350 Wenatchee Climate Conversations NCW

We’re obviously at a moment of great emergency. In the last ten days, Vladimir Putin has invaded Ukraine, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned us, at the conclusion of a 6,000-page document, that “the window for action is closing.”

All of us want to do something to help the brave Ukrainians in their resistance, but we don’t know what to do from a distance. One clue that might help us figure out a productive course: 60% of Putin’s export earnings come from oil and gas. It’s what funds his army, and the threat of turning off supplies is the weapon he uses to make Europe cower. Since we’re used to thinking about fossil fuels in relation to the climate crisis, we’ve got a bit of a head start in figuring out some ideas.

Last week, Bill McKibben wrote about how the U.S. might aid Ukraine by sending heat pumps to Europe. People are starting to rally to the idea—over 200 environmental justice groups have signed a joint letter urging President Biden to use the Defense Production Act to ramp up production, and now the good folks at Rewiring America have put numbers to an “Electrify for Peace” plan for getting it done. Here are two suggestions for actions you can take.

Actions to Support Ukraine

1. Write to President Biden and encourage him to get behind a plan to send clean energy to Europe, as the U.S. did with food and supplies in the years before we entered World War II. He can invoke the Defense Production Act to get American manufacturers to start producing electric heat pumps in quantity, so we can ship them to Europe where they can be installed in time to dramatically lessen Putin’s power and profits. It’s good for Europe, good for climate change, and good for American jobs. Click HERE to send your personal email to President Biden today.
2. Help Ukrainian people in need directly. Please consider making a donation to organizations that are providing aid to Ukranian people. You can find vital groups to support in this list, or pitch in to aid the efforts of World Central Kitchen, who are helping keep people fed on the ground.