People Before Profit blog

Ground zero for climate change: Antarctica has hottest day ever

Tue, 31 Mar 2015 15:09:00 +0000

Another unsettling portent of climate change arrived March 24, when the warmest temperature ever recorded in Antarctica - 63.5°F (17.5C) - occurred at the Esperanza Base on the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. It beat out a previous, and equally troubling, record set the day before (at 63.3°F). Though the World Meteorological Organization has not officially acknowledged the temperature to be a record-breaker yet, it has been verified by the Esperanza Base, according to Weather Underground, and the news is already piquing worried attention.

The Antarctic peninsula is one of the fastest-warming spots on the planet, and the record heat coincides with the release of a new study, which has declared, "Ice shelves in West Antarctica have lost as much as 18 percent of their volume over the last two decades, with rapid acceleration occurring over the last decade." That 'acceleration' includes losses that have increased by 70 percent over those ten years. But even the larger ice shelves in Eastern Antarctica are at risk, the study notes. "The East Antarctic ice sheet is [also] vulnerable. Some data suggests its fringing ice shelves may be thinning, too."

"Parts of Antarctica are melting so rapidly it has become ground zero for climate change, without a doubt," said Harvard geophysicist Jerry X. Mitrovica. This continuous melt does not bode well for North America, and is also impactive on a grander scale: when glaciers melt, the redistribution of their mass causes changes in the earth's rotational axis. "The earth isn't a perfect sphere," said Mitrovica. "It's flattened because it's rotating. If you move the pole, the flattening adjusts." If even just the West Antarctic sheet collapsed, the pole would move such that sea levels would rapidly rise in North America; water levels in Boston, the District of Columbia, and other sites along the east and west coasts would rise over 30 percent more than the global average.

Though this projection is disturbing, the consequences won't be immediate, said Mitrovica. But the fact that sea levels are already rising more than older models had originally predicted is still cause for some alarm, with areas in the U.S. still very much vulnerable to the continuing havoc wreaked by a warming climate.

Andrew Shepherd, director of the Center for Polar Observation and Modelling at the University of Leeds, added, "There is a real concern, because such high rates of thinning cannot be sustained for much longer, and because in the places where Antarctic ice shelves have already collapsed, this has triggered rapid increases in the rate of ice loss from glaciers above ground, causing global sea levels to rise."

University of California, San Diego researcher Fernando Paolo remarked, "If the loss rates that we observed in the past two decades are sustained, some entire ice shelves in the Amundsen and Bellingshausen seas could disappear within this century."

Climate deniers and skeptics often like to point out that there has been no visibly demonstrable rise in sea levels despite what experts have been saying. Paolo had a rather obvious explanation for that: "This is just like your glass of gin and tonic. When the ice cubes melt, the level of liquid in the glass does not rise." Logic, of course, completes the unfinished statement: Try dumping twenty more ice cubes into that glass, and watch what happens.

Photo: The long-term decline in Arctic sea ice is illustrated in these two startlingly contrasting graphics. Rocky Rex Science

New York City climate change activists strategize for future

Thu, 19 Mar 2015 12:54:00 +0000

As a follow-up to the huge march to fight climate change last September, 250 activists streamed into the Manhattan headquarters of AFSCME DC 37 for a forum on proposed climate and environmental legislation for New York City. The Mar. 16 conference was called by 350.org, the organization which initiated the call for the march last September. It has been calling for global steps to reduce carbon emissions to bring the earth's atmospheric carbon dioxide levels below 350 parts per million.

The earth's atmosphere had 275 parts per million of carbon dioxide, until civilization started to burn fossil fuels, such as coal, gas, and oil, at a steadily increasing rate. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is now about 400 parts per million (400 ppm), and increasing about 2 ppm annually. So far, this increase has caused a rise in the temperature about one degree Celsius, or 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit. At the present rate of carbon emissions into the atmosphere, there will be melting glaciers, rising oceans, more moisture in the atmosphere, resulting in larger storms, flooding in coastal areas, droughts in other areas, extinction of many forms of life, swarms of mosquitoes, which thrive in warmer weather, and many other devastating changes.

The new proposed legislation for New York City to help fight climate change and environmental degradation has the support of Mayor Bill de Blasio, and many New York City Council members. It will still take a struggle to get this legislation passed and enforced over the objections of the energy industry, ultra-right political forces, real estate developers, and other elements who deny that climate change has been caused by humankind's burning of fossil fuels to heat our homes, light our streets, drive our automobiles, fly our airplanes, and run our industries.

Covering issues of wasting energy, reducing carbon emissions, and other environmental issues, the proposed legislation is very broad. It includes setting a goal of reduction of carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050, updating New York City's air code, heating all buildings owned by the city with solar panels, using biofuels on ferries and other boats owned by the city, reducing methane emissions (which heat the atmosphere much more than carbon dioxide), a requirement that lights be turned off in buildings or rooms when the space is not being used, fines for trucks idling their motors while parked, phasing out excessively polluting school buses, and numerous other issues.

A description of the legislation was given by Donovan Richards, a City Council member elected in 2013 from a district which includes parts of Laurelton, Springfield Gardens, Rochdale, the Rockaways, Jamaica Bay, and other areas close to the ocean on the south side of Queens, much of which was severely flooded and damaged by the Superstorm Sandy in 2013. He chairs the New York City Council on Environmental Protection, which is trying to shepherd the legislation through City Council.

Judy Sheridan-Gonzalez, president of the New York State Nurses Association, gave a militant speech, warning that the ultra-right will try to water down the legislation, handcuff its enforcement, and weaken any regulations issued by the city pursuant to the proposed legislation. She warned that the energy industries already spend $3.5 billion per year in lobbying to defeat any such legislation and funding front groups which deny climate change science. She explained that these same huge corporations, like the real estate developers of New York, do not care about the advancing dangers of climate change and other environmental hazards. She called for energy justice and energy democracy, so that working people and the poor, many of whom live in endangered coastal areas, do not bear the brunt of climate change and other pollution.

As a nurse, Sheridan-Gonzalez said, she has seen first-hand the effects of increased air pollution, which causes increased asthma in her patients. She pointed out that the labor movement as a whole in New York was willing to fight climate change, but some unions, such as electrical workers and the construction trades, were fearful of job losses if polluting power plants and other industries were closed or diminished. She said that the creation of green jobs, such as installing solar panels or insulating inefficient buildings, could help alleviate job losses.

The ambassador to the United Nations from the nation of Vanuatu, a chain of islands in the South Pacific, gave a heartfelt plea for assistance to help the country recover from the catastrophic devastation of a mammoth typhoon, with winds up to 185 mph, which struck early on Saturday morning, Mar. 14.

Eddie Bautista, executive director of the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, spoke, saying that the fight against climate change and pollutants in the atmosphere is a fight for social, economic, and racial justice, because working people, the poor, and oppressed minorities are affected much more by climate change and environmental damage. Bautista also pointed out that industrial activity on shorelines often exacerbates the effects of storm surges, particularly during Superstorm Sandy.

Ray Figueroa, president of the New York City Community Gardens Coalition, alerted climate activists that real estate developers, with the apparent acquiescence of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, were planning to bulldoze and destroy 17 beloved community gardens in order to build luxury and some affordable housing. He pointed out that these gardens are not only beautiful, peaceful places for nearby residents, but also retard flooding and absorb carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

After the speakers, conference participants broke down into several groups for more in-depth and specialized discussions, such as making community organizations more alert to the dangers of climate change; explaining how community groups joined together to recover from the effects of Sandy; examining in detail the new proposed legislation; how to get the legislation enacted into law without being weakened by big business; enforcing the legislation once it is enacted; and planning strategies for further actions to fight climate change.

The participants returned after the smaller group discussion for a plenary session. Moderator Leslie Cagan, one of the lead organizers of September's Climate Change March, pointed out that 350.org and the People's Climate Movement were not just gearing up for the new legislation, but were really trying to build a strong city-wide movement to fight climate change.

Another conference is planned for Mar. 31, at the UAW offices in Manhattan. It is important that the labor movement plays a big role in the fight against climate change. Its muscle and leadership are critical in building a wide and diverse movement.

Photo: Mel Evans/AP

Most Catholics worried about climate change

Wed, 18 Mar 2015 14:37:00 +0000

Today marks the day of fast for Catholics in the U.S. as part of the "Lenten Fast for Climate Justice," a global campaign launched by the Global Catholic Climate Movement in partnership with Fast for Climate Change, Green Anglican Carbon Fast and others to encourage Pope Francis and the 1.2 billion Catholics around the world to take meaningful action in addressing climate change.

During this Lenten season, Catholics from more than 50 countries have signed up to fast for one day during the 40 days of Lent and today is the U.S.'s designated day. The goal of the fast is to "raise awareness on climate change" and to challenge Catholics to confront what Pope Francis has called "a globalization of indifference," according to the National Catholic Reporter.

But are that many U.S. Catholics concerned about climate change? There's now data that says yes, according to a special analysis conducted by the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication. Overall, the organization found that Catholics, who make up 24 percent of all American adults, "are more convinced that global warming is happening, are more worried, and are more supportive of policy action than other Christians."

"We find that a solid majority of Catholics think global warming is happening (70 percent)," said Yale Project on Climate Change Communication. "By contrast, 57 percent of non-Catholic Christians think global warming is happening. Moreover, among those who think global warming is happening, Catholics are more likely than other Christians to think it is mostly human caused (48 percent versus 35 percent, respectively)."

Not only do they believe climate change is happening, but they are also more likely to be concerned about its impacts. "A majority of Catholics (64 percent) say they are very or somewhat worried about global warming-18 percentage points higher than all other Christians (46 percent)," said Yale Project on Climate Change Communication.

It makes sense then, that more Catholics also express higher support for climate change policies than other Christians. "Catholics expressed the highest levels of support for funding more research into renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power (81 percent) and providing tax rebates for people who purchase energy-efficient vehicles or solar panels (81 percent)," according to Yale Project on Climate Change Communication.

Why more U.S. Catholics believe in climate change than other Christians is probably a complicated answer, but it certainly helps that their current leader, Pope Francis, who is extremely popular in the U.S. and globally, is an outspoken advocate for action on climate change.

Pope Francis celebrated his second anniversary as supreme pontiff on Friday, "Riding a wave of popularity that has reinvigorated the Catholic Church in ways not seen since the days of St. John Paul II," according to the Chicago Tribune. A recent poll from the Pew Research Center shows that nine out of 10 U.S. Catholics have a favorable view of Pope Francis, including six in 10 who have a "very favorable" view. The Pope is also viewed favorably by non-Catholics, including those with no religious affiliation. In a pew poll, 70 percent of all Americans and even 68 percent of religious "nones" view the so-called "people's Pope" favorably.

He's already more popular with U.S. Catholics than his immediate predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, and almost as popular as Pope John Paul II, who has already been made a saint by the Catholic Church and is "widely considered one of the most charismatic and impactful pontiffs of the modern era," according to Pew.

In the last few months, the Pope has made headlines time and time again for his bold statements-saying that acting on climate change is "essential to faith," blasting "unbridled consumerism" for destroying the planet in a letter to G20 leaders before their annual summit, and calling the destruction of nature a "sin of modern times." Many Catholics around the world used the Pope's visit to the Philippines in January as an opportunity to urge the holy leader to take strong action on climate change.

His encyclical on the environment, which is expected to be released in June or July, is highly anticipated. The Pope has said he hopes the encyclical will spur negotiators at the Paris climate talks in December to make "courageous" decisions, according to the Chicago Tribune. He is also scheduled to visit the U.S. in September with a special visit to Congress, 30 percent of whose members identify as Catholic.

Cardinal Peter Turkson, the Vatican official who helped draft the encyclical said at a Lenten lecture at St. Patrick's Pontifical University in Maynooth, Ireland that 2015 is "a critical year for humanity," according to the National Catholic Reporter. In addition to the Paris climate talks, Turkson cited the Third International Conference on Financing for Development in July in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and the U.N. General Assembly's meeting in September as two crucial global conferences to address climate change.

"The coming 10 months are crucial, then, for decisions about international development, human flourishing and care for the common home we call planet Earth," said Turkson.

This article was originally posted on EcoWatch.

Photo: Shutterstock

Activists use impetus of Climate March to invoke justice

Wed, 18 Mar 2015 10:23:00 +0000

NEW YORK - Hundreds of labor, climate, and community activists met at District Council 37, March 16, to transform the passion of last year's People's Climate March into a movement aimed at pushing for legislation that combats climate change and promotes environmental justice.

The event - "Our City, Our Climate: A Forum on NYC Climate and Environmental Legislation" - was organized by the People's Climate Movement-NY as a follow-up to the 2014 March when hundreds of thousands flooded New York streets demanding government action to avert the climate crisis. Subsequently, bills related to reducing fossil fuel emissions, resiliency and adaptation and more have been introduced in the City Council.

After a warm welcome from DC 37 Assistant Associate Director Jahmila Joseph, attendees got a status report on City Council initiatives and instructions on how to push for their passage from Donovan Richards, chair of the Council's Environmental Committee and Legislative Counsel Samara Swanston. NYS Nurses Association President Judy Sheridan-Gonzalez, Community Garden Coalition's Ray Figueroa and Environmental Justice Alliance's Eddie Bautista described how tackling the issue benefits the issues impact on workers, families and communities.

With Cyclone Pam's recent devastation of the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu providing a dramatic reminder of the perils of ignoring climate change, a visit from that country's UN Ambassador Odo Tevi and former Ambassador R. Van Lierop was particularly poignant.

Prior to the forum, PCM-NY and Moral Mondays held a demonstration at 250 Broadway to focus of the moral need for action on climate change.

"Climate Change is both a moral issue and a labor issue. First, it's a labor issue because the working men and women we represent are often on the frontlines protecting and providing services to those whose lives have been turned upside down by devastating climate events. Secondly, it's a labor issue because many of the initiatives designed to combat the negative effects of climate change can mean new and better jobs for all," said Jon Foster, chair of DC 37 Climate Change Committee.

"Equally important is the fact that the issue of environmental justice is critical to our rank and file members and we, as labor, must fight the good fight," he added.

Leslie Cagan, one of the coordinators of the 2014 People's Climate March, moderated the panel. "Like Superstorm Sandy whose scars are still evident in parts of New York City, the monster cyclone that smashed into the tiny South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu a few days ago is a painful reminder that climate change is a reality that we simply cannot ignore," she stated.

While organizers stressed their support of efforts of NY Mayor Bill de Blasio and the City Council to combat climate change, at the same time they emphasized that there is much more to do.

U.S. labor organizations have been increasingly educating and mobilizing their members and building coalitions on, what many call, the most pressing issue for humanity.

Below is a five-minute video showing why unions and their allies are coming together to champion a Resist, Reclaim, Restructure approach to energy transition based on social ownership and democratic control. (Article continues after video.)

With alternative energy sources becoming more feasible, "green" jobs, too, are seen as part of the solution to shifting the economy from fossil fuels to clean energy. USA TODAY reports that the Obama administration is setting higher goals for wind power, saying it could supply 35 percent of the nation's electricity by the year 2050.

Wind power currently generates 4.5 percent of electricity, but that number is expected to more than double to 10 percent by 2020, says a report obtained by USA TODAY that will be released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Energy.

"Wind energy continues to be one of America's best choices for low-cost, zero-pollution renewable energy, and in an increasing number of markets, may be the cheapest source of new energy available," says a summary of the report by the Obama administration.

The new report - titled "Wind Vision: A New Era of Wind Power in the United States" - replaces a 2008 document produced during the George W. Bush administration called "20% Wind Energy by 2030."

Photo: People's Climate March. | Jason DeCrow/AP

World's largest indoor farm putting down roots in New Jersey

Tue, 17 Mar 2015 16:09:00 +0000

With a long history of pollution, as well as corruption within the state environmental department, the Garden State's nickname hasn't been particularly well-earned. However, New Jersey's city of Newark will soon be home to the largest indoor farm in the world, thanks to a $30 million project that will transform an industrial ruin into an urban environmental work.

The project is being done by AeroFarms, a company that seeks to combat the global food crisis by developing innovative approaches to agricultural development. To that end, the Newark-based farm will take the space that is currently being occupied by an abandoned steel factory. Construction has already begun at the three-acre industrial site, with the first phase of operations there to begin later this year.

There are, of course, various downsides to this venture that ought to be addressed. Union workers will likely lament the tearing down of the factory, which once was a place that provided jobs for many working class residents before those types of jobs were shipped overseas. On the other hand, AeroFarms' structure is being touted as a jobs creator in its own right.

The company will create a recruiting and job training campaign that will pull in local residents, in a city whose "unemployment rate is twice the national average." In its beginning phase alone, it will likely create at least 78 jobs this year, said AeroFarms.

But there is another issue to address: Indoor farms do have their shortcomings, according to Grist.org. They require large amounts of electricity to LED lights and water pumps - substitutes for sunlight and rain. And they require a large investment in machinery that could be error-prone or costly to replace if damaged. Indoor farms are often seen as unable to be economically on par with outdoor agriculture, but whether this project can change that remains to be seen.

Regardless, the development is largely seen as a potential major economic boost for New Jersey and part of a continuous move toward making the state a greener place. According to Newark mayor Ras Baraka, it could also enhance that city's reputation. He remarked, "Newark is increasingly becoming a destination city for high-tech and environmentally-friendly commerce, and this $30 million project in the East Ward will bring jobs and prosperity to our city. It will also expand the role of urban farming and locally-produced vegetables. This will provide greater access to healthy and inexpensive food choices for our residents, helping them live healthier lifestyles."

When the project is completed, said AeroFarms, it "will have the capacity to grow up to two million pounds per year of baby leafy greens and herbs in an environmentally controlled, safe, and sanitary facility. It will provide healthy tools to the local community as well as to other markets." The farm will purportedly offer "sustainable farming" with "75 times more productivity per square foot annually than a traditional field farm while using no pesticides and consuming over 95 percent less water."

"Our urban farms demonstrate the enormous commitment of residents to develop homegrown solutions to repair our food system," said Newark food policy director Elizabeth Reynoso. "Through urban agriculture we are determining what we eat, who grows it, how it is grown, and where it comes from. We increase the availability and affordability of foods that represent our city's multi-ethnic culinary traditions, [and] we stimulate food enterprises and urban agriculture technologies developed locally." This is "one of the best ways to engage people and connect them back to the land."

"This is what economic development should look like," remarked Drew Curtis, director of Community Development and Environmental Justice for Ironbound Community Corp., a nonprofit organization focusing on sustainable business development. "Good jobs, environmentally friendly uses. And uses that won't add to the existing pollution in the neighborhood."

Local resident and community activist Cass Zang Gonmiah said, "We can grow most of what we need to eat. Growing your own food is like printing your own money." Newark is "the largest city in a state called 'the Garden State.' We're bringing the garden back."

Photo: Artistic rendering of what the completed urban farm facility will look like. | AeroFarms

Chicago community fights petcoke, pile by pile

Tue, 10 Mar 2015 15:08:00 +0000

CHICAGO - For one community, the Windy City has been blowing something other than a healthy breeze. The black dust known as petroleum coke (petcoke), a byproduct of oil refinery processes, has been piling up on the city's southeast side and drifting into various neighborhoods, endangering people's health - and trying their patience. A small but determined coalition of residents have now stepped forward to fight back.

An area on the banks of the Calumet River, which was once home to steel plants (and jobs), are now the site of the petcoke piles, most of which reach about five to six feet in height. These belong to KCBX Terminals, owned by the right-wing billionaire Koch Brothers. In early February, one of KCBX's customers, the notorious BP, announced it would stop sending its own petcoke shipments to this site (where this material will end up instead is not yet known). While this was a mild victory, environmental activists are careful to point out that the real battle - removing petcoke in its entirety - remains to be fought.

Tom Shepherd, president of the Southeast Environmental Task Force (SETA), spoke with the People's World about the issue, noting that the scope of the problem goes beyond just one neighborhood. "People are not aware enough in the city [at large]," he remarked. "This is a regional problem, because the petcoke becomes airborne. That makes it a public health problem. More people will require medical attention."

His concerns are entirely supported by the EPA, which warns that significant quantities of petcoke dust can easily pass through the nose and throat and enter the lungs. Once inhaled, they can affect the heart and lungs and cause serious health issues, the last of which is asthma. The trace amounts of toxic materials measured in petcoke are also cause for concern.

BP's decision to withdraw from the area, said Shepherd, "is definitely not the beginning of the end. The petcoke is piling up at an alarming rate. And we've shown, through visits and photos, that it's not just blowing around, it's falling through our riverway system. That's connected to Lake Michigan drinking water. We have quite a mess on our hands."

But through organizing and pressuring local officials, residents have raised their concerns in a very public way. SETA, together with National Nurses United (NNU) and the Southeast Side Coalition to Ban Petcoke, held a press conference on the issue on Mar. 5, where, brandishing a large sign emblazoned with the slogan "Pollution is Not the Solution," declared that they will not stop fighting until the petcoke problem is fully dealt with. They also remarked that KCBX had announced it would begin to phase out its ground-stored petcoke piles, opting instead to keep them in rail cars. That, the organizations noted, does not solve the problem, as uncovered rail cars full of petcoke are hardly different than the piles there are now.

Shepherd said they are trying to get the word out about just how troubling these piles are. "We've had office holders and politicians invited out here, we've had them on tours. We've done the same with people from the Chicago Legal Department and the Department of Public Health. This [fight] would be impossible if we didn't draw the attention. We've had the support of groups from across the city and the Midwest: Tar Sands Free Midwest, Rising Tide Chicago, Eco Justice Collaborative, Environmental Law and Policy Center, Alliance for the Great Lakes." Aside from organizations, he said, "The more people that become aware of this, the better."

Olga Bautista, an activist with the Southeast Side Coalition, is one such person. She said that she and others remain focused on kicking KCBX to curb, but that is easier said than done. "We don't know of any community," she noted, that has been "able to successfully kick out the Koch Brothers, and that's what we're calling for. But we're not going to back down from our original demand to ban the stuff. It's going to be us, moms and dads like me, who hold them accountable. We're not going to stand by and watch these companies make millions and billions of dollars while at the same time they make us sick."

Speaking of illness, perhaps no group sees it more clearly than the NNU. Sheilah Garland, an organizer with the union, said, "Nurses take this from a very personal perspective. We deal with patients one on one, we see it in our hospital beds, in our clinics. When young people are dying of pulmonary issues, this is very real to us."

Photo: SETA Facebook page

More than 80 groups urge Pfizer to leave climate-denier ALEC

Wed, 04 Mar 2015 14:20:00 +0000

Common Cause joined a coalition of 84 public interest, religious, environmental, labor, public health, civil rights, and investor organizations today in calling on pharmaceutical giant Pfizer to end its membership in the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).

The letter to Pfizer signed by the organizations argues that the company's corporate social responsibility policies do not line up with ALEC's public policy agenda. Specifically, the letter contrasts Pfizer's public commitment to addressing climate change with ALEC's denial of climate change and opposition to renewable energy measures. The letter also highlights differences between ALEC and Pfizer on public health laws, citing ALEC's support of the tobacco industry.

ALEC is an organization of more than 1,000 state legislators and an undisclosed number of corporations. Its corporate and legislative members meet several times annually to vote as equals on "model" legislation that often is tailored to benefit the corporations involved. The task force meetings where the group does the bulk of its work are closed to reporters and the public. Common Cause has filed a tax "whistleblower" complaint against ALEC, accusing the organization of masquerading as a charity while acting as a lobby for its corporate members.

More than 100 corporations and non-profit groups have left ALEC since 2011, when Common Cause and other groups launched a campaign to call public attention to the group's activities. Several organizations that signed the letter released today, including Common Cause, Forecast the Facts, and the American Federation of Teachers, also are launching petitions today asking Pfizer to end its relationship with ALEC.

Pfizer also is facing increasing pressure from shareholders regarding its political spending and lobbying. Pfizer has not yet heeded requests, including a shareholder proposal at the company's 2014 annual meeting and a pending proposal for 2015, to reevaluate its membership in ALEC. Some shareholders allege that ALEC's agenda is severely out of step with Pfizer's corporate culture and may bring significant reputational and business risk to the company.

Other corporations that recently have left ALEC include Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Yelp, Yahoo, eBay, AOL, SAP America, Occidental Petroleum, and Northrop Grumman.

Read the letter and see the complete list of signers here.

Statements from Signing Organizations

Arn Pearson, Vice President of Litigation, Common Cause

"Pfizer should stop supporting and associating itself with a group that misleads taxpayers and the IRS about its extensive lobbying activities. Instead, the company should follow the lead of over 100 other corporations and end its relationship with ALEC."

Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT)

"Nurses and health professionals want Pfizer to put patients before profits by ending its membership in the American Legislative Exchange Council. Pfizer should renounce ALEC's policies that deny health coverage for the most vulnerable members of our communities and ALEC's advocacy against the right of workers to have strong unions."

Brant Olson, Campaign Director, Forecast the Facts

"ALEC is rolling back clean power rules in statehouses nationwide. For Pfizer to claim that climate change is a top priority while backing ALEC lacks all credibility."

Lisa Graves, Executive Director of the Center for Media and Democracy

"A company that produces medicine should not be funding a group that has been a key player in blocking paid sick days. Pfizer cannot claim to support public health, but also be in league with big tobacco and major polluters through ALEC."

Rashad Robinson, Executive Director of ColorOfChange

"ALEC's history of championing legislation that jeopardizes the rights of Black people-including discriminatory voter ID and so-called "stand your ground" laws-as well as their current attacks on worker's rights and the open Internet should be reason enough for Pfizer and all other corporations that value their relationships with Black consumers to sever all ties with the organization. Pfizer has a choice: They can stand with ColorOfChange and black communities or they can stand with ALEC, whose policies put our communities in harm's way."

Photo: Texans rally against ALEC, the right-wing stink tank. Jim Lane/PW