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Executive Director
Climate Strike Peaceful Protest by Hannah Hatfield.
On September 20, people across the globe are joining youth activists to demand action on climate change. We stand with the Global Climate Strike and we’re going to give this challenge everything we’ve got.
Millions of people are gathering together around the world today to demand urgent action on climate change, and we at Ecotrust stand with them.
The global climate crisis touches every aspect of human life, and its influence will only continue to grow. In the relatively temperate, prosperous Northern Hemisphere, intensifying fires, storms, floods, and heat waves are taking lives, devastating entire communities and destroying local economies. In the global South, as my former colleagues at Mercy Corps will tell you, the climate crisis is causing conflict, hunger, and forced migration at an epic and increasing scale. Beyond the obvious self-interested reasons to get moving, there is a moral imperative: those who have the least to do with causing the problem—those who are already poor, vulnerable, and marginalized—are suffering “first and worst.”
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We recognize the challenges we are facing, and our part in the work that needs to be done.
Though things are bad and getting worse related to global warming, all is not lost. We still have the ability to influence how much warming happens and we must adapt in order to reduce the impact that the inevitable warming will have on the way we live. We are living through one of the most pivotal moments in history, we cannot afford to fall into climate paralysis. Humans hold the power to avert what could be world-ending climate catastrophe, but to do this, we first need to recognize just how critical this moment is, commit to applying our best resources to the work, and demand our elected representatives do the same.
Global warming is the most extreme and all-encompassing manifestation of what Ecotrust has always recognized: that the economy, the environment, and people are inextricably linked. We recognize the challenges we are facing, and our part in the work that needs to be done. In response, our research and partnerships are orienting toward climate action with projects such as climate-smart forestry and buildings, regenerative agriculture, green workforce development, and a closer look at how we engage with environmental justice allies.
As an organization, we stand with the Global Climate Strike. We are going to give this challenge everything we’ve got—and we want to work with you on it. Send me an email at jbarnicle@ecotrust.org and let’s do this together.
Blog
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report spells out the immediate need to address the way we use energy, protect our land, and manage our resources; and that the changes required are “unprecedented” but not impossible.
