The first one hundred days of a presidency are a time of significant change. With the new administration in Washington, D.C., the federal government’s role in dealing with global warming will almost certainly be curtailed.
Well, all of us can make significant change in 100 days– and we can act locally to make a big difference.
Join us for 100 days of climate action.
Finding the seeds of hope isn’t always easy (sometimes you have to look hard and close).
Every day, we’ll post several things you can do to address climate change. Choose the action that suits you best at this moment.
Most of these actions will take 10 – 20 minutes.
Together, we can change the world– for the better– for all of us.
Today’s climate actions
Day Five: Less gas, more speech
Today has been a bad day for science, communication and environmental protection. USDA scientists have been told that they cannot talk to the public or the press. Facts about climate change have been deleted from the twitter account of a National Park. And– two natural gas pipelines that had been scuttled may now be reconsidered. For right now, here are some things you can do, this evening, to learn more and do more. Tomorrow, we will do more.
choose one or more of these actions:
Use less natural gas
Natural gas– for our stoves, furnaces and hot water heaters– comes with an environmental cost. photo: joe mazza / brave lux
Construction of the Keystone and Dakota Access pipelines are once again real possibilities. Right now, go and check your gas appliances. Lower the temperature settings on your gas-fueled hot water heater and furnace to cut your natural gas consumption.
It’s a small, but meaningful, act that will conserve resources, save money and deepen your understanding of the connection between your home and the environmental cost of natural gas extraction and shipping.
Burning, extracting and transporting natural gas contributes greenhouse gases to the atmosphere and adds to global warming. Extracting and transporting natural gas can be dangerous and poses real threats to water quality and ecosystems.
Read about speech that has been curtailed
Read these articles about limits placed on the essential work and communication of federal scientists and agencies. The Centers for Disease Control has cancelled a conference on climate change and public health. USDA researchers were told not to “release any public-facing documents. This includes, but is not limited to, news releases, photos, fact sheets, news feeds, and social media content.” Facts about climate change were deleted from the Badlands National Park twitter account.
Talk about talking
Talk to a friend about the role of transparency and communication in science. Some questions to consider: Should scientists working for the federal government be able to publish and share their results with the public? Should agencies delete facts from social media? Should federal employees talk about climate change?
Actions from earlier in the week
women’s march in chicago 1/21/17 photo: susan ask
Come back again tomorrow– for another day of 100 days of climate action.