A Better Discussion Guide: Finding Common Ground Around the Holiday Dinner Table
The holidays are a time for coming together. We should not just be coming together physically to drive us further apart mentally, emotionally, and spiritually by reinforcing our differences.
There is No Moral Case for Fossil Fuels. The Bible Even Tells Us the Opposite.
Reflections on God are common right now. We are about to enter a new year. Many of us are getting ready to celebrate Christmas or Hanukah. With 2024 “virtually certain” to be the hottest year on record, some may look at the symptoms of the climate crisis – the extreme heat, the fires and floods, the climate-charged cyclones – as signs of God’s wrath.
Among the Powerful Voices We Lost in 2024, Louis Gossett, Jr.’s Echoes Loudly
It was my last year as national president of the NAACP, at the end of 2013 Image Awards. I was with my dear friend Louis Gossett, Jr., the actor and activist who won an Oscar for his role in the film “An Officer and a Gentleman.” Lou said to me, “You know, Ben, I’ve been in this racial justice movement my whole life, but you know, sometimes, brother, I feel like we’re fighting over who’s in first class. What we should be doing is looking out the window, because the plane has fallen like 20,000 feet in the last two minutes.”
Bipartisanship Cannot Be a Dirty Word
What is one thing – just one – you can agree on with someone on the opposite side of the political divide? The late General Colin Powell once told me, “Figure that out and you can get a lot done. And as you win one victory together, you might just discover along the way that there’s something else you agree on.”
America’s Healing Can Start with Family Around the Holidays
With the holiday season approaching, it seems that our country could not be more divided. That division has been perhaps the main overarching topic of our national conversation in recent years. And it has taken root within many of our own families.
Why We Cannot and Will Not Go Backwards on Clean Energy
More jobs. Better jobs. Lower energy prices. Cleaner water. Cleaner air. Fewer asthma attacks. Fewer heart attacks.
Why We Cannot and Will Not Go Backwards on Clean Energy
More jobs. Better jobs. Lower energy prices. Cleaner water. Cleaner air. Fewer asthma attacks. Fewer heart attacks.
Three Areas Where Biden Must Now Act to Cement His Legacy On the Environment
Now in its final months, the Biden-Harris administration has a chance to cement its powerful legacy on the environment. Congress returns for its so-called lame-duck session on November 12. The administration should pull out all the stops to work with Congress and use the powers of the presidency to get some more big things done.
The Clock is Ticking for the Government to Do What is Right for this Flooded Historic Black Community
Ever since 2018, when the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) expanded a highway running through the town, stormwater runoff floods the homes in this community whenever it rains. It is an ongoing crisis.
Indigenous Communities Continue to Lead in Some of Our Most Crucial Environmental Fights
Contamination from lead, arsenic, and the other toxins in Tar Creek in northeastern Oklahoma stole the potential of many children of the Quapaw Nation. As a parent, I can only imagine the anguish and the anger. As a lifelong activist for civil and human rights and the environment, I deeply admire the resilience of the Quapaw and the many Indigenous communities with similar stories.
The Plastics Inside of You Right Now
If you are reading this indoors, there is a good chance there are hundreds of invisible plastic particles floating around in the room you are in. There is also a good chance you may be breathing some of them in.
Opening Doors of Opportunity Can Heal the Nation
If you want to heal America you have to understand what is hurting America.
Saving the World as a Path to Prosperity
“Made in the USA” is a tagline that should apply to every major piece of the clean energy economy. It is within our grasp. But we need to bust some myths.
The Figures Who Helped Shape Vice President Harris
When Kamala Harris was sworn in as vice president in 2021, she swore her oath of office on two Bibles.
Our Transition to the Green Economy Does Not Need to be Slow to be Just and Equitable
“What good is a dollar an hour more in wages if your neighborhood is burning down? What good is another week’s vacation if the lake you used to go to is polluted and you can’t swim in it and the kids can’t play in it?”
Our Transition to the Green Economy Does Not Need to be Slow to be Just and Equitable
“What good is a dollar an hour more in wages if your neighborhood is burning down? What good is another week’s vacation if the lake you used to go to is polluted and you can’t swim in it and the kids can’t play in it?”
Kamala Harris’s Chicago Convention and Illinois’ Unique Place in Civil Rights History
The modern civil rights movement hit a new peak last week in Illinois. It marked the movement coming full circle, in a way, back to the state of its birth more than a century ago.
The IRA is Still Our Biggest Step Toward a Brighter Future for Our Children
I often think about a factory hallway in Dalton, Georgia that is filled with pictures drawn by children. It is a reminder of what can be, what will be, thanks to the historic Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which celebrates its second anniversary this month.
Real Climate Solutions Demand a Strong Democracy
As we celebrate the 59th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) this month, it is important we remember: the only way to tackle the complex challenges of our time is with a democracy that is responsive to the people it represents.
Real Climate Solutions Demand a Strong Democracy
As we celebrate the 59th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) this month, it is important we remember: the only way to tackle the complex challenges of our time is with a democracy that is responsive to the people it represents.
When Silence is Cowardice: Simply Telling the Truth is Not a Call to Violence. It Never Has Been.
When the stakes are high … when there is a real threat … should staying silent even be an option?
The Scorching Truth: Extreme Heat is a Wake-Up Call to Act on Climate Change
Are you one of the more than 100 million Americans who live somewhere that was (or still is) under a heat advisory?
On Juneteenth Let Us Remember, Racial Terror Did Not End with Slavery
When Terence Crutcher, a father of four who sang in his church choir, was shot and killed by the police in 2016 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, his twin sister Dr. Tiffany Crutcher saw history repeating itself.
Carbon Pipelines are a Bad Deal (For Everyone Who Is Not Getting Rich from Them)
A small handful of Iowa senators continue to block a bill virtually everyone in the state agrees on. Follow the money.
“Isn’t it sad that money controls everything?” That is what Kim Junker says, as she laments the iron grip wealthy pipeline interests seem to have over some of Iowa’s most powerful lawmakers. What she is referring to is a years-long fight against a massive carbon dioxide (CO2) pipeline project planned to run through the state.
Nature is For ALL of Us
Black people face enough barriers to enjoying the outdoors. Self-defeating stereotypes should not be one of them.
When Rodney Smith’s uncle invited him to go to Sedona for a hike, Rodney, who is Black, said to himself, “Hiking? That sounds like something white people do.” Rodney went on the hike. And it changed his life.
How Clean Energy Naysayers Help China and Hurt American Workers
Electric vehicles (EVs) are the future of transportation. As a driver of an (American-made) electric vehicle myself, I know firsthand the amount of money I have already saved compared to when I drove the gas-powered version of the same model. And that is before considering the benefit to our air quality, the climate, and how fun it is to drive.
For an Antidote to Climate Despair, Look to the Impact of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring
Did you hear the birds singing outside this morning? A lot of us take that common sound of nature for granted. Most people these days do not realize how close we came to living in a much quieter world; to the widespread destruction of entire ecosystems and some of our most iconic species.
orcing Polluters to Clean Up Their Mess Means New Hope for Communities
In Waukegan, Illinois, about 40 miles north of Chicago, Dulce Ortiz is celebrating with her children.
Rorcing Polluters to Clean Up Their Mess Means New Hope for Communities
In Waukegan, Illinois, about 40 miles north of Chicago, Dulce Ortiz is celebrating with her children.
Forcing Polluters to Clean Up Their Mess Means New Hope for Communities
In Waukegan, Illinois, about 40 miles north of Chicago, Dulce Ortiz is celebrating with her children.
Reclaiming “Tree Hugger”
Most people think of “tree hugger” as a casual insult for a certain kind of environmentalist. The term actually has a proud history. It is time to take it back.
Investing in Tomorrow: Clean Energy as the Path to Prosperity for All
On Earth Day 1993, I delivered the first major speech of my life. It was in New York City’s Bryant Park, kicking off a nationwide tour to rally opposition to the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Highway Robbery in Alabama
Imagine the neighborhood your family has lived in for more than 150 years being turned into a deteriorating flood zone. Now imagine the flooding was caused by the state. That is what is happening to the people of Elba, Alabama’s historic Black Shiloh community.
Whales Are Dying and the Fossil Fuel Industry is Lying
Whoever would have thought fossil fuel industry front groups would make whales and other marine species a cultural wedge issue? However, thanks to a deception campaign targeting wind energy that’s exactly where we find ourselves.
Vice President Harris' Fight for Reproductive Freedom
It matters deeply that America has a woman as our vice president. That has never been truer than at this moment.
Big Polluters vs. Our Kids
Far too often, big polluters feed us the lie that we have to choose between clean air or a healthy economy. Last week, the Biden-Harris administration made a big move that shows Americans do not have to choose. The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) released updated protective air quality standards that will save both lives and money.
Setting the Record Straight on an Important Piece of Black History
With the start of Black History Month, I brace myself for the mis-telling of Black History yet again.
The Biden-Harris Administration’s LNG Decision is the Hope Young People Have Been Waiting For
James Hiatt lives in an area along the Mississippi River in Louisiana that has been dubbed “Cancer Alley.” Teeming with chemical plants and oil and gas refineries, the air the residents of this area breathe contains more carcinogens than anywhere else in the country.
Power Grids Supplied By Clean Energy Are More Reliable. That Saves Lives
February, 2021. A rare Valentines Day winter storm wallops Texas with snow and a deep freeze.
In the Gap Between January 6 and MLK Day, Once Forbidden History Offers Hope
Even Ron DeSantis had to admit, when pressed at a CNN townhall, January 6 was a bad day for America.
