On Friday, Sept 15th, students from across San Diego took part in the Global Youth Climate Strikes to demand that President Biden and world leaders take climate action and end fossil fuels. 

Watch the news coverage from 7 news stations. See photos HERE. Sign this petition to support!

Amid the climate crisis, Sempra and the other private utilities are killing both conservation and solar in California. 

Once again, we were out there demanding that the government do the extremely obvious and declare a Climate Emergency. Rallying with our allies in front of San Diego’s biggest fossil fuel company, Sempra, we called for an end to fossil fuel expansion, an end to climate injustice, and an immediate transition to the green energy future we need to survive. During the rally we blocked off the street and chalked a beautiful mural linking Sempra’s fracked methane to the destruction of the planet. Speakers from Youth4Climate, and RTA gave powerful speeches calling all of us to action. We drew media from 6 television stations and gave interviews that appeared all over San Diego. Unlike at previous rallies, the local reporters seemed much more aware of the climate crisis and powerful interview clips appeared on numerous stations. The response was extremely heartening. Watch the recap of the event here. Since these rallies and other actions around the country, the tone and stance of the Biden Administration has started to shift.

By Scott Kelley, Team Leader of the Raise The Alarm Team

On August 29th, I, along with one of my colleagues, Chad Baron, gave a Climate Chat entitled Planned Degrowth for Sustainable Development. Watch the recording & access our slides.

Degrowth – which we define as a planned democratic and equitable reduction of excess resource and energy use that leads to wellbeing for all within ecological limits – has gained the attention of climate scientists and activists.
Not only are we not on track to meet the emissions reduction targets set in the Paris Agreement, but we are also transgressing five other planetary boundaries such as biodiversity loss, loss of forests, and chemical pollution and have also grown our ecological footprint beyond the planet’s capacity. Our presentation showed how closely carbon emissions are tied to economic growth (as measured by Gross Domestic Product, or GDP), how economic growth has been the main driver of increasing carbon emissions, and how the only time global emissions have decreased is when there has been a decrease in GDP.
It should not come as a shock to anyone that in order to live within planetary boundaries and improve wellbeing, we need to produce less stuff.

By Anne Sheridan, Co-Chair of the CAP Committee

Hola! Did you know that September 15th-October 15th is Hispanic Heritage Month in the U.S. To be frank, not many do, especially in latine communities. But why does this month matter to the climate justice movement?
The Latine community continues to face serious environmental health disparities. Barrio Logan/Logan Heights suffers from some of the worst pollution in the entire State of California. As a result, residents experience the highest rates of asthma in all the State of California as well as higher rates of cancer and other diseases. This has been an intentional development as the I-5, and the port were created in these communities because racist politicians chose to harm people of color rather than non-people of color. This is all interconnected with the climate crisis we face today. Uncontrolled modernization led by the fossil fuel industry continues to disproportionately harm communities of color and their irresponsible actions have given us the issues we face now with climate change.

By Joshua Piedra, SD350 Board Member

Here’s an easy way to fight climate change – put your food and yard waste in your green bin every week. The California legislature did us a favor by addressing the issue of organic waste by redistributing unused food, and recycling food waste. Yay, real legislative action that matters! To make it work though we need to do our part.

Food production and food waste create greenhouse gases, particularly methane. We need the help of climate warriors like you! Food (and garden) waste needs to go into that green bin and out to the curb every week whether you fill up the bin or not. What goes in the bin? Food leftovers, for one. You can put a lot of things in the bin that you wouldn’t put in a home compost pile such as meat, dairy and even bones. It’s important to note that plastic doesn’t go in the bin. Basically, non-organic things such as glass, metal, rocks and other trash don’t belong in the bin, nor does nasty stuff like dog poo, diapers, paint or grease. Use common sense and, when in doubt, put it in the trash.

Thanks for pitching in by pitching in!

By Joel Martin, Climate Writer

What drives your activism?
Coming from an immigrant family and growing up in poverty in San Diego, I always knew from a young age that there was a disparity between my and more affluent communities. It was because of this injustice that I sought to learn more and become a fierce organizer to ensure that my community has the resources it needs to thrive." Joshua Piedra, SanDiego350 Board Member

Looking for a way to support the work we do at SanDiego350? Visit our donations page to help drive climate-focused policy in San Diego County.