By Pete Christensen - 8/18/2021

The Climate Crisis is upon us. It's not something coming in the distant future, or even in the near future, is it right here and now... and it's only going to get worse unless we act now. The wildfires, droughts, hurricanes, flooding, and landslides, etc. happening all over the world are only a precursor to the potentially catastrophic changes in our environment that our species, and all of the life on this planet, will be experiencing in the coming years. The latest IPCC report confirms with no uncertainty that we don't have much time to turn things around and stave off the worst effects of the growing Climate Crisis. In the words of young climate activist Greta Thunberg, "Unless we start focusing on what needs to be done, instead of what is politically expedient, we have no hope."

This is the most important challenge that our species has ever faced, and it is only fitting that California leads the way for the country and for the rest of the world on climate action. As the President of Iceland has stated, "America needs to lead the rest of the world on climate action, and it doesn't matter whether it comes from the White House, or from the State House in California." California is the fifth largest economy in the world, and we are known planet-wide as the definitive leader in bold, innovative, forward-thinking action. This is our time, and our chance to get something big done that will change the course of history for humanity for centuries to come. To quote Paul Hawken, "What if the Climate Crisis is not an obstacle, what if it is an opportunity to innovate, and to reimagine everything that we do, and everything that we are?"  

This is what's happening at the Romero Institute. The Romero Institute (formerly the Christic Institute) is a law and public policy center based in Santa Cruz. For more than 45 years, in partnership with many other organizations and activists, the Christic Institute, and subsequently the Romero Institute, has harnessed the power of community organizing and the legal system to confront system issues head-on and win justice. Their groundbreaking Let's Green California Initiative (LGCI) consists of many different sectors that interrelate in ways that get California to carbon-neutrality, promote environmental justice, stimulate the creation of millions of new, green, high-paying union jobs, and align us more in harmony with our Mother Earth. These sectors provide solutions in a variety of areas such as: The funding of GreenTech (renewable energy, energy storage, electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, building modernization, etc.), agriculture and food security, water resource management and conservation, emissions standards, energy, transportation, education, industry, waste management, and a green workforce for the new green economy, as well as other significant areas.

Getting this game-changing legislation passed through the California State Assembly and Senate, and then signed by the Governor, is a daunting task that requires a lot of help... and that is where you come in. There are three major areas in which you can help:

(1) Spreading the word. The website address for the LGCI is: www.greencal.org. Please go to the website and click on Take Action, follow the instructions, and then send the website link (and this article) to your friends and family. In addition, contact your elected representatives and ask them to support the LGCI.

(2) Raising the money. Please either go to www.greencal.org/givingcircles to contribute your share, or go to www.romeroinstitute.org and click on the Donate button.

(3) Volunteering. Please join Romero in this mission to mitigate the Climate Crisis and really make a difference in the future of our state, and the world. You can email them at: info@greencal.org or call (831) 459-6135 and let Romero know how you can help. Even just a few hours a week on your part would help greatly. 

The Romero Institute's goal is to get this vital climate legislation passed into law by September 30th, 2022. California has a unique opportunity to mandate and enact a carbon-neutral model that can be followed globally. Passing and implementing the Let's Green California Initiative will not only prove that a carbon-neutral civilization is possible, it will also result in a sustainable, more resilient, more equitable, and healthier world. Only by working together can we succeed in passing the LGCI - the most important legislation in the history of our state.