John,
The constant news of climate catastrophes is disheartening and what’s just as disheartening (and not surprising) is the lack of urgency and support from rich nations and political leaders for Black and brown communities who are hit by said climate catastrophes.
I'm Mariyah, a community organizer from Peshawar, Pakistan, and know that even as Pakistan turns to donors around the world asking for aid because of current floods, there is one thing that the country will almost certainly not receive: compensation from the countries — including the US — that are most responsible for planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions.
From Jackson Mississippi having a lack of clean water, all the way to the floods in Pakistan, the emissions from wealthy countries have brought only chaos to these communities. In Pakistan, thousands of people have died, 33 million+ people have been affected/displaced, thousands of livestock have died, and ⅓ of the country is underwater. This is happening in a country that contributes less than 1% of greenhouse global emissions. Greed and hunger for power has made Pakistan carry a heavy burden they shouldn’t have to endure.
We’ve pulled together a list of resources below to support folks working tirelessly to put an end to this horrific situation and work towards a climate just future for all. Below you will also find how much your contributions can help folks impacted in Pakistan.
Solidarity Fundraisers to uplift & support:
>> Women's Democratic Front are accepting donations via Venmo at @saaganthology. They are working with marginalized groups/areas of the country right now
>> Verified Go Fund Me's for Pakistan flood relief
>> Alkhidmat Foundation is doing Emergency Relief and accepting US-based donations
>> Flood PK is a crowdsourcing platform that’s great for tracking grassroots groups to donate to and what region people are working in/what their focus for donations is
*$50 is enough to feed a family for a month! A tent for a family costs $90! A whole medical camp with med staff and meds included can be set up for $220 all because of the colonial devalued Pakistani rupee in front of the US dollar*
Please feel free to reach out to me for support in brainstorming around organizing solidarity fundraisers at mariyah@climatemobilization.org!
In Solidarity,
Mariyah Jahangiri, Network Support Team member at PSN
P.S. I am coordinating a solidarity fundraiser event in Los Angeles at a local radical bookstore, and know of others trying to do similar events in other cities. I invite you to organize such events in your own cities!
