In this month's Affiliate Spotlight, we celebrate the Tuscaloosa Move to Amend affiliate group, with special thanks to Kiki Karatheodoris for her contributions. Their recent outreach efforts have led to significant endorsements, and they are actively engaging the community through tabling events. With plans for an unmanned information table at the local library and outreach to the University Democrats, the Tuscaloosa team is setting an inspiring example of grassroots activism.
Read the full story on our website to learn more about our volunteers' incredible efforts and how they helped drive our mission forward.
This month, we’re excited to shine a spotlight on the remarkable work of the Tuscaloosa Move to Amend affiliate group. Kiki Karatheodoris, along with other dedicated members, has been making significant strides in raising awareness and support for the We the People Amendment.
-
New Endorsements: Thanks to their outreach efforts, Grace Presbyterian Church in Tuscaloosa has joined the 785 endorsing organizations supporting Move to Amend. They even passed a resolution in support of MTA! Kiki will send a note of thanks to Pastor Caroline Kelly and all who helped make this endorsement possible.
-
Outreach Accomplishments: Over the past year, the Tuscaloosa team has made great progress: in August they did tabling at the Northport Farmer’s Market, gathering petition signatures sent to Jennie Spanos; and, in October, they tabled at the Druid City Pride Festival, also sending petition signatures to Jennie Spanos.
-
Future Plans: Looking ahead, the group aims to set up an unmanned table at the Tuscaloosa Public Library to inform the community about Move to Amend. Kiki plans to consult with Jennie on how to set this up effectively and will approach the library's Executive Director for approval.
-
Engaging the University: They are also discussing outreach to the University Democrats for an endorsement.
-
New Political Opportunities: With the recent redistricting in Alabama, there’s a new Democratic candidate, Shomari Figures, running in District 2. If elected, he may become a valuable ally for MTA.
Kiki and the Tuscaloosa team are embodying the spirit of grassroots activism, and we’re grateful for their contributions. Their commitment to engaging the community and pushing for meaningful change exemplifies the mission of Move to Amend.
Being a climate change activist in today’s world can often feel like an impossible task. Trying to move lawmakers on anything, much less climate change and fossil fuel dependence, in today’s post Citizens United world can seem like an impossible task. Reconciling the urgency of the scientific community about climate change, the unwillingness of our government to implement even the bare minimum regulations in order to meet global projections, and the images we see on our phones every day of climate catastrophes happening across the globe can seem like an impossible task.
What if you were told it’s probably about to get a lot worse? What if you were told that these climate projections (that we were effectively ignoring anyway) underestimated the situation we currently find ourselves in?
For this month’s Econet Community Spotlight, we at Move to Amend and the Ecology Network chose not to focus on a specific community but rather a global one, as the unfortunate truth is that this issue will likely be making its way into a community near you sooner rather than later.
This past month Patrick Greenfield of The Guardian reported that in 2023, nature’s carbon sinks—oceans, forests, soils—showed alarming signs of failure, absorbing far less carbon than expected. This drop wasn’t anticipated by climate models, suggesting that global heating could accelerate beyond current predictions. Extreme weather, driven by rising temperatures, is stressing ecosystems that traditionally absorb nearly half of human emissions. Learn More
#PeopleOverProfits #CarbonSink #ClimateChange
Call out to allies and partners for help in promoting the Global Days of Action for Climate Justice on November 15 and 16.
For a review of the concept, here is the link to the slides that were used to discuss the GDOA at the COP 29 CJ Coalition-wide Call.
There are posters to promote the GDOA. Could you help circulate the posters?
As COP29 approaches, the SUS-POL Research Programme has published a briefing exploring some of the emerging trends and dynamics in global supply-side climate policy.
In just two weeks, global leaders will gather in Baku with hopes of making real progress on fossil fuel phase-out. Despite record-high fossil fuel emissions in 2023 and clear evidence on the need for a rapid phase-out, many countries’ production plans—especially the wealthy ones—remain completely incompatible with the goals of Paris Agreement.
The briefing highlights key areas for fossil fuel phase-outs ahead of
COP29:
Government Policies: Some nations, like the UK, are curbing new fossil fuel licenses due to climate and economic priorities.
Legal Challenges: Climate litigation is rising, potentially demanding stricter assessments for fossil projects and landing incumbents in hot water.
Financing Shifts: While private finance flows to fossil fuels persist, public finance has slowed significantly. The Clean Energy Transition Partnership (CETP) cut public fossil financing by two-thirds in 2023 (!!!)
Investor-State Disputes: Treaties like the Energy Charter Treaty pose vast challenges to the phase-out, prompting states to reconsider or withdraw from them.
Global Alliances: Initiatives like the
Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative and
Beyond Oil & Gas Alliance are gaining momentum and could see new developments at COP29. We may also see new initiatives launched
Yet, resistance remains strong, fueled by energy security concerns, pro-fossil populism, and political shifts. Locking-in robust, long-term policies and well-resourced institutions is essential to maintaining progress despite these challenges.
Click Here to read the full briefing
Upcoming Ecology Network Calls:
You do not want to miss this exciting opportunity on Thursday, November 14, to meet with and hear from Karen Coulter, co-founder of the Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project (rescheduled from October), along with other fellow advocates and movement leaders committed to ending corporate destruction of our environment for profit. Your Ecology Network Newsletter is here to keep you in the loop and empower you to make a difference!
Additionally, mark your calendars for December when Fernanda Lugo will guide us in creating a collective work of art: The EcoNet Singing Tree Mural. We invite you to join us!
The Singing Tree works of art created by many people working together are inspired by the mutualism of trees and forests. The Singing Tree Mural Project demonstrates that collaboration is not only possible, but it produces extraordinary results. With 140 murals created by over 24,000 people from 52 countries, this leadership training program incorporates Peace Literacy, neurobiology, STEAM, Worldview Exploration, Conversational Intelligence, and artistic skills.
The Singing Tree Mural Project invites everyone on the planet to transcend disconnection and loneliness by having fun creating together. The vision of Unity Through Creativity Foundation is a world that is compassionate, connected, and creative. The world needs communities to experience that their voice matters and that bringing heart, hands, and head to complex challenges results in innovative solutions.
