16 results for tag: global warming


Climate-Friendly Communities Don’t Magically Appear

Oregon Environmental Council and 1000 Friends of Oregon have a long history of partnership, especially working together to advance compact community design with a myriad of reliable alternatives to driving. When people live close to their daily destinations and have lots of transportation options, we can significantly curb climate pollution from everyday travel. And the good news is that climate-friendly communities have lots of other benefits: the air is cleaner, the costs of getting around are lower, it’s easier to get exercise by walking and biking, they are cheaper to build and maintain, and--because they use less space--precious farm and ...

Youth activism continues to inspire, push for bold climate action

Youth from around the globe came together for an intense week of climate action this September. They organized gatherings, rallies, marches, speeches, direct actions, and events to bring awareness to the current climate crisis and push decision-makers to take meaningful action on climate.

Oregonians feel climate disruption, unfinished business

Climate disruption, along with unchecked air and water pollution from dirty energy sources, is harming Oregonians, and for too long, our leaders have put off addressing climate change in a comprehensive way.

A Report Card for our Climate: Oregon Gets Graded

Wonder how Oregon is doing at meeting climate and clean energy goals? A new, visually-compelling Clean Energy Report Card grades Oregon’s progress toward a clean energy economy, and shows a suite of solutions which will create good paying jobs, make the air cleaner and promote healthy communities. The Report Card also provides inspiring examples of clean energy solutions--like how Pendelton has become a leader in solar installations. It includes surprising facts, including that transit projects create 70% more jobs compared to highway projects. It underscores that Oregon needs several solutions working together to accelerate the clean energy ...

REPORT: Oregon Faces Climate Threats; We Are Committed to Solutions

The Oregon Climate Change Research Institute just released their third Oregon Climate Assessment Report, and the results are foreboding. Off the top, it clearly states the problem: “burning fossil fuels to run our factories, heat our homes and drive our cars produces heat-trapping gasses that unequivocally warm the planet.” The report presents compelling evidence as to how our state is already experiencing the effects of climate change, and the various threats that lie ahead. Key takeaways: A majority of Oregonians are concerned about climate change: Two-thirds (67%) of Oregonians believe that climate change is happening (Howe et al., 2015). ...

Remembering Gary Braasch

Coastal fog lit by afternoon sun illuminates a forest of Sitka spruce trees with sword fern and huckleberry understory, Ecola State Park Oregon on volcanic headland near Cannon Beach. Photo courtesy of http://braaschphotography.com/.

Phone bank for volunteers to join the clean energy movement: Oct. 8

Did you know that Oregon sources about one-third of its energy from coal-fueled power plants? It doesn't have to be this way! You can help. Next Thursday, we'll be meeting over pizza here at OEC for a phone bank party. Why? There is an exciting ballot measure petition about to be launched! The initiative will call for Oregon to get away from dirty coal, embrace clean, renewable energy, and cut carbon pollution. Why are we calling people? We need your help growing our base of active volunteers to join us in making sure this initiative gets on the ballot. That's our call to action: volunteer. To review: coal=gross, clean energy=beautiful, volunt...

The collective consciousness shift: your monthly dose of climate goodness

It's that time again. Time to put away our newly-altered Atlas to reflect shrinking ice sheets and turn away from the barrage of stories on drought and wildfires, stories that seem to point to a rapidly changing world. Yet while climate change is certainly a big deal, it's also true that in the media if it bleeds, it leads. Hence we see the repeated publication of the shocking, the tragic and the scary. That's why we've created a special forum here to, at least on a monthly basis, document the positive when it comes to climate change. The good is there; the movement is building. We just have to dig a little deeper than the headlines to find proof of ...

Climate Stability and Justice Needed for Oregon: A review of HB 3470 and looking forward

During the 2015 legislative session, Oregon Environmental Council was proud to join with environmental, health, communities of color and business partners concerned about climate pollution to help advance the Climate Stability and Justice Act (HB 3470). The Act would enforce Oregon's existing limits on climate pollution with a firm timeline for putting a comprehensive action plan in place to guarantee Oregon achieves its climate goals. This creates certainty for both businesses and the environment. Everyone knows what targets we’re aiming for and has a voice in developing the action plan. The proposed Climate Stability & Justice Act is very ...

Climate change news that’s not too hot to handle: Your monthly roundup of good news

Climate change presents the most pressing challenge of our time, but it also represents a major opportunity – economically, societally and even spiritually. It’s a topic that forces us to harness our inner resiliency and learn how to adapt and evolve, both collectively and individually. So with that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the good news from the past month: Following years of public pressure and a well-coordinated campaign organized by the Rainforest Action Network, Bank of America unveiled its new global coal mining policy committing to reduce exposure to coal mining companies across the board. They announced the new policy at ...