Australia is burning with fires having destroyed at least 2,000 homes and killed at least 28 people so far. Hundreds of millions of animals may have already died in these fires. The United Nations warns that more than 2 million people will likely face severe hunger in Somalia as a result of drought and a disappointing spring rainy season. Large numbers of people across the globe are leaving their homes due to loss of livelihood following drought, soil erosion, and desertification. We see the effect of these and other factors at the southern borders of the United States. All of these have been fueled by global warming, much of it due to human activities. To speak of “climate change” as if it is something gradual or in the distant future is not enough. We need to recognize that we are facing a crisis and act now.

The League of Women Voters of Tompkins County (LWV-TC) hopes everyone will begin the new year by re-energizing our efforts to confront the evolving crisis of Climate Change. It is clear that we must act immediately and effectively. What is needed and what should we do? To address these questions, the League is holding the program “Climate Crisis is Serious … Are We?” on Monday, February 24 at 7p.m. in the Borg Warner Room of the Tompkins County Public Library. We are pleased to have as speakers Art Weaver, the head of the Ithaca Chapter of Extinction Rebellion; Nick Goldsmith, the Sustainability Coordinator of the City and Town of Ithaca; and Cheyenne Carter and Marisa Lansing of the Sunrise Movement, an American youth-led organization.

Dr. Weaver will present recent data on the crisis, goals of the Extinction Rebellion movement, and explain what it is doing locally and internationally. Nick Goldsmith will discuss the City of Ithaca’s “Green New Deal” and Green Building Policy. Cheyenne Carter and Marisa Lansing will discuss the goals, activities and future plans of the Sunrise Movement both locally and throughout the United States. Q and A to follow.

Join the League and our co-sponsors, Campaign for Renewable Energy, Fossil Free Tompkins, Sustainable Tompkins, and Tompkins County Environmental Management Council