Categorized | Environment

Worldwide 24-hour event to mobilize climate change action (Sept. 14)

MEDIA RELEASE

The Climate Reality Project (formerly the Alliance for Climate Protection) plans a global campaign to broadcast the reality of the climate crisis and mobilize citizens to help solve it. The campaign kicks off with 24 Hours of Reality, a worldwide, live streamed event Sept. 14-15.

During the 24 Hours of Reality event, people around the globe living with the impacts of climate change will connect the dots between recent extreme weather events — including floods, droughts and storms — and the manmade pollution that is changing our climate.

From Hawaii to Cape Verde and Mexico City to Alaska, the event will feature scientists, celebrities, business leaders and concerned citizens, along with former Vice President Al Gore. It will be broadcast live online over 24 hours, in 24 time zones and in multiple languages.

“The climate crisis knows no political boundaries. Ferocious storms and deadly heat waves are occurring with alarming frequency all over the world. We are living with the reality of the climate crisis every day. The only question is, how soon can we act?” Gore said.

This campaign comes at a critical time. As the impacts of climate change are growing more prevalent, so is the resistance to finding the truth and implementing solutions.

Just like the tobacco companies that spent decades in denial that smoking causes cancer, oil and coal companies are determined to sow denial and confusion about the science of climate change, ignore its impacts, and create apathy among our leaders.

This event is the first step in a larger, multi-faceted campaign to tell the truth about the climate crisis and reject the misinformation we hear every day.

“Fossil fuel companies and their allies will go to great lengths to deny the fact that climate change is happening now,” said Maggie L. Fox, President and CEO of The Climate Reality Project. “But we have one powerful response: Reality. We will dedicate our resources toward educating and engaging the public about the reality of the climate crisis and helping build the global movement for change.”

The 24 Hours of Reality event will feature a new multimedia presentation, created by Vice President Gore, on the connection between extreme weather events and the climate crisis. All viewers of the event, online and in person, will be invited to take part in specific activities to help solve the climate crisis.

Climate change in a land of volcanoes

Built from five separate volcanoes, Hawaii still boasts three active ones. On one of these volcanoes, Mauna Loa, sits the Mauna Loa Observatory, an atmospheric research facility established by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as part of the National Weather Service.

Scientists at Mauna Loa began continuous carbon dioxide data gathering efforts in 1958. According to NOAA’s website, the annual increases in the concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere became apparent within just a few years of the launch of this effort.

Today, climate scientists and modelers around the world use the Mauna Loa data to better understand the current state of Earth’s climate — and project how it will change in the future.

Hawaii presenter Maxine Burkett

Maxine Burkett is an Associate Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Island Climate Adaptation and Policy at the University of Hawaii.

Her work showcases the disparate impact of climate change on vulnerable communities. Born in Jamaica, Maxine now resides on the island of Oahu with her husband and two children. She is a tireless advocate for island resiliency in the face of a changing climate.

Climate change is not your fault for the car you drive, the lights you turn on, or the food you eat. The climate crisis is our problem. Real solutions, systemic solutions, innovative solutions, can only come when we address it together. That’s what The Climate Reality Project will do. Without doubt. Without delay. And with your help.

The Climate Reality Project is bringing the facts about the climate crisis into the mainstream and engaging the public in conversation about how to solve it. We help citizens around the world discover the truth and take meaningful steps to bring about change.

Founded and chaired by Al Gore, Nobel Laureate and former Vice President of the United States, The Climate Reality Project has more than 5 million members and supporters worldwide. It is guided by one simple truth: The climate crisis is real and we know how to solve it.

— Find out more:
www.climaterealityproject.org

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