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What Can You Do to Support Climate Recovery? Here’s One Strategy: Avoiding Meat & Dairy Is the Single Biggest Way You Can Stop Contributing to Climate Change A major new report reveals that more than 80% of farmland is used for livestock while producing just 18% of our food calories and 37% of our protein. It’s an inefficient way to feed ourselves — and a huge pollutant. For every 100 grams of beef we raise, we generate 105 kilos of greenhouse gases. Our planet’s annual beef production is now 330 million metric tons. You do the math. Does this mean we all have to go vegan overnight? No. And of course, living in Seville, the idea of giving up our beloved jamón seems pretty radical. But we can easily reduce our meat consumption. How to start? Meatless Mondays Five years ago, an Israeli newscaster introduced the idea of Meatless Mondays — also called Happy Mondays — to improve the health of individuals and the planet. Today her idea has spread around the globe. What’s for dinner on Happy Mondays? Here are meatless recipes that carnivores love and one for Autumn Vegetable Paella. ¡Buen provecho! For more on being part of the solution, visit ClimateRecovery.org, a project launched by American Resistance Sevilla and other community groups and individuals here in Seville.  STOP, LOOK, LISTEN! by Kathy Sherretts Hot Flash Climate change is not a partisan issue, but it IS a political one. The National Climate Assessment was released November 23, assessing climate change and its impacts across the United States. As reported in the Guardian and NBC News, the impacts of climate change are intensifying everywhere, threatening Americans’ physical, social, and economic well-being, and the current governmental response is insufficient to stave off its worst effects. The timing of the report, and the GOP's response to it, demonstrate that we need to stay engaged with our congressional representatives in both parties to keep climate change in at the top of the legislature's priorities. —Kathy Sherretts Article: Grist: How did the environment do on the 2018 ballot? by Eve Andrews Many unhappy returns. Article: Washington Post: Democrats prepare to grill Trump officials on environmental issues in new Congress by Dino Grandoni and Juliet Eilperin Newly elected Democrats have outlined an expansive agenda to spotlight the Trump administration’s rollback of climate protections, and to investigate alleged misconduct at the Environmental Protection Agency, Interior Department and the Housing and Urban Development Department. Some good news: HuffPost: After Decades Of Global Action, The Ozone Layer Is On The Road To Recovery by Dominique Mosbergen A 1987 agreement to phase out chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other ozone-depleting chemicals was signed by 197 nations. It has been described as the most successful environmental global action in history.  The cover image from the Fourth National Climate Assessment captures the August 2018 Howe Ridge Fire in Montana's Glacier National Park (Glacier NPS) Ready to do more? Read the just-released Indivisible Guide, a new strategy for a new congress. Check out the weekly action plan from Progressive Action, Global Exchange (PAGE) which mobilizes progressive Americans living overseas. Sign up for the Americans of Conscience Checklist, a weekly action list that also provides encouragement and good news. Learn more at ClimateRecovery.org, a new group organized by members of American Resistance Sevilla and other community activists. Have questions or want to volunteer? Contact [email protected]. 
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What Can You Do to Support Climate Recovery? Here’s One Strategy: Take Non-Stop Flights Whenever Possible As expats, flying is part of our lives, and when we’re able to take a non-stop flight, we achieve an energy savings of 20-50% over connecting flights. If you can’t find non-stop flights, consider purchasing carbon offsets — which means making a payment that contributes toward the reduction of carbon elsewhere, for instance by supporting a sustainable energy project. Carbon offset for a flight might be in the $5 to $35 range and can either be purchased through the airline or an independent party such as CarbonFund or TerraPass. For more visit ClimateRecovery.org, a project launched by AmericaResistance Sevilla and other community groups and individuals here in Seville.  Take non-stop flights whenever possible. STOP, LOOK, LISTEN! by Kathy Sherretts Delayed decisions After two weeks, nearly all the midterm elections have been decided. Recounts in Florida resulted in Republican wins for governor and US Senate. In Georgia, Stacey Abrams ended her run for governor, underlining the difference between conceding the election and accepting the outcome. I’m happy to report that my new Democratic congressman from Maine’s second district won a close race that was finally decided via ranked-choice voting. An interesting point here is that he was the second choice of the majority of independent voters, who could vote for their preferred candidate and indicate a major party candidate as a backup choice. —Kathy Sherretts Downloadable doc: Indivisible: Indivisible on Offense: A Practical Guide to the New, Democratic House We can set the legislative agenda with a bold progressive vision rooted in inclusion, fairness, and justice. But none of this is automatic — we have to demand it of Congress. Article: Rolling Stone: Trumpism Is Racism, So Things Will Get Worse by Jamil Smith “A sizable part of the country repudiated racism, demagogy, sexism, corruption, the abuse of power and demi-competent authoritarianis,” says journalist Anand Giridharadas. After the 2018 midterms, is Trumpism still a sustainable strategy for the GOP? Podcast: The Guardian: The plastics conspiracy: who is to blame for the waste crisis? (21 min) The culture of disposable consumerism that started in the 60s has generated a global crisis of plastic waste. The plastics industry poured money into anti-littering campaigns, but did not apply the same standards of waste control to itself. It too late to stop the tsunami of plastic? For some reason, I love this: ESPN: Source: Browns want to interview Condoleezza Rice for head-coaching job by Adam Schefter  After ranked-choice voting was used to determine the winner of Maine's 2nd congressional district race, Jared Golden was named the winner on Thursday. (Photo: @golden4congress/Twitter) Ready to do more? Read the just-released Indivisible Guide, a new strategy for a new congress. Check out the weekly action plan from Progressive Action, Global Exchange (PAGE) which mobilizes progressive Americans living overseas. Sign up for the Americans of Conscience Checklist, a weekly action list that also provides encouragement and good news. Learn more at ClimateRecovery.org, a new group organized by members of American Resistance Sevilla and other community activists. Have questions or want to volunteer? Contact [email protected].  You voted. We took the House. What next? 1. We keep up the pressure on our politicians. 2. We start dealing with climate recovery. What’s Climate Recovery? The recent UN report shows we have 12 years to clean up our act; if not, climate change becomes irreversible. And in 22 years we will really be feeling the effects. The good news? The technology already exists to create a cleaner world. All we humans have to do is convince ourselves to implement it. Many countries are now taking effective action; the US is not. What can we do here in Seville? Each week, this newsletter will talk about actions we can take to reduce our carbon footprint and support climate recovery. What can we do about the USA? We'll keep demanding better of our politicians and communities. You'll be hearing a lot more about that, too. Questions? See our website's new Climate Recovery page. Contact us at [email protected]. 
STOP, LOOK, LISTEN! by Kathy Sherretts Ending the war Ceremonies in Paris this past weekend marked the 100th anniversary of the Armistice that ended World War I. Much of the news in the States centered on Trump's behavior to his French hosts and other world leaders, and the fact that he seems to have bagged a visit to the American cemetery at Belleau Wood, a site of immense importance to the US military, because it was raining. In spite of US decisions to pull out of important international agreements on climate and arms control, today's European leaders vowed a future of cooperation and unity. In my reading this week I was startled by this factoid: less time passed between Napolean's last defeat and the start of World War I, than between World War I and today. For background and better understanding of the war, (and of parallel circumstances today that we should be wary of) I recommend part one of Blueprint for Armageddon from historian Dan Carlin. It is less a podcast than a history course, and this long four-part series on World War I was both absorbing and frightening. Armistice Day. That’s all I really wanted to say (in the words of Paul Simon). —Kathy Sherretts Notes: Politico: How House Democrats will tackle climate oversight by Kelsey Tamborrino Nancy Pelosi said before the midterms that she planned to resurrect a committee dedicated to addressing climate change, after Republicans shut it down 11 years ago. Article: Reveal: As wildfires rage, Trump administration plans to slash fire science funding by Randy Lee Loftis The president blames the horrifying California wildfires on bad forest management. This report from August details Trump administration plans to slash federal funding for wildfire science, at a time when forest and brush fires are getting bigger, happening year-round and becoming increasingly erratic. Podcast: Slate/Amicus: “Taking a Wrecking Ball to Our Constitution” (57 min) At 27:10, on Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and how he added a citizenship question to the next census. Dale Ho of the ACLU talks about why litigation over the 2020 census is so crucial, and concerning. Article: Bloomberg Businessweek: The War Inside 7-Eleven by Lauren Etter and Michael Smith 7-Eleven is using ICE to get rid of underperforming or troublemaking franchisees.  Virtual Climate March, April 27, 2017, Seville Want to do more?
Indivisible has announced its about to send out the Indivisible Guide 2.0. “We’re now in the second half of the fight,” say their leaders, “and we need all hands on deck. Are you in?” Sign up to get the new Guide as soon as it’s released. Progressive Action, Global Exchange (PAGE) mobilizes US Americans abroad to take action against the rise of hate, exclusion, bigotry, and inequality, and build solidarity and community in their countries of residence. Sign up to get their weekly action plan. Sign up to get the weekly Americans of Conscience Checklist started by Jennifer Hofmann. On it you will find a weekly list of well-researched actions in support of things we can all agree on, thank-you notes to people advocating for these issues on both sides of the aisle, and encouraging good news about the values we share. Want to take action now to support climate recovery? Find out about organizations working to mitigate climate change. And consider joining the new ClimateRecovery.org that’s getting started here in Seville, organized by members of American Resistance Sevilla and other community activists. To contact the group directly: [email protected].  STOP, LOOK, LISTEN! by Kathy Sherretts Congratulations to Dems! We’ll go back to our regularly scheduled Resistance next week—but right now let’s congratulate voters and candidates on their election victories! 25 new Democratic women will serve in Congress next term, a record high. In addition to important ballot questions and big state-level wins, Democrats won the majority in the US House with room to spare, and limited their losses in the Senate (where they faced a brutal midterm map). These victories will give the party real muscle in Washington for the first time since 2016. –Kathy Sherretts While some votes are still being counted, and some results still up in the air, here are a few outcomes to ponder: Maine road-tests its new ranked-choice voting. Vermont elects a cellist. Pennsylvania decides between two incumbents. Nevada elects a member of the dead community. All over the US, voters vote for voting.  Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg analyses in The Conversation The other 2018 midterm wave: A historic 10-point jump in turnout among young people (Instagram Photo from Carmen Schools of Science & Technology in Milwaukee, WI)
 If you or anyone you know believe that their voting rights are being denied, you can call the following numbers for legal assistance: Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Election Protection Hotline: 866-OUR-VOTE American Civil Liberties Union Voter Protection Hotline: 877-523-2792 What do you do if your vote-by-mail ballot gets returned at the last minute? 1. You may be able to fax or email your ballot. To find out what's allowed in your state, check with your election official. 2. And send a copy of your returned envelope to Democrats Abroad, who are working with the post office to find out why some ballots were returned. [email protected]  STOP, LOOK, LISTEN! by Kathy Sherretts It's harder than it looks... Going into Tuesday’s election, citizens and election officials are still arguing over who will and will not be permitted to cast a ballot.The Brennan Center for Justice details the 32 lawsuits in 17 states challenging voting restrictions ahead of the midterm elections. A few of these have been decided in the past few days: From Georgia: a U.S. District Judge ruled Friday that Georgia’s “exact match” requirement for voter identification will not apply for next Tuesday’s midterm election. In Kansas, a judge threw out a request for another polling place after the single voting site for Dodge City was moved to a location a mile from the nearest public transportation. As in Georgia, the voting process is overseen by a Republican secretary of state who is running for governor and stands to benefit from low turnout of likely Democratic voters. In North Dakota, a judge let stand the new rule requiring all voters to have ID with a physical street address. The Turtle Mountain Chippewa, Standing Rock Sioux, Spirit Lake Sioux and the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation (MHA Nation), also known as the Three Affiliated Tribes all mobilized to provide free IDs to tribal members before Tuesday’s election. "This is only making us more aware of our rights, more energized, and more likely to vote." Sam Wang in The Atlantic argues that as federal protections for voting rights weaken, voter initiatives on the state level can counteract those losses; expanded voter rights could be the ultimate effect of states’ efforts at disenfranchisement. –Kathy Sherretts Video: NowThis News: Keegan-Michael Key and Chris Rock on Voter Suppression (2 min) What to do if someone tries to stop you from voting. Website: Pizza to the Polls Waiting in line sucks. Waiting in line with pizza sucks a little less. Article: The Hill: A voter guide for the 100 million who are not planning to vote by Richard Greene The system is not broken. Here is a list of some of the things to vote for, or against, in the 2018 midterm elections.  |
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November 2020
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