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December 2022 Newsletter

Roundup of COP27, Election Wrap-Up,
Team Accomplishments

This month, we take a look into COP27 with first hand insights from Climate Activist Monica Nelson, review how SanDiego350's endorsed ballot measures and state propositions did in the November 8th election, and recognize the accomplishments and wins our teams have made this year. 

Be sure to check out the linked stories for more info on climate related issues!
1. News Feature: Fighting for Justice
2. Roundup of COP27 w/ Firsthand Insights from Climate Activist Monica Nelson
3. Post Election Wrap-up
4. Team Accomplishments and Wins in 2022

Want to get involved? Scroll to the end to find our upcoming events and volunteer opportunities.  

Join our next action as we call on President Biden to declare a climate emergency NOW & stop approving fossil fuel projects on January 21st at 11:00 am. Register here 

Like the work we do? Help us secure the climate wins this year and keep up the momentum in 2023 by donating by the end of the year. 

News Feature: Fighting for Justice

On December 13th, SanDiego350 members supported Environmental Health Coalition in a rally at Barrio Logan to tell the Port Commission to reject a proposal from Mitsubishi Cement Corporation to build a warehouse and triple the diesel truck traffic in what is already the most polluted neighborhood in San Diego. Elected officials, medical professionals, and community members spoke at the rally and over 200 people attended. After the rally, comments were delivered to the Commission. As a result, Mitsubishi pulled the proposal and no vote was held. The fight will continue, but for now we won a clear victory for people and planet over profit!

VIEW NEWS COVERAGE
A Roundup of COP27 with Firsthand Insights from Climate Activist Monica Nelson

By Deanna Alderson, Climate Writer

The United Nations Climate Change Conference, the COP27, ended last month without a global commitment to phase out fossil fuels. Frustratingly, the deal reached at the end of the two-week summit did not attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emissions beyond the modest pledges made in Glasgow last year. The new agreement also made reference to "low-emissions energy,” which raised fears that some governments are looking to expand natural gas operations instead of transitioning to renewable energy.  

This certainly wasn’t the bold, immediate action needed to drastically reduce global emissions, but there were a few encouraging developments. The conference finally acknowledged the disproportionate effect of climate change on developing countries with the creation of a loss and damage fund. The fund will provide financial assistance to vulnerable countries facing extreme weather events, rising sea levels and crop failures. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called it “an important step towards justice.”

There was also welcome progress on deforestation, with 26 countries and the European Union joining together to launch the Forest and Climate Leaders’ Partnership. The group pledged to halt and reverse forest loss by 2030 and committed over $4.5 billion in public and private funds to the cause. Though Brazil was noticeably absent from the partnership, Brazil’s new president-elect, Lula, declared that his administration will do “whatever it takes to have zero deforestation.”  

I had the good fortune to speak about this year’s conference with climate activist Monica Nelson, a PhD student at Scripps Institution of Oceanography who attended the COP with UCSD’s delegation. One of the bright spots of the conference for Ms. Nelson was the push to reimagine the global finance system: “There’s been an effort led by Mia Mottley, the Prime Minister of Barbados, to re-envision the IMF and World Bank and change how these institutions are working to serve the problems of today,” Ms. Nelson said. “It’s so important to have movement towards getting more money to countries and communities that are feeling the impacts of climate change, which are predominately not caused by them. It’s hard to say with confidence if this is the break that we need, but at least there’s some progress on that front.”

Many of the discussions at the COP still centered around keeping global temperature rise below 1.5o C, a target that most scientists agree is already out of reach. The consistent focus on the target frustrated Ms. Nelson, who “felt like all the rhetoric was obscuring the fact that we are doing really poorly trying to meet that target, and pretending that the target is still alive is a lack of acknowledgement of our failures.” 

Over 600 fossil fuel lobbyists attended the conference, and there were plenty of corporate logos on display around the venue. Ms. Nelson felt the effects of this large corporate presence in the conference’s Green Zone, a usually vibrant, informal area outside of the negotiation space that should be buzzing with activists and organizers. Instead, the zone “was really dead this year and part of that was a massive corporate takeover and part of it was that protests are illegal in Egypt,” Ms. Nelson said, adding “Normally, the Green Zone is this place of lively protest and attention gathering because there’s not always enough happening in the negation space.” 

There were some protests permitted inside the Blue Zone, the zone reserved for formal negotiations that is under the jurisdiction of the UN. Ms. Nelson noted that “this was the first time the UN allowed sanctioned protests inside the venue,” as it was not safe to protest outside. Next year’s COP will be held in Dubai, where protest is also effectively banned, and it’s likely the UN will again have to consider allowing protests inside the Blue Zone.

Next year’s conference will also provide more information on the loss and damage fund. A group of representatives from 24 countries will spend the next year figuring out the details as to how the fund will work, and it’s expected to become operational at COP28. While a year seems like a long time to wait, given the usual glacial pace of climate negotiations, Ms. Nelson is optimistic about the timeline: “Getting something done in a two-year timeline is pretty fast in the general scheme of COP negotiations. Having something finalized by next year is earlier than I had expected.”

Ms. Nelson also shared this parting thought on her time at the conference: “Being on the ground, I was so overwhelmed by how many people were there, by how much was happening. I thought, wow, we have a lot of people trying to solve this problem, people who can afford to come to COP and have the organizational power to get through the delegation process—and there’s a whole lot more people that these people represent—and that feels really powerful. The flip side of that is that even with all these people, we aren’t making fast enough progress.”

SD350 would like to extend a hearty thank-you to Monica Nelson for her generous participation in this article.

Photo Credit: UN Climate Change 

Post Election Wrap-up

California state proposition and San Diego City ballot measure results have now been certified.
Read more to see how the SanDiego350 endorsed ballot measures and state propositions did in the November 8th election.

By Augusta Lewis, SanDiego350 Intern

Read More
2022 Team Wins

As the 2022 comes to a close, it is a great time to reflect on SanDiego350’s momentous wins and accomplishments this past year. Our community worked relentlessly to fight climate change and climate injustice and it has paid off. Read more to check out some of the highlights!

By Alexa Lewis-Rosenfeld, Comms & Marketing Team Co-Leader

Read More
 
Youth4Climate Imperial Beach Cleanup

WHEN: January 8, 2023 @ 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
WHERE: 10 Evergreen Ave Imperial Beach, California 91932

Join Youth4Climate to clean up Imperial Beach! Everyone is welcome, with a particular welcome to students from Chula Vista. Bring your friends and family for this fun, informal way to give back to the community in the New Year.

REGISTER
Team Meeting Open Houses

Join the MET team and Transportation team for their first meetings of the year!

The MET team focuses on activities that welcome and integrate new members into SanDiego350 such as Orientation Chat's, social events, tabling and more. 
WHEN: January 9, 2023 @ 7:00 pm – 8:15 pm
WHERE: Zoom
REGISTER

Transportation Team focuses on increasing transit and active transportation options all over San Diego County, with a focus on collaborating with communities of concern.
WHEN: January 10, 2023 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
WHERE: Zoom
REGISTER

Public Workshops on the Regional Decarbonization Framework

WHEN: January 17 – January 31
WHERE: TBD

Save the date(s)! The County of San Diego is holding a series of public workshops in all 5 districts in January 2023 on the Regional Decarbonization Framework (RDF). The RDF is the county's plan to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, and these workshops are important opportunities for you to make your voice heard!
The workshops will be:
January 17 (District 4) // January 18 (District 1) // January 23 (District 3) // January 30 (District 2) // January 31 (District 5)

REGISTER
Biden: Declare a Climate Emergency NOW & Stop Approving Fossil Fuel Projects

WHEN: January 21, 2023 @ 11:00 am - 2:30 pm
WHERE: U.S. District Court Southern District of California 333 West Broadway in Federal Plaza

Join us in a nation wide effort, as we march around the federal building calling for executive action on the climate crisis. We are calling on President to declare a climate emergency, end federal fossil fuel leasing, and give Native land back.

REGISTER
Orientation Chat

WHEN: January 24, 2023 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
WHERE: Zoom

Are you interested in supporting climate action in San Diego? Register for an Orientation Chat today to learn more about who we are, what we do, and why it's important. This is a great space to meet other volunteers and get involved!

REGISTER
SD350 Hike - volunteer fun!

WHEN: January 28, 2023 @ 6:30 am – 12:00 pm
WHERE: 14644 Lake Poway Road Poway, California 92064

We enthusiastically invite you to join us for our hiking social to bond with SanDiego350 volunteers who enjoy hiking. We will be doing the Potato Chip Rock: Mt. Woodson Summit in San Diego!

REGISTER
 
Fundraising Team - Carnival for Climate

Do you enjoy planning events? The Fundraising Team is looking for members to help plan Carnival for Climate, our annual fundraising event in April! Carnival for Climate is a fun family-friendly event with climate-related carnival games, circus performers, carnival food, and opportunities to learn more about climate change. If you are interested, please contact Jaidacyn, Marketing and Fundraising Coordinator at jaidacyn@sandiego350.org.

For all volunteer opportunities, please email Paloma at paloma@sandiego350.org

 

Who are we?
SanDiego350 is building a movement to prevent the worst impacts of climate change and climate injustice through education and outreach, public policy advocacy, and mobilizing people to take action.

 
Your Support Drives Our Activism

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. 

Support Our Efforts
 
In the News
  • California cuts payments to homeowners for solar panels feeding energy back to the grid (CNBC)
  • Industry submits signatures to overturn oil drilling ban (Bakersfield.com)
  • Get ready to compost: San Diego's new green recycling kicks into high gear with bin deliveries and outreach (The San Diego Union Tribune)
  • Big Oil has engaged in a long-running climate disinformation campaign while raking in record profits, lawmakers find (CNN)
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