“Act on Climate” Bus Tour Coming to Philly Friday

The “I Will Act on Climate” Bus tour is making a stop in Philly on Friday. We have two contributors today from PennFuture & Clean Air Council to discuss the tour and why it’s important to stop in Philly.

by Andrew Sharp of PennFuture

The “I Will Act on Climate” bus is coming to the City of Brotherly Love on Friday as part of its tour to nearly 30 states to rally support for action to address climate change.

The tour comes after President Obama announced the nation’s first-ever limits on carbon pollution, as well as infrastructure improvements to deal with the effects of climate change and new investments in clean energy.

Last year was the hottest on record — the worst drought in generations covered more than half the country; record wildfires swept across western states; and Superstorm Sandy devastated communities in the east. The costs of inaction on climate change are increasing. That’s why we need as many people as possible to stand with the president to protect our air, our environment, and our future.

This Friday, Philadelphia will greet a national bus tour that is simply asking Americans to say “I will act on climate.” Katherine Gajewski, Phila. Director of Sustainability, State Rep. Greg Vitali and Councilman Kenyatta Johnson will be there to speak on what Philadelphia has done to avert rising sea levels, stronger storms and all the other, seemingly infinite effects of climate change.

Why is the “I Will Act on Climate Bus” important?

by Russell Zerbo of Clean Air Council

Since President Obama offered his Climate Action Plan in late June, environmentalists and fossil fuel corporations have been battling. Conservatives in the House of Representatives keep passing the same useless legislation that does little but reinforce their stance that no environmental or public health concerns should interfere with coal company profits. The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE )is arguing that limiting new power plants to 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per megawatt-hour of electricity would prevent new coal plants from being built.

Environmentalists will hope that the profits of fossil fuel corporations will not be the only deciding factor in slowing climate change and minimizing its disastrous impacts. Pennsylvania is at the center of a debate over jobs, health, and the increasing effects of a changing climate.

Last Friday in Pittsburgh during the tour, U.S. Representative Mike Doyle spoke to his peers ignorance towards our climate, including PA’s Bill Shuster. Shuster has introduced impassable legislation that would make it mandatory for all Environmental Protection Agency regulations to go through Congress and favors more money for Big Coal (which trickles down into his fundraising efforts). You can send your representative a message about Shuster’s proposal here.

Check out the “I Will Act On Climate Bus” Tour

You can find out more &  sign up for the event on Facebook.

When: Friday, August 16, 2013 at 11 a.m.
Where: The People’s Plaza, Independence Mall, 5th and Market Streets, Philadelphia
Hashtag: #ActOnClimate

The bus tour is being organized by several environmental and conservation groups including the National Wildlife Federation, PennFuture, Clean Air Council, PennEnvironment, BlueGreen Alliance, Sierra Club, and Mom’s Clean Air Force.