Earth Day Revolution

About Earth Day Revolution

40 years after the first Earth Day, the world is in greater peril than ever, but there is also an unprecedented opportunity to build a new future. Earth Day Revolution has the power to bring about historic advances in climate policy, renewable energy, green jobs, and to catalyze millions who can make personal commitments to sustainability by mobilizing the power of people to create change. This can be done by taking small steps in our homes, our schools and our businesses that add up to an enormous collective action.

Earth Day Revolution is a pivotal opportunity for people, corporations, and governments to join together to create a global green economy. Our coordinated efforts now will be recognized by future generations as a turning point.

Marking the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, which happens to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Hip Hop, and with 40 days until Earth Day 2010, the Hip Hop Caucus along with nearly 50 leaders from the environmental, faith and veterans communities signed have signed the Earth Day Revolution's "Declaration of Energy Independence"

The declaration demands that the Senate to act on clean energy and climate change and it asks: "We have a question for members of the US Senate: Whose side are you on - Big Oil and their lobbyists or the Clean Energy Patriots?"

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Watch Video of Earth Day Revolution Launch:

40 Reasons for an Earth Day Revolution

With 40 days until Earth Day, we'll be releasing 1 reason a day why an Earth Day Revolution is needed.

1) Clean energy and climate policies will create 2 million American jobs.

2) We can save more than it costs. Clean energy and climate policy will save American families an average of $900 a year by 2030.

3) The American agricultural industry could save more than $1 billion annually from energy efficiency.

4) American businesses are waiting to put a price on carbon that will give them the signal to unleash billions of dollars in investment in clean technology and innovation, create and preserve American jobs, and make America an economic leader for the 21st century.

5) Recent studies found that the gravest consequences of climate change could threaten to destabilize governments, intensify terrorist actions, and displace hundreds of millions of people due to increasingly frequent and severe natural disasters, higher incidences of diseases such as malaria, rising sea levels, and food and water shortages. More droughts, famines, and floods caused by climate change will lead to collapse of vulnerable countries and create more havens for terrorists.

6) Rising sea levels; the threat of floods; more extreme weather and other impacts are likely to displace hundreds of millions of people, putting more stress on already vulnerable countries.

7) No one has more at stake about the impacts of climate change than todays youth. Right now, our young peoples future is threatened by increased conflict, drought, famine, rising seas, and more limited resources.

8) The U.S. should be the leader in clean energy. Not China, Denmark or Brazil. The country that leads in clean energy will lead the global economy for the 21st century.

9) Our National Parks from the Rocky Mountains to the Everglades are already being impacted by climate change, including melting glaciers, loss of wildlife, rising seas, stronger storms and intolerable heat.

10) Comprehensive climate and energy policies can save businesses nearly $130 billion a year by 2030.

11) The US Department of Agriculture says economic opportunities for farmers and ranchers can potentially outweigh the costs of climate legislation, especially over the long-term.

12) China is winning the clean energy race, spending around $9 billion a month on clean energy.  We need to act now or we will lose the global clean energy race.

13) Due to the strong link between poverty and climate change, poor women across the globe feel the consequences of climate change disproportionally more.

14) America has an opportunity to be the world leader in clean technology that will create millions of good jobs here in America. If the U.S. doesn't act, it will be left behind by China, South Korea and other countries.

15) The Department of Defense, CIA, the CNA Corporations Military Advisory Board, four-star generals and security experts have declared that climate change is a significant national security threat and a potential destabilizing force.

16) Each dollar we spend on oil puts more money into the pockets of unfriendly regimes like Iran that supports terrorism and provides explosives that are used to attack our troops.

17) This Passover, Americans are commemorating the Parting of the Red Sea before it disappears due to global climate change.

18) Investing in clean energy technologies will help revive our countrys manufacturing sector by creating more than 850,000 good-paying jobs.

19) As young people face the highest unemployment rates in the nation, they would damage lung tissue and is especially harmful for those with asthma and other chronic lung diseases.

21) Through energy efficiency alone, we can save American households $1,050 a year by 2020 and $4,400 a year by 2030.

22) Pope Benedict, the Green Pope, emphasizes humanity's responsibility to care for the planet by embracing environmentally sound lifestyles.

23) MLB goes green! Green program to coordinate and support environmentally sound practices for each club.

24) According to the USDA, the offset returns project could provide farmers with an annual net return of about $1-2 billion a year from 2012-2018 and up to $20 billion per year in 2050.

25) Between 1998 and 2007, job growth in Americas clean energy sector was nearly 2.5 times as fast as overall job growth.

26) Large majorities of African-Americans believe climate change is a critical issue that everyone can help reduce.

27) A group of 2,500 businesses across the American economy agree that we need clean energy and climate solutions.

28) $1 billion a day that Americans send overseas on oil floods a global oil market.

29) The millennial generation will be the ones fighting the conflicts of the future if we don't solve the climate and energy problems now.

30) Climate change will lead to more infectious diseases -- like malaria and dengue fever; more pollution that causes asthma; and more deadly heat waves.

31) Rising gas prices means more of our income will go to gas companies. We need to invest in clean, renewable energy technology and more fuel-efficient cars.

32) We can cut our dependence on foreign oil in half by getting more domestic oil from enhanced oil recovery and carbon capture and storage.

33) Big Oil and other special interests are holding us back from a clean energy future by protecting their interests and keeping us tied to unfriendly regimes.

34) Clean energy and climate legislation will empower American farmers and ranchers to be a part of our nation's energy solutions, increasing business opportunities, creating good-paying local jobs, and revitalizing rural communities.

35) The United States imported around 4 million barrels of oil a day from dangerous or unstable countries in 2008 at a cost of about $150 billion and spends $1 billion a day on foreign oil that enriches hostile governments, funds terrorist organizations, and props up repressive regimes.

36) Consequences of climate change -- heat stress, droughts, flooding, and more extreme weather patterns -- are already costing farmers and ranchers critical crop yields and livestock productivity.

37) Our troops are put in harms way by having to safeguard oil sources in foreign countries like Iraq and Saudi Arabia that feed our oil addiction.

38) A national RES can save $64.3 billion in lower electricity and gas bills by 2025.

39) For 40 years, Americans have called for action to protect the planet. Now, we need the Senate to take action on climate and energy solutions that will create jobs, enhance our national security, and cut carbon pollution that causes climate change.

Looking Back

On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment. Denis Hayes, the national coordinator, and his youthful staff organized massive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values.

 

To learn more about the Revolution and to sign the "Declaration of Energy Independence" click HERE