FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 4, 2021
Contact:
Mike Tidwell, mtidwell@chesapeakeclimate.org, 240-460-5838
Several notable speakers were present, including US Senator Tina Smith and student leaders from around the region
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, youth activists of all ages came together near Capitol Hill to urge Congress to support 100% clean, renewable energy and the rest of President Joe Biden’s historic American Jobs Plan as a justice issue.
You can watch a livestream here. High-resolution photos available upon request.
Surrounded by colorful signs and banners and with the US Capitol as the backdrop, youth leaders spoke about the dire impacts climate change will have on their futures. The event was co-hosted by Mom’s Clean Air Force, MaryPIRG Student Climate Action Coalition, Sunrise Frederick, and CCAN Action Fund. Speakers included US Senator Tina Smith (D-NM); Thomas Moberly, Sunrise Movement Frederick; Thomas Potter, MaryPirg Student Climate Action Coalition; Kallan Benson, Fridays for Future; and Dakota Gant, Black and Green Collective, Founder; North American Youth Representative to the Pan-African Youth Leadership Network for the Sustainable Development Goals (PAYLS); and Stephanie Klein from Mom’s Clean Air Force.
CCAN Action Fund’s Maryland Grassroots Coordinator Emily Frias said: “We’re here today to protect younger generations from a dangerously warming planet. Climate change is already wreaking havoc, and it’s going to get even worse over the coming decades. We need clean energy now. If we’re not even protecting our kids, then who are we protecting?”
Children born today can expect to have more health problems and be much more vulnerable to infectious diseases, extreme weather events like flooding, and food shortages. Researchers estimate that exposure to pollution, especially fine particulate matter, is responsible for more than 100,000 premature deaths each year. Investing in 100% clean, renewable energy by 2035 would dramatically reduce air pollution, improve public health, advance environmental justice, and reduce extreme weather events.
The event is part of the “Leaders for 100% Clean Energy” summer series of events, organized to demonstrate the broad-based support that exists across the country for the American Jobs Plan and its 100% clean power provision. With Congressional leaders intending to vote on the legislation this summer, the time to act is now.
You can watch a livestream here.
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The CCAN Action Fund is the advocacy arm of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, the oldest and largest grassroots organization dedicated exclusively to raising awareness about the impacts and solutions associated with global warming in the Chesapeake Bay region. For almost 20 years, CCAN has been at the center of the fight for clean energy and wise climate policy in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
