Parents' voices matter. A lot. As I like to say: No politician wants to make a mother angry. And nothing makes us angrier than threats to the little (and big) ones we love so dearly.
Global warming is a huge threat. All across the country, parents are uniting around solutions. We are transcending party politics to focus on the big picture: We are all in this together.
Moms Clean Air Force invited a selection of parent groups to share why they are committed to fighting global warming; their messages follow.
The polluters will sue for the right to pollute. They'll do the usual--the 3 Ds. Deny. Distort. Delay.
We're ready for them. We are here to protect our children.
Victoria Loorz - iMatter
"When my son was 13, after watching An Inconvenient Truth, he had a deep sense that denial on the climate crisis was threatening the future of his generation. Although I am a single mom who lives below the poverty level, and a part-time pastor, I have devoted myself to supporting his mission to awaken his generation to stand up for their right to a livable planet. We started a non-profit organization, Kids vs. Global Warming, and the iMatter campaign, to empower other young leaders to stand up as well, against all odds, to be heard as the moral authorities on this issue. It's been heartbreaking to watch my child grow up and struggle with despair. He's pushed on in this work fighting climate change -- when he just wanted to "be a kid." You can't "unknow" truth once you are brave enough to face it. How can we do anything else?"
iMatter believes the voice of the generation most impacted by the climate crisis must be heard. Addiction to fossil fuels has put the future of our entire generation at risk. That's why we have the moral authority that insists that our society learns to...Live as if our future matters.
Lisa Hoyos - Climate Parents
"In 2008 when my now six year old was four months old, I heard a radio news story about how much biodiversity would be lost due to climate change by 2035. It wasn't about losing a species here and there; it was about the risk to the ocean ecosystem and food supplies. I had been an environmental and labor campaigner for a couple of decades, but something powerful overtook me as I looked at my then four month old baby -- he will be in his twenties in the year 2035. I thought, parents should be at the helm of the movement for climate solutions. A couple of years later, I joined forces with environmental journalist Mark Hertsgaard, author of Hot: Living Through the Next Fifty Years on Earth, and we formed Climate Parents."
Climate Parents is engaging parents and families in concrete campaigns to stop dirty energy, like coal exports, and to grow "kid safe, climate safe" energy. We agree with the energy experts who say that we can attain 100% clean energy. We are working to leverage our power as parents to ensure that policies are in place to get us there. Climate Parents is boosting parent advocacy online and on the ground to gain wins like strong cuts to carbon pollution from power plants and expanded renewable energy standards. Parents, by definition, work hard to get things done, and fighting for climate change is now part of our job description.
Kelsey Wirth - Mothers Out Front
"Mothers Out Front is working to develop mothers' voices and power as an organized constituency that can push for a swift and complete transition away from fossil fuels to clean and renewable energy sources. We take action in our homes, in our communities, and at the state and national levels."
Mothers Out Front We are mothers, grandmothers, and other caregivers who can no longer be silent and still about the very real danger that climate change poses to our children's and grandchildren's future.
Angela Monti Fox - The Mothers Project™
"As a mental health professional and mother of filmmaker Josh Fox, creator of Gasland and Gasland Part II, I founded The Mothers Project to unite mothers to respond to America's exploitation of natural gas and the untested method of high volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing. The Mothers Project has since become a force for sustainable energy solutions moving us away from all forms of extreme energy extraction, while working toward change in support of sustainable energy solutions. By reaching out and uniting mothers to become educated about the devastating effects the fossil fuel industry has on children's health, The Mothers Project takes a different focus on the impact of climate change."
The Mothers Project™ humbly accepts the leadership role as a unifying force for mom-created American grassroots organizations, beginning in our country and expanding throughout the globe. The Mothers Project™ is based on knowledge gained from the scientific community as it informs the detrimental effects of fossil fuel and nuclear power production.
Harriet Shugarman - ClimateMama
"I hope to educate and inform Climate Mamas and Papas of all ages from all around the world about the realities of the climate crisis -- to inspire and empower Climate Mamas and Papas to work together -- creatively, thoughtfully and purposefully to help create a better, stronger and healthier WORLD. The "WORLD" is THE definitive word for us, as for each of us it has it's own meaning, including but not limited to: our children, our home, our community, our place of business, our schools, our houses of worship, our government entities, and also the bigger, 'harder to get your arms around' WORLD, our Planet Earth."
ClimateMama offers hope and a collective path which we can all follow, so that we can find the moral courage to fight for and demand a clean, renewable and sustainable future and now for ourselves, our children and for generations to come.
Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner - MomsRising
"To not resist climate change, to not fight to protect our children and keep their future as bright as possible, is unimaginable.
There's nothing more important to us than our children and their well-being. Today, the air pollutants underlying climate change -- linked to ailments ranging from premature birth to asthma and learning disabilities -- already harm kids' health. And tomorrow? We have yet to fully understand how the changing climate will impact everything from their physical safety to their employment prospects.
And so we fight for a healthy future."
MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million members who are working to achieve economic security for all moms, women, and families in the United States.
Joylette Portlock, Ph.D. - Communitopia
"There isn't a more meaningful, effective policy step at this point than regulating production of carbon pollution from our energy sector. The science is settled. Because of our inaction on curbing carbon pollution so far, our kids and grandkids are already stuck with a suite of new environmental challenges. They'll be the ones to pay the price for our abuse of resources - but we still get to decide how big the final bill will be. The new pollution rule will be an essential step to stopping catastrophic climate change. And, it will also send a much-needed message, that there is both hope for the future, and the means to fulfill it."
Communitopia is a nonprofit organization that uses media and humor to inform, entertain, and empower the public to take effective climate action. Through our ongoing video series, Don't Just Sit There - Do Something!, we work to build public support for meaningful policy action.
Lori Popkewitz Alper - Groovy Green Livin'
"As a mother of three boys, it is implausible to imagine saddling our children with the world as it presently exists. Climate change is not only a reality, but also a true threat that we are experiencing now, and our children risk inheriting the problem. I founded Groovy Green Livin with the hope of creating a space for families to collectively join forces and advocate for change. Our children deserve a world where they can play freely, without the worries past and present generations have created. The time to act is now."
Groovy Green Livin' is dedicated to providing an honest and credible setting for sharing green ideas, thoughts and other useful tips and trends relating to living a greener lifestyle. Simple, small changes in your life can lead to a non-toxic, healthier lifestyle and a greener planet.
Dominique Browning - Moms Clean Air Force
"The world is watching. It is time for leadership from the United States. President Obama announced a significant measure to slow global warming--and Moms Clean Air Force salutes the plan to protect us from the unregulated carbon spewing from coal-fired power plants. It continues a great--and pragmatic--bipartisan tradition of using the Clean Air Act to safeguard our families from harmful pollutants. Three and a half years of nation-wide listening sessions, with utilities, business owners, and parents, went into developing these protections. They give parents across the country hope that we can avert the terrible consequences of a chaotic climate."
Moms Clean Air Force unites around protecting clean air--free of climate pollutants, mercury, and other toxics--for our children's health.