Locals join State and National Climate Action

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Locals join State and National Climate Action

More than two dozen orange-shirted Southern Oregonians joined a crowd of about 500 climate activists at Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza in Eugene on Sunday to march in solidarity with the People’s Climate March in New York City. Coinciding with the United Nations Climate Summit kicking off two days later in New York, the East Coast People’s Climate March drew together a world record number of over 400,000 climate activists to demand political action on this critical issue. The NYC crowd included several local activists. Portland, meanwhile, drew 5,000 marchers while a Medford Solidarity event attracted about 40 and another 20 or so stood in Ashland in solidarity. Around the world, 2646 similar events were scheduled in 156 countries.

In Eugene, during the second of two short presentations sessions sandwiching a march through downtown Eugene, Southern Oregon Climate Action Now Co-Facilitator Alan Journet urged participants to speak out against the Jordan Cove Liquefied Natural Gas Pipeline. “Our fossil fuel ride has been great,” Journet stated, “but we now know that if we care about Inter-generational Justice, we must leave most of the known fossil fuel reserves in the ground.” After arguing that the use of eminent domain to serve the profit of corporations at the expense of our planetary future is unacceptable, Journet concluded by leading the crowd in a chant for climate action now.

SOCAN Marching against Climate Change

For those who have decided it is time to take action, and building on the energy and urgency demonstrated by the People’s Climate March, Southern Oregon Climate Action Now will devote its next general meeting to introducing SOCAN projects. Those attending will hear SOCAN project leaders outline what they are doing, and will be invited to join teams in projects designed to make a difference. The meeting will be held on Tuesday September 30^th from 6:00 to 8:00 at the Medford Public Library. The meeting will start with a short discussion of the forthcoming Jackson County Candidate Forum on Clean Energy and Climate Change to which have been invited those seeking election to the Oregon Third Senate District, and the Jackson County Commission.

The meeting is free and open to the public.