PRESS INFORMATION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – July 22, 2022

Contact: Karen Feridun, Better Path Coalition, 610-678-7726, betterpathpa@gmail.com

As Climate Countdown Clock Ticks Down from 7 Years to 6, Coalition Calls on Pennsylvanians to Organize

Today, the time on the Climate Countdown clock ticked down from 7 years to 6. Pennsylvanians joined the Better Path Coalition and organizers of the Pennsylvania Climate Convergence to observe the moment and resolve to take action.

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On the last day of the first Pennsylvania Climate Convergence last month, organizers installed a 6’ climate countdown clock in the East Wing of the Capitol. It is the second largest clock of its kind in the United States after the original climate clock in Union Square, NYC.

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Today’s observance was part of a global action organized by Climate Clock and Fridays for Future. People were asked to reflect on two questions during the moment of silence. What do I love too much to lose? What am I going to do about it? They were then asked to post their answer to the second question on social media using the hashtag #MyClimateResolution.

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Organizers of today’s observance in Pennsylvania invited state elected officials to take part. Senator Katie Muth was the only one to respond, joining the Zoom event to share her resolution “to keep fighting like hell like to make Harrisburg pay attention to climate change.”

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The discussion featured climate leaders who shared their personal stories of how they got involved and descriptions of the work they do. Attendees were invited to share their climate resolutions during the virtual discussion via Zoom and FB live.

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“This is our moment,” said Karen Feridun, Co-founder of the Better Path Coalition and one of the organizers of today’s observance. “Watching the time tick down is sobering, but our message today is that it should also be empowering. It has always been up to the people to make our government do right by us. This is not the time to grieve, but to organize.”

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“Government officials have let us down time and again, not just falling short on environmental protection but actually prioritizing the profits of industry and their own personal political goals over ensuring all people have a clean, safe and healthy environment.  By securing passage of constitutional Green Amendments and then enforcing them, ensuring that all people have an enforceable right to pure water, clean air, a stable climate and healthy environments that government can’t ignore, we the people are taking our power back, very literally,” said Maya van Rossum, the Delaware Riverkeeper, Founder of the national Green Amendments For The Generations movement and author of the book The Green Amendment, The People’s Fight For a Clean, Safe & Healthy Environment.

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"In a country where fossil fuel executives profit off of our hopelessness, instilling hope in yourself and others is key in demanding meaningful change. Communal hope and trust is the basis of the climate justice movement- if even a small group of people think they can win, they will, and they must," said Elise Silvestri, member of Sunrise Movement Pittsburgh.

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“We must pause the wild west mentality of spending $3.8 billion in fossil fuel subsidies for Fiscal Year 2019, or about $296 per Pennsylvania resident for fracking and plastic cracker plant expansion. The American people desire to use our creativity, intellect, resourcefulness and taxpayer dollars to meet our needs in an equitable fashion. We call on our legislation to address Pennsylvania's right to clean air and water with legislation that holds polluters accountable,” said Tamela Trussell, Move Past Plastic (MPP) Founder/Educator.

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Studies show that despite growing concern about climate change, only 5% of the US population thinks that there is anything that can be done to reverse it. But there ARE real solutions to the climate crisis, and some of them are already being implemented across the world. We have the knowledge, skills, and power to redefine our relationship with the Earth, but we must fight for access to the resources that will make that transformation possible. We do that by organizing in our communities, educating each other about the solutions, and demanding that our government take real action that equals the urgency of the crisis, said Echo Alford, Community Organizer, Clean Air Council.

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Rachel Mark, a longtime climate activist based in Hershey, shared her resolution. “What do I love too much to lose?  My young family's future, all children's future, the natural world. I resolve to stay committed to climate action, direct and indirect.”

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Pittsburgh’s Maren Cooke, who is active in many organizations and hosts monthly sustainability salons offered her resolution. “I will continue to fight for clean air and water and for a stable climate, toward curtailing plastic production and pollution, and for fair and human-scale systems including food production and retooling energy systems.”

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"We are experiencing a climate emergency right now. People are already suffering. Economies are already being strained. There is no time to delay. If we want today's children to have a livable planet, we urgently need to reverse course! It is not hyperbole. We are in a climate emergency and the time to act responsibly is right now," said Tammy Murphy, Advocacy Director of Physicians for Social Responsibility PA, a founding member of the Better Path Coalition.

A recording of the observance and discussion is available here.

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