Dear John,

The phase out of fossil fuels is widely known to be the single most important way to slow climate change. Not only that, it reduces harm in fenceline communities that bear the brunt of pollution at its source, where people live with higher rates of cancers and asthma. 

Unfortunately, this year’s COP – the annual UN Climate Conference – again failed to make the commitment to phase out fossil fuels. 

It’s not a big surprise. This year, one in 25 attendees at COP30 were fossil fuel lobbyists — pitching expensive, wasteful, and unscientific tactics like carbon markets, biofuels, geoengineering projects, and artificial intelligence. 

The COP negotiations have been a long string of disappointments even when there has been things to celebrate; from the Kyoto Protocol allowing nations to voluntarily report military emissions rather than requiring it (a convenient fact when the US Department of Defense is the world’s largest single institutional emitter), to the Paris Agreement reliance on voluntary national emission reductions. 

This is important to understand, and it’s important for us to find the things to celebrate. Hope came from the peoples’ movements around the world that gathered in Belem. We’re really excited to see the Belem Action Mechanism, a way to formally coordinate countries’ progress towards Just Transition. While not perfect, this wouldn’t have been possible without frontline communities at the helm.

From the People’s Summit to Indigenous people and allies showing a powerful presence, together, our leadership as impacted communities is what drives action for climate justice. 

Check out the CJA statement on the outcomes of COP30 here.

Read on to hear about a new bill making its way through Congress and stories from two events we held in DC earlier this month around advocacy and tech security. 

"We are our own first responders to the Climate Crisis."

Climate Justice Alliance members – Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition, Micronesia Climate Change Alliance, Native Movement, Organización Boricuá, and The Smile Trust among others –  were present in Belem this year in international solidarity with peoples’ movements and in powerful presence at the UN climate negotiations. Watch the video here. Read the CJA statement on the outcomes of COP30 here.

Politicians are wasting no time, fresh off of the government shutdown, pushing for permitting reform that will dismantle hard fought safeguards against polluting industries that protect our communities.

As the name implies, under the auspices of needing more electrical infrastructure to meet reliability, affordability, and low-emission demands: the SPEED Act disingenuously asserts it will make permitting for infrastructure projects faster. But we know that in fact, it is more community engagement (not less) and investment in permitting staff that produce consistent improvements in this area.

Among the many problems, the act proposes making it harder for impacted communities to have their voices heard during the permitting process, and this deregulation would apply to the oil and gas industry as well, enabling dangerous and harmful projects to be rammed through regardless of community health or well-being.

Our team has been tracking and fighting this bill, check out this statement from CJA Executive Director KD Chavez to learn more. 

CJA members and staff gathered at the Environmental Justice Leaders Honoring Event in Washington, D.C.

The first week of November, CJA members from across the country converged on the nation’s capital and joined with our partners, the Environmental Justice Leadership Forum, to connect with policymakers on critical issues to their families and communities.

CJA members and staff met with the Congressional Offices of Representatives Rashida Tlaib and  Summer Lee and Senators Martin Heinrich and Chuck Schumer. We also met with staff from the House Natural Resources, House Energy and Commerce, and House Judiciary Committees. Despite the historic government shut down, CJA members showed up and out- bringing their local and state concerns into the federal spotlight. 

Throughout meetings, we raised concerns around harmful deregulatory permitting reform, the dangerous impacts of data center and AI infrastructure buildout, the gutting of bedrock environmental laws like NEPA, and the rollback of clean energy and Environmental Justice funding. 

The bipartisan effort in Congress to push an “abundance” agenda is a misinformed approach that won’t solve our climate and infrastructure crisis. Rather, it will cut community and environmental safeguards that we all need. That’s why the delegation uplifted community-led legislation like the Environmental Justice for All Act which puts people, health, and climate first while also improving the permitting process.

We ended the week with an Environmental Justice Leaders Honoring Event in lieu of Día de los Muertos, and celebrated the lives of the giants whose shoulders we stand upon, the strategic organizing examples they left with us, and their dedication to Environmental Justice and ensuring a just future for all communities.

Raul Grijalva, Donald McEachin, Al Weinraub, Robert Garcia, John Lewis, Sheila Jackson Lee, Sylvester Turner, Simone Senoglees, and Cecil Corbin-Mark were among those who were honored.

At the same time that our policy wonks were at work on the Hill in DC, a group of members interested in the impacts of AI and Big Tech on environmental justice, and building people-centered tech, were gathering as well. 

During the two day gathering, they discussed what the AI boom means for Climate Justice, the issue with corporate tools, and possible pathways forward. They toured Data Center Alley – the world’s largest concentration of data centers – and paid their respects at Tippit Hill Cemetery, a historical Black cemetery that has been surrounded by data centers. 

If you’re interested in learning more check out Rise Against Big Tech, a community of technologists committed to the move away from Big tech. 

Indigenous Peoples have always been at the forefront of the fight for climate justice to protect the sacredness of Mother Earth from extraction.

For Indigenous Heritage Month, we are featuring some of the many indigenous climate leaders you should know. Scroll through the images and read the comments for more information about them and their work.

Check out this Instagram post where we highlighted some of our powerful Indigenous leaders from across our ecosystem.

This year has shown us that climate chaos won't wait and neither can our response. We're building something powerful – a Just Transition led by the communities most impacted by climate change and pollution. Your support today will sustain and grow the networks, organizing, and community-rooted solutions for a future where everyone thrives, not just survives.