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Volunteers with UUs for Social Justice and other UUs have been involved, in various ways, from early on with the “Earth Act to Stop Climate Pollution by 2030” (H.R. 598)--popularly known as the “Earth Bill” and developed by the Earth Bill Network. The UU Ministry for Earth, UUs for a Just Economic Community, and UUSJ have all endorsed the bill.
The Earth Bill was introduced in the 118th Congress by Rep. Espaillat (NY-13), with original cosponsors Rep. Velazquez (NY-07), Rep. Lee (CA-12), Rep. Nadler (NY-12), and Rep. Grijalva (AZ-07), with others joining upon introduction. The Earth Bill has been framed as a visionary, science-based, legislative proposal that seeks to leverage mandates to end climate pollution at the source, within industry. Importantly, it also seeks to deploy a timeline for compliance specifically designed to save current and future generations.
The Earth Bill focuses on three industrial elements: electricity, cars, and food as core consensus solutions with broad support among Americans. These industrial products have significant import for our economy, with extensive supply and production lines that shape and inform corporate practices, and contribute to climate pollution. Yet, most Americans agree our electricity should be renewable, our cars electric, and our food produced using healthy practices.
Earth Bill Network advocates see an opportunity for the bill to create movement energy and:
- Apply new legal mandates, authorize grants, and impose requirements on industry
- Grant the Secretary of Agriculture authority to issue regulations requiring the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and advance animal welfare standards
- Amend the Internal Revenue Code, adding a section for Climate Transition Costs
- Establish oversight from the following departments: The Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Energy, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Agriculture.
Educational Video:
- UUJEC webinar: The Earth Bill: 2030 Moonshot for Earth
Resources:
- H.R. 598 Text & Section Summary
- The Hill: Saving Generation Delta: How solutions to the global climate crisis are still within reach, Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), Sponsor
- Press Release: Representative Adriano Espaillat Introduces The Earth Bill
- Bill Supporters
- Strategic Analysis & GHG Analysis
- Earth Bill & Paris Accord
Grounding:
We ground this action firmly in our 7th Principle, “Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part,” our 1st Principle, “Respect for the inherent worth and dignity of every person,” our 2nd Principle, “Justice, equity and compassion in human relations” and the 8th Principle, which UUSJ has voluntarily adopted, and encourages “journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse, multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.”
The 2019 UU General Assembly adopted an Action of Immediate Witness to Build the Movement for a Green New Deal, recognizing the intersectional nature of climate and [environmental] justice issues.
In 2011, a Statement of Conscience on Ethical Eating: Food and Environmental Justice was passed that called us to look at systemic food-related issues and advocate for the benefit of animals, plants, food workers, the environment, and humanity.
The Earth Bill Will...
- Ensure our electric companies buy 100% renewable energy, our cars run on clean electricity, and our food is grown to protect our farmland - all in non-polluting ways that are better for our family's health, create local jobs, and offer a bright future.
- Stop 70-80% of our active GHG emissions and draw down existing pollution into the ground in time to avert catastrophe while testing how fast - and whether - we can make the shift before it's too late.
- Create a guaranteed market demand from utility companies for renewable energy and clear timelines to ignite massive private sector building, secure project funding, and speed infrastructure transitions.
- Unite the many climate organizations and activists across causes with these widely shared goals to finally build enough people-driven political power to win in Congress.
- Transform our electricity into clean, cheaper, reliable, abundant sources.
- Usher in electric vehicles, which are far cheaper to operate with no gas bills, 18 moving parts (not much to repair!), and unlimited mileage!
- Require agriculture corporations that control land use by contract farmers or have over 10% market share to return 243 million acres of farmland to healthy practices to increase productivity, reduce costs, retain water to prevent floods, resist drought, protect our drinking water, and help absorb our past pollution.
- Prevent the collapse of worldwide food production due to soil destruction from current industry practices, which have left us with 60 more harvests before soils are too dead to grow food.
- Prevent the death of 7 million people a year from pollution. Stop the Asthma epidemic in cities from car exhausts and illnesses in communities from water pollution from fossil fuel extraction and factories.
- Prevent pesticide diseases like cancer and new animal-to-human diseases born in factory animal farming. And save countless future lives from storms, flooded cities, forced migration, starvation, poisoned water, and epidemics - all preventable suffering.
- Ground us in science, not politics, with evident, obligatory greenhouse gas reductions by the corporations at the pollution source and on the emergency timeline required.
Ask Your House Member to Support the Earth Bill and Cosponsor
The Earth Bill is a visionary, science-based law to mandate an end to climate pollution at the source, with industry. It proposes to do so on a timeline that makes sense to help us save ourselves and our posterity.
Time has run out. We must stop our pollution now, so we slow and halt the compounding impacts of climate change. Every nation in the world must take such actions. This is the action we can take in the U.S.
As an important first step let's fix how we make cars, change how we produce our electricity, and shift how we manage our agricultural land. Other pollution and emissions sources exist, but these are major contributors to the pollutant portfolio.
The Earth Bill Network and Unitarian Universalists believe these are all needed changes and very doable if we decide to act.
Sorry, we're not targeting legislators in your district. But, you can still help!
Become a Member!
Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice (UUSJ) has been the leader for a national UU advocacy movement in Washington, DC., and will continue our efforts, acting from:
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Our conviction that Black Lives Matter
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Our belief that No Human Being is Illegal
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Our care for the planet which sustains us all and merits respect
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Our commitment to a people-centered sustainable economy
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Our stance that this democracy should be inclusive
We appreciate your effort!
Become a Member!
Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice (UUSJ) has been the leader for a national UU advocacy movement in Washington, DC., and will continue its efforts, including furthering our conviction that Black Lives Matter!