Clean Air, Clean Water and Clean Energy: Mobilizing Around Climate Change to Demand Healthy and Prosperous Communities

Apr 22, 2010

Latinos are at the front lines of climatic destruction and environmental degradation, yet we are underrepresented in the public debate on climate change and global warming. Today is Earth Day, and it is an opportunity for Latinos throughout the U.S. and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to galvanize around an issue that affects public health, transportation and the quality of our air, our water, our land, our sustenance and livelihoods. As a community, we have a voice and vote and it’s time for us to assert that the climate change movement is ours too.

To come out on Earth Day is to say ¡ya basta! to unchecked climate-changing gases and air pollution that degrade the quality of the environments we live, work and play in. For decades, the environmental justice movement has been giving a voice to the voice-less on environmental and economic issues affecting communities of color. And as the Obama administration and Congress debate climate change and energy policy, the National Latino Coalition on Climate Change (NLCCC) is ramping up its efforts to engage Latinos on this issue and hold our nation’s leaders accountable to tackling this global challenge.

We cannot be myopic about what it is that Latinos care about. There are a host of issues that impact us, and we are concerned with all of them, just like everyone else. As an electorate, Latinos are a force to be reckoned with, and as Congress looks to address climate change, the NLCCC is here to remind them that global warming skepticism does not resonate with Latino voters. Our study points out that an overwhelming majority of Latino voters in Colorado, Florida and Nevada: consider global warming a serious problem that Congress must address now; say they are more likely to vote for a U.S. Senate candidate that supports proposals for fighting global warming and that switching to a clean energy economy will mean more U.S. jobs. But beyond the public health and economic benefits of a transition to a clean-energy economy, Latinos see global warming as a problem that we have a moral obligation to address. Not only are they are willing to make personal sacrifices to reduce global warming pollution and express a strong willingness to pay more in energy prices if it means we will get more of our energy from renewable energy sources.

It is time to demand that our communities, homes, and families are protected from the harmful effects of global warming and pollution. Your environment needs a voice, your voice!

On Sunday, April 25th from 11 am to 7 pm, join me and thousands of others in DC, on the National Mall for the largest demonstration ever, as we take a stand for our environment. The NLCCC will be there to show our commitment to mobilize an active constituency on climate change and address attendees at this great event. We hope you will join us to show that the climate change movement is as diverse as the people who make up the fabric of this great nation: white, black, brown, red and yellow, unified in a demand for ‘green’ communities with clean air, clean water, clean-energy and ‘green jobs’.

The Climate Rally will feature leading voices on protecting the environment, and live music. If you can’t make it, you can still be heard by signing this petition. Send a clear message to the U.S. Senate for a fair, ambitious, and comprehensive climate bill. If you have questions, you can contact Earth Day Network .

See article at La Plaza Blog