Air Date: Week of August 23, 2024

The sunrise movement protesting for a declaration on the climate emergency at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. (Photo: Rachel Warriner, Sunrise Movement)

The 2020 elections were determined in part by young voters. Polling suggests President Biden lost support from that demographic throughout his term, so Democratic nominee Kamala Harris will need to attract them in her bid to keep the White House blue. The Sunrise Movement is among the multiple climate groups representing youth climate advocates that have yet to endorse a presidential candidate. Ariela Lara, a first-time voter and youth organizer for the Sunrise Movement, joined hosts Aynsley O’Neill and Steve Curwood to cover the organization’s demands on environmental policy.

Transcript

CURWOOD: Although youth voter turnout determined the 2020 elections, polling suggested President Biden lost that group as his term went on. But with the excitement about her nomination, Kamala Harris has the opportunity to attract that voter base, as we heard earlier in the broadcast. So, Aynsley you talked to an organizer in the Sunrise Movement, which is among the multiple climate groups representing youth climate demands.

O’NEILL: Yes, Steve, Sunrise was founded in 2017 with the goal of redefining climate politics in the United States. They’re in the Green New Deal Network which has endorsed Kamala Harris, but the Sunrise Movement itself follows a different process and has yet to endorse a candidate. So, I spoke with Ariela Lara, who joined Sunrise a few years back, and has been organizing with them ever since. She’s a first generation Latina who’s seen the impacts of environmental injustice first hand both in Oaxaca and in California’s Bay Area. As an 18 year old this year will be her first time casting a presidential vote, and she joins us now. Ariela welcome to Living on Earth!

LARA: Hi, thank you so much for having me.

O'NEILL: So the Sunrise Movement has yet to endorse a presidential candidate in this election. What sort of actions are you calling on presidential candidates to prioritize when it comes to environmental policy and climate justice?

LARA: Yes, right now we realize that we have only six years left to take really bold climate action. This summer, it was the hottest summer we've seen. There was Hurricane Barrel and there was climate disaster one after the other. Our homes are flooding and wildfires are tearing through our communities, and it's getting worse, and we know that Vice President Kamala Harris needs to step up and that taking action is a key part of her campaign. And so young people have been clear about what we want from our president. We called for Biden to step down, and called on Harris to choose a VP who would fight for us, and we won those demands. The reality is that there is a lot of Democrats that still have not done enough, and we know that there needs to be a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and transformative investments in our future. And Kamala has listened to our movement before, and our movement is strong. And this election, we're making sure our voices are louder than ever, and we know that our wins are foreseeable in the future.

O'NEILL: Now there's this campaign by Sunrise, which is calling on the Biden administration to declare a climate emergency. What would an official declaration of a climate emergency mean for policy and federal action?

LARA: There's so much. I could speak about this for a long time but one of the first things is holding fossil fuel companies accountable by ending subsidies and appointing an attorney general who investigate oil and gas companies. And we know that Kamala needs to end handouts from oil and gas companies and stop the boom in fracking. Second, rapidly build a renewable powered and more affordable energy system through building retrofit programs, expanding initiatives like solar for all, and expanding wind and solar create green jobs by expanding the American Climate Corps initiative that was organized by the Sunrise Movement and eventually won and passed in The Biden administration, and investing in renewable energy development. We know that we can invest in healthy, sustainable communities by funding Green Public Schools, protecting our health, supporting low carbon industries like healthcare and investing in green affordable housing, clean air and water. And these aren't just ideals, but there are basic living necessities. And just thinking about US policy overall, Congress has given the president wide reaching powers in the event of emergencies. We call this a climate emergency, because in World War II, FDR used these powers to ramp up US manufacturing Biden used their emergency powers to make covid vaccines free and widely available. But Biden right now could reverse the massive rise in fossil fuel production he has approved.

O'NEILL: Now the Sunrise Movement is also calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. What do you see as the link between that and the environmental crisis?

LARA: Right. So we know that there is a lot of money that goes into military within our country, with $14.1 billion, Congress is considering spending on weapons for Israel. And 280,000 tons of carbon dioxide were emitted by the Israeli military on the first 60 days of its attack on Gaza. And situated amongst the 196 countries ranked by greenhouse gas emissions in 2018 the US Military Industrial Complex came in the 25th highest polluting more than 171 countries, which says a lot about our spending on the military overall. And this is an industrial consumer of oil and gas as well, and one of the largest polluters in the history of the world. And so this is a clear indicator of just the amount of money and investment that has gone to our military and how our taxpayer dollars go toward a genocide, and innocent lives are lost, and our money is not going to our communities for the rapid responses that we could be doing to guarantee everyone free healthcare and safe housing that they need after climate disaster strike, and it's such a horrific reality.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sunrise Movement (@sunrisemvmt)

O'NEILL: So as a Sunrise community organizer, what sort of political strategy is going on here when it comes to Sunrise, mobilizing voters, but not endorsing a candidate?

LARA: Right now, we are focused on what is going to mobilize young people to the polls and voters to the polls. And what we're seeing is that we know that what we're doing is bigger than an endorsement, and sunrise is in a unique position to be able to reach people who feel that politics has not worked for them. Or have identified policies in the Biden administration that they believe need to change. And so we believe right now that the most effective way to mobilize young voters is to have conversations where they are heard and bring them into the movement. And we will have thousands of voters contacting thousands of young people across the country, and I will be one of those thousands of young volunteers. We plan to share why we believe it is so critical to be out in the polls voting for a candidate that is movable, instead of a candidate that wants to reverse so many climate policies, reverse Immigration Reform and project 2025 is that scary reality that Trump will be doing in his first 100 days in office. We know that Harris is someone that can really step up to the plate for us as young people this November. Harris has such an immense opportunity, because to build on the narrative in the coming weeks with a vision for building on Biden's climate achievements and moving forward, key build better act policies on climate, health care, housing, education that were left out of the inflation Reduction Act, the biggest investment in clean energy, we know that Harris can really abide to a lot of the demands that we want her to meet. And in 2020 climate voters were key to delivering Democrats the election, and a lot of politicians in office are not in the position that they're in without our vote. So if Harris runs on climate, that's what we'll do once again.

Democrats barely mentioned climate change on the first day of the DNC.

This week, @KamalaHarris has a choice to make: will she let Big Oil and their bought-out MAGA politicians bully her into sidelining the issue?

— Sunrise Movement ???? (@sunrisemvmt) August 20, 2024

O'NEILL: Ariela, this year, you are a first time voter. How do you feel heading into this election?

LARA: Yeah, 18 is something that I've been waiting for, for a very long time. I feel like most of my student High School organizing and just even like in middle school, witnessing the Trump inauguration. And I remember tears rolling down my face that same year because I remember what that meant for my family when they didn't have papers. And what it would look like in a Trump presidency where he's getting so much money from Big Oil, is not going to listen to the people that voted for him, is not going to represent or help any of the communities that are most vulnerable, but instead is going to do that complete opposite. And at a young age remembering those tears, remembering the fear that I felt during that time, really sticks with me because it really drove a lot of the engagement I was doing throughout the years to ensure that we were having politicians in office that were committing to ensure that like communities are going to have public resources and Green New Deal champions that are going to ensure an equitable green economy and in support of all of that. And now I've come to 18 where I can finally cast my vote, which means a lot to me. Harris has a really big opportunity to listen to what the voices of young people are demanding from her, and I think that with just what the Biden administration has passed before, with the inflation Reduction Act, the American Climate Corps, those were only possible because of the hundreds and thousands of young people that were out on the streets and demanding green good, union jobs, that were demanding investments in clean renewable energy, and we're going to continue going out in the streets fighting for what we deserve. And I'm excited for Kamala to really step up to the plate.

O'NEILL: Ariela Lara is a community organizer for the Sunrise Movement. Thank you so much for taking the time with us today.

LARA: Thank you so much for having me.

 

Links

Learn more about the Sunrise Movement and their Climate Emergency Campaign

Read the Sunrise Movement’s Letter to the Harris Campaign

The Guardian | “Emissions from Israel’s War in Gaza Have ‘Immense’ Effect on Climate Catastrophe”

Read the study on greenhouse gas emissions from the Israel-Gaza Conflict

Read analysis on the US military-industrial complex’s carbon pollution

CNN | “Children Are Drinking From Puddles and Wading Through Sewage Pools, as Israel Pummels Water Systems in Gaza”

MotherJones | “The Sunrise Movement Thinks Climate Is the Key to Voters’ Trust”