MEDIA ADVISORY , NOVEMBER 7, 2019
WHO: Valley Climate Activists, Contact: Kevin Hall
WHAT: CLIMATE STRIKE
WHEN: FRIDAY, NOV. 8, 10:00 AM
WHERE: SELLAND ARENA ENTRANCE, 700 M ST.
“Governor Newsom, Our Future or Fossil Fuels”
Fresno residents to protest local pollution impacts of Gov. Newsom’s ‘low-carbon green growth’
Governor Gavin Newsom will speak to hundreds of people from around the valley and state Friday morning at the California Economic Summit about our future prospects, but not a single session at the summit is dedicated to the issue of climate change.
“The failure of the governor and other officials to highlight climate change as the central concern of long-term economic planning is a failure of leadership,” said Kevin Hall, organizer of Valley Climate Activists. “Climate change and the state’s climate change spending are having profound negative impacts on our economy and health now.”
Valley Climate Activists wants to see pollution stopped at the source, an end to market mechanisms, and a cleanup of sacrifice zones like those found throughout southern Fresno and rural communities.
“The State of California is spending hundreds of millions of dollars in greenhouse gas reduction funds on High Speed Rail construction and in subsidies for biomass burning and mega-dairy expansions in our city and county,” Hall said. “All are highly polluting. All are funded by cap-and-trade, low carbon fuel standard credits and other mechanisms. Now the governor is threatening to pour hundreds of billions in state pension fund investments into such dangerous programs.”
“That bold action continued on Friday, as I announced our plan to leverage the state’s $700 billion pension investments, transportation systems and purchasing power to strengthen climate resiliency, with a goal to align our state investments toward carbon-neutral technology.”
— Gov. Gavin Newsom, Newsweek, Sept. 23, 2019
But “Carbon neutral” means continued pollution in a place like Fresno and either reduced pollution or protection of natural carbon reserves somewhere else — not here. The people most impacted by all of these projects live in the lowest income, most vulnerable and highly polluted neighborhoods of Fresno and surrounding rural communities. It’s a climate injustice. Lives are being sacrificed.
The solution is to stop pollution at the source, put an end “sacrifice zones” and to stop relying on market mechanisms, but Gov. Newsom believes otherwise:
“The economy is growing, a fully functioning cap-and-trade program, the most audacious low-carbon green growth goals in the United States of America. There’s nothing left for me to sign — it’s 100 percent across the board, in every category.”
— Gov. Gavin Newsom, Opening Remarks, Climate Week NYC, Sept. 23, 2019
Gavin Newsom is horribly wrong to think California’s climate change plan is fully in place and working well. Just this week the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Technology Review reported that “California won’t reach its 2030 decarbonization goals (cutting emissions to 40% below 1990 levels) until 2061—and wouldn’t hit its 2050 targets (80% below 1990 levels) until 2157.”
The state and valley face devastating economic consequences if these targets are missed.
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Valley Climate 