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At the end of June the heat dome killed hundreds of people and more than one billion marine animals here at home, while wildfires continue to rage from California to Siberia. The signs are all around us, the climate crisis is here now and THE PEOPLE must force governments to act. It has been five years since the Paris Climate Accords. On November 1st, national leaders from across the world will gather in Glasgow, Scotland for the COP 26 UN Climate Talks. What can we do in the next three months to ensure governments and corporations take serious climate action? Many things!  On Tuesday, August 3rd at 5pm (PDT), 350.org and Stop the Money Pipeline kick off a campaign aimed at financial institutions that are profiting off planet-heating fossil fuels. Register here and take one minute to sign the campaign petition today. In early October, the Build Back Fossil Free coalition is planning a week of major in-person, non-violent direct actions targeting President Biden in Washington, D.C. We'll keep you posted on how to support this important mobilization starting October 9th through October 16th. Read more about the demands here. Working with the local Fossil Free Eugene coalition, 350 Eugene is planning our own October event to put pressure on our city and county officials to take the bold steps to decarbonize our community, specifically by incentivizing electrification and regulating & phasing out fossil gas. At the state level, 350 Eugene is part of a growing, dynamic effort demanding Oregon's Treasurer, Tobias Read, to divest state employee retirement funds from fossil fuels. We need to keep the Wall Street gamblers and climate-wreckers away of our public retirement investments. Read the eye-opening article here. If you are a PERS member and want to know more, contact us at [email protected] with Divest Oregon in the subject line. In the next three months, we have the historic opportunity to stand up for climate justice at every level and demonstrate the strength of our movement. At this five year mark since Paris, we're escalating. It's time to hold our leaders accountable for their promises and demand that they take action on the climate crisis now. Campaign Updates
Line 3 UpdateThe first week of June, 350 Eugene donated to help Line 3 Resistors from Eugene & Portland travel to the Treaty People Gathering in northern Minnesota. Here’s a brief report from Cherice Bock, Creation Justice Advocate at Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon: Two 12-passenger vans & 17 people drove together, starting on June 3rd and returning the 12th of June. (Funds also supported three other vehicles & people getting there and back.) They stayed with over 1500 people in tents at the Pure Bliss Farm on the White Earth Reservation and the interfaith delegation (400) stayed at a camp in Park Rapids, MN. Food was catered. Treaty People Gathering began with a welcome gathering with prayers and songs on June 5th. On the 6th, there were legal and direct action trainings and affinity group organizing, including movement singing. June 7th was a day of two actions. One was at a pump station location, where the helicopter flew low near the protesters, kicking up dust and debris. Protesters locked themselves to equipment and a boat. There were about 200 arrests and the location wasn't fully cleared of protesters until late afternoon on the 8th. The second was at the Mississippi headwaters, starting with an interfaith prayer service, followed by a massive march (over 1500 people). Those willing to be arrested crossed the marsh out to a boardwalk that was not yet constructed across the Mississippi. No arrests. Construction was stopped for 8 days. Many from our group were arrested in the first action. All were released by the end of the day on the 10th and returned home. All have had their first arraignment hearings by phone/Zoom, mostly charged with gross misdemeanors for trespassing. They will have further hearings as their cases move through the courts. Part of the strategy is to try the ideas in court that Indigenous people have a right to be on that land and protest the construction of this pipeline, as it negates their ability to practice their treaty rights of hunting, gathering, and religious ceremonies on that land. In Washington, this was an effective strategy for getting the Elwha Dam removed: the treaty rights for fishing salmon are not being honored if all the salmon populations are decimated. The same legal argument is being used in these cases. Take-aways: We Are All Treaty People and we must continue to pressure President Biden to cancel Line 3. Keep the conversations going and share with your networks. Go to Minnesota, if you can!
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Line 3 Guerilla Postering action on the 16th! We had a great time spreading the word about this important issue. Upcoming EventsTuesday, August 3rd, 6:30-8pm: Legislative Town Hall in the Park Join Eugene-Springfield area state legislators for an overview of the 2021 legislative session at the Alton Baker Park picnic shelter (see map here). Bring your questions!
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