Climate Change is Consequential — Do Voters Care?

 

Climate change is one of the most consequential issues facing our nation and the planet. Over the past six months, the world has seen the threat first-hand, as torrential rains battered Europe and Bangladesh. Closer to home, millions of residents are still attempting to recover from the ravages of Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Yet, Presidential candidates have largely ignored this issue on the campaign trail. And voters have identified the economy and border security as their top concerns. Speakers this week will discuss what’s at stake and how to mobilize communities to think about climate change.

Guest Speakers

• Bill McKibben, founder of Third Act, which organizes people over the age of 60 for action on climate and justice. Mr McKibben, one of the US’s pre-eminent environmentalists, will discuss what’s at stake for climate change in this election, and how this election could shape climate for the next 1 million years.
• Sharon Lavigne, Founder of Rise St James, will talk about how she mobilized her community to fight against a petrochemical factory being built in her neighborhood, known as Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley.” Ms Lavigne is the 2021 recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize and was named as Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People this year. 

Erik Bendix, (Invited) a resident of Asheville, North Carolina, will share his experience of battling the tornadoes that accompanied Hurricane Helene and the devastation his community still faces six weeks after. - Ethnic Media Services