7.7.26 Action Center Update
Welcome to the Action Center Weekly Update. Each week, we’ll share:
A brief analysis of critical issues in this political moment
Immediate actions you can take
Resources to deepen knowledge and strengthen our collective work to side with love
Nothing is inevitable. Justice movements are built by ordinary people who come together to defeat oppression and nurture a loving world. You are not alone. We have power. Together, we can create a just and thriving future.
Movements are strongest when we act together. Organize with your teams and networks, and take these actions in community. For practical tools, see our Organizing School and Trainings & Webinars.
Climate Justice
Core Principle: A just and loving world is also a flourishing one. A fossil-free future is possible, where clean energy is a human right and all beings thrive. To get there, we must create new systems, norms, and practices.
The Update:
The Fourth of July heat and humidity dome killed at least 25 people in New Jersey this weekend. 180+ million people, over half of U.S. residents, lived under what the National Weather Service calls “major” or “extreme” heat risk. Thousands of people were killed by June’s heatwave across Europe, and millions lived under extreme heat. Schools were closed and power grids buckled.
Extreme heat, exacerbated by the climate crisis, is deadly. We mourn the death of these precious lives.
Among this devastation, we find hope in the power of neighbors. Across the country, communities are developing Resilience Hubs. From Appalachia to Vermont, Los Angeles, Baltimore, Miami, Minnesota, and beyond, neighbors everywhere are daring to build the world we all deserve: one where everyone is safe and resourced.
Take Action:
Protect your community by abolishing Utility shutoffs. Especially in extreme heat, utility shutoffs are deadly and disproportionately harm low-income folks. The Tsunami of Shutoffs Guides for Action provide recommended actions to move this forward at all levels, including:
Community
Local Government
Public Utility Commission (PUC)
Legislators
Congressional
Learn how to mobilize your congregation towards climate justice at this week’s Green Sanctuary Office Hours, July 8th 7-8pm EST. As a denomination, we are reimagining together a world with love at the center, an Earth where all beings thrive, a beloved community with abundant fresh water and laughter. Join a national movement of UUs working toward justice, mitigation, congregational transformation, and community resilience. All are welcome.
Resources:
Read:
The climate crisis is a public health crisis. The same communities hurt first and worst by climate change are also most impacted by medical deserts. Learn exactly how climate change impacts our body’s system.
Extreme heat compromises workplace safety. Does your state have an OSHA heat standard?
Learn:
When communities and local governments fight for energy democracy, we can beat corporate greed. Learn how to build local clean energy projects, and hold your utility monopoly accountable with the Local Energy Policy Toolkit.
Join:
The proposed Project Jupiter data center and fracked natural gas power plant will deplete the fresh water of a desert community, unnecessarily drive up utility costs, re-open a pipeline, and produce more annual greenhouse gas emissions than all of New Mexico’s major cities combined. Local communities are fighting for clean water and dignity. We can’t drink data. Join UUs for Social Justice and Side With Love online on July 23rd 8pm EST to learn from the organizers building community power in southern New Mexico. Register here.
Watch/Listen:
AI companies target Sovereign Indigenous lands and rural communities across Turtle Island with unpopular hyper-scale data center proposals. Listen to this Democracy Now! interview on Data Colonization with Krystal Two Bulls (Oglala Lakota and Northern Cheyenne), the Executive Director of Honor the Earth.
Together, we practice the world we long for. Together, we win.
