Dear Friend,
This week, world leaders are convening in Egypt for COP27 to discuss what can be done to address the climate emergency.
To make real progress, they need to listen to the voices of grassroots justice defenders — who hold the solutions we need. That’s why we, along with a dozen members of the Legal Empowerment Network, are packing our bags to head to COP right now.
While policymakers have delayed the transition away from fossil fuels, our Network members are combining the power of law and organizing to support communities confronting climate change where they live. In the United States, people of color are coming together to reduce emissions by changing the policies that permit air pollution to poison their neighborhoods. Indigenous groups in the Peruvian Amazon are protecting forests – and their critical ability to absorb carbon dioxide – by monitoring illegal logging and mining activities. In Kenya, pastoralist communities are marching together to secure government recognition of their lands, so that they can better prepare for climate-change-induced droughts and floods.
Across all these efforts, one thing is clear: the fight to protect our planet must be centered on empowered communities.
At COP, we’ll be sharing these and more solutions with decisionmakers. Join us by reading more about our Network’s demands here, engaging with us on social media, and attending these events:
Join us at the Climate Justice Pavilion
In solidarity,
Sonkita, Rebecca, and the Legal Empowerment Network team