Target: Congresswoman Barbara Lee
Goal: Increase funds for programs that help victims of climate disasters overseas.
Climate change is real, and it is happening right now. Those in the United States are already having to adjust their lives around extreme temperatures, natural disasters, and drought. Those living in countries without the advantages of security and power that people in developed countries enjoy have it much worse. They have not had nearly as much influence over the coming crises, and yet already they must face the worst of it. Those with more power and wealth have a moral obligation to support people in developing countries who must suffer the outcome of their policy decisions.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has asked the world to support Pakistan, a country which contributes less than 1% of global emissions, during devastating floods that have killed over a thousand people. Over ten million people are facing famine in countries all over East Africa, as an 18-month drought exacerbated by climate change kills off crops and livestock. Disasters are hitting communities all over the world, and the resources necessary for people to survive simply aren’t there.
The United States Agency for International Development works with foreign governments to help mitigate various humanitarian disasters, but there are simply too many to handle on its current budget. It’s not a matter of shifting funds around. The agency needs more funds at its disposal to work specifically on mitigating the damage our country has to others through climate change. Sign this petition to demand additional funds allocated specifically for climate justice.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Congresswoman Barbara Lee,
Thank you for always standing on the side of justice, whether at home or abroad. As chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, you have a position of immense influence, and you have used that influence to great effect, whether it’s supporting devastated Haitian migrants at the border or working towards eradicating AIDs across the globe.
With the intensification of the climate crisis, humanitarian disasters are exploding all over the world. The scale is overwhelming, but as leader of the free world, the United States has an obligation to repair the damage caused in large part by its own policies. USAID is doing what it can do alleviate droughts, floods, and other disasters across the globe, but there are simply too many crises to handle on its current budget. It can’t solve the problem by merely reallocating resources. It needs more funding.
As part of a broader effort to lead the world on climate justice, the United States government must earmark more money to support communities across the globe in solving various ecological disasters. We ask that you, a powerful and influential member of congress, save millions of lives by sponsoring and passing legislation that increases funding to USAID programs centered around climate justice.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Oxfam East Africa
949 Signatures