Climate Activism 2021 Style: “Optivism”

January 26, 2021

By Pamela Berns   “Congratulations! Your inauguration marks a turning point in history for the United States of America and for the world,” said an open letter to President Biden. “You can be remembered as the ‘climate President’ who led humanity away from the cliff’s edge.”   Indeed, climate activists and advocates woke up on  January 20 from a long nightmare about the fate of our planet. By the time we went to bed, our new president had already recommitted the United States to the Paris climate agreement, rescinded the construction permit for the Keystone XL oil pipeline, and “ordered federal agencies to start reviewing and reinstating more than 100 environmental regulations that were weakened or rolled back by former President Donald J. Trump,” reported the New York Times.   With new friends in the White House—“Mr. Biden enters office with the largest team ever assembled inside the White House to tackle global warming,” said the Times —activists are happily shifting their focus, retooling their efforts to help keep the momentum of the first day of action going.     With a list of over 150 signatures ranging from the heads of The Climate Reality Project, NRDC, WeAct and the Sierra Club to Jane Fonda, Henry Paulson, Jeff Bezos and Jerry Brown—the letter beautifully captures the spirit of the new activism— or should we call it “Optivism”? Read the full letter here.   Join us for two events on climate action! GreenHomeNYC Careers: Community Action Tue, February 9, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM EST Register here. GreenHomeNYC Monthly Forum: Climate Action Movements Wed, February 17, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM EST Register here.