? Yes, climate is different from weather, and we need to both talk about it and do something!)

LWV Upper Mississippi River Region (LWV UMRR) has added a focus on climate change to our action portfolio. We are urging our member Leagues to plan programs on the topic – and have an option to offer with prepared material to do it!

LWV Dane County (Madison, WI) has made climate change their topic for action this year. They are sponsoring four forums (link) that will be available for local Leagues to stream. Materials packets are prepared for each forum so viewers will be able to learn about the topic in advance and have good discussion after the program. These packets are rich with information and geared to help build understanding, not detailed scientific tomes. LWV DC does an excellent job with both the packets and with finding a good range of speakers who bring broad expertise to the subject; this would be a great way for a local League to begin the conversation on climate change. As a bonus, their website features a weekly column titled “Climate Corner”, featuring a medley of resources and information that highlight personal actions, diversity and equity perspectives, and additional learning opportunities, all related to climate change.

The first of the four forums took place on September 4 - you can watch the video here. Titled “Why Climate Change is a Public Health Emergency”, the featured speakers were Ralph Petersen , Ph.D. (UW–Madison Space, Science and Engineering Center), Andrea Kaminski (Board Director and former Executive Director of LWVWI) and Dr. Claire Gervais , M.D., (UW Health Clinics). Looking ahead, LWV DC is planning these additional forums:
•            November 6, 2019, focusing on government's role in combatting climate change,
•            February 5, 2020, focusing on agriculture as a solution and
•            April 1, 2020 focusing on water impacts.

LWV UMRR’s Co-Presidents, Mary and Steve Ploeser, are members of the LWV Dane County committee working on the forum. We are proud to share their work with our member Leagues, and thank them for the commitment to LWV and the environment. – Gretchen Sabel, Communications Director, LWV UMRR

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LWV Action on Climate Change: A Call to Arms, with lots of guidance, from Caryl Terrell (LWV Dane Co, WI) at the LWV UMRR Annual Meeting on June 1

6/4/2019

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Caryl Terrell, LWV Dane County

League of Women Voters works because we blend education with advocacy, helping people participate in our democracy with objective information for fact-based action. LWV is also a learning organization; we listen to those who know effective ways to advocate for our positions. We were honored to have Caryl Terrell as our round-up speaker on June 1. She took the facts that John Linc Stine presented, and the opportunties that exist for action like the work that Matt Gladue presented, and showed us how we can use the LWV US Tool Kit for Climate Action to take effective action to reduce climate change in our local communities and more broadly. Caryl is a member of LWV Dane County (Madison, Wisconsin), and was a founding member of the LWV US Climate Change Task Force.

The LWV US Tool Kit for Climate Action is an excellent resource for getting started. Take some time to explore this website - the menu on the right has links to a wide array of information, advice and examples.

LWV US, in January 2019, approved a new position on Climate Change that elevates this topic to the level of our positions on water and air. This is found in the Natural Resources section of the2018-20 Impact on Issues, and is in the column to the right.

LWV US also was a recent signatory to letter sent to Congress, urging action on climate change. The letter can be found at this link.

Caryl's talk was inspiring and very specific as to things that LWV's can do on this topic. At our August 5 2019 meeting in Madison, WI, LWV UMRR's Board will discuss formally adopting a position on Climate Change and developing a list of actions we will undertake to move ahead. Watch Caryl's talk below.

LWVUS CLIMATE CHANGE POSITION

At its January 2019 meeting, the LWVUS Board approved a position statement on climate change, to be included in an updated edition of Impact on Issues, due to be published in Spring 2019. Since the LWVUS Natural Resources positions pre-date the public's general awareness of climate change, we did not have a position explicitly mentioning climate change. Now, in recognition of Leagues' increasing engagement in climate action, the LWVUS board has added the following position language supporting climate action.

The League believes that climate change is a serious threat facing our nation and planet. The League believes that an international approach to combating climate change — including through energy conservation, air pollution controls, building resilience, and promotion of renewable resources — is necessary to protect public health and defend the overall integrity of the global ecosystem. The League supports climate goals and policies that are consistent with the best available climate science and that will ensure a stable climate system for future generations. Individuals, communities, and governments must continue to address this issue, while considering the ramifications of their decisions, at all levels — local, state, regional, national, and global.

"We have the strength of League of Women Voters in this work. We have Leagues in every state... and can reach out to all our members of Congress to build support for strong action on climate change at the state and national level. This should include advocating for our country to fulfill the requirements of the 2015 Paris Accord"...
- Caryl Terrell at the LWV Upper Mississippi River
Region Annual Meeting on June 1, 2019

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UMRR blog

Time for Leagues to talk about the Climate Crisis

LWV Action on Climate Change: A Call to Arms, with lots of guidance, from Caryl Terrell (LWV Dane Co, WI) at the LWV UMRR Annual Meeting on June 1

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