Rising Temperatures and Actions

The temperatures are rising, climate victories, and actions to take.

Hey everyone, welcome back to another week of Movement Monday! I hope you’ve enjoyed our new addition of Friday Features and are excited to learn more about current events in today's edition. 

There’s no denying that recent climate news has been disturbing to say the least. In early July, we faced four of the hottest days globally ever recorded, reaching a shocking 62.92℉ global average on July 4th (an average which normally hangs out around 60℉. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only temperature record set recently. Europe has been facing extreme weather, and on Tuesday, July 18th, Rome hit a record of 105℉ and Sicily hit 115℉, causing an influx of hospitalizations, wildfires, and death dangers. These changes are directly related to climate change, and they offer insight as to what life may be like if we don’t work to combat climate change. While some warming is already assured, we still have the chance to prevent it from getting worse. This news deeply saddens me, but I am using it to fuel me to take even further climate action. 

Alongside bad news, there are also many climate victories. Last week the construction of the 300 mile natural gas Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) through the Virginias was halted by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond. Victories like these offer hope in the midst of the climate crisis. Just yesterday, a friend and I were discussing the record temperatures and the MVP, and after a pause, she asked me if I knew of any local environmental nonprofits that she could join. Just one conversation was all she needed to make the push to turn concern into action, and it is a conversation I hope this news will spark across the globe. 

It was exciting to tell her about the local groups that I know, and about the work that I have been doing with the Climate Action Explorer in case she wanted to find a more personalized action. Each day we at On the Level continue to review climate actions to add to our map, so I would love to highlight some for all of you: If direct action is your thing and you feel empowered by surrounding yourself with other climate activists, there is a March to End Fossil Fuels this September in New York City. Another interesting action I came across is the World Law Congress, which brings people of all backgrounds together to discuss a myriad of social justice issues, including climate change. These were only two of hundreds of climate actions I reviewed this week, so I encourage you to check out the Climate Action Explorer for more!

One thing that is always exciting to me as I review groups and actions is the variety of who is involved in climate action. This week, a new youth group called Kingston Youth Climate Action appeared on the Explorer, followed later by an elders activist group called Elders Climate Action. This made me excited because the fight against climate change is truly one that we all need to be a part of, and there really is an action for everybody. 

Thanks for reading this week’s Movement Monday, and stay tuned for our next newsletter!