As we enter 2025, we celebrate big wins on bold climate action and find inspiration as we chart a new path. We can still win climate progress – if we turn our focus to the state and local levels.
Join us as we mobilize to make a difference in State Houses, City Halls, and our communities.
In a landmark move, Governor Kathy Hochul signed the New York Climate Change Superfund Act
New York just enacted a major new piece of climate legislation that can serve as a model for other states around the country. This new bill signals a seismic shift in thinking about responsibility for the massive impacts of the climate crisis: those who knowingly do the damage (and profit wildly) should be required to pay.
This victory happened because activists took to the streets, to the State House, and to the phones. We know in our hearts that Organizing gets the goods – and now we have hard proof that our efforts are making a real difference. Last year, Dayenu activists joined together with other Jewish climate activists, and with a broad coalition of climate organizations, at countless events.
As Bill McKibben (founder of Third Act and member of Dayenu Advisory Board) noted: “The earth’s tenth-largest economy is standing up to some of the earth’s biggest corporations, on behalf of its beleaguered citizens. The balance of power between the fossil fuel juggernaut that began with that New Yorker John Rockefeller and an overheating world is shifting, and ever-faster!”
The New York law will force big oil and gas companies to pay for some of the damage caused by extreme weather events (made more frequent and severe by combustion of fossil fuels), as well as resiliency projects such as coastal wetland restoration and upgrades to roads, bridges and water drainage systems.
Holding fossil fuel corporations responsible for the climate crisis is a bold new move. As Sen. Liz Krueger notes, “New York has fired a shot that will be heard round the world: the companies most responsible for the climate crisis will be held accountable.”
Also, on January 5, New York City implemented “congestion pricing,” which levies a toll on drivers entering the city (using cameras installed around Manhattan).
The program – which charges vehicles for entering certain areas during peak commuting hours – aims to reduce congestion in the city, raise money for public transportation, and reduce carbon emissions.
Below just a few photos from out New York legislative work in 2024. For more: Dayenu joins faith leaders to decry “moral failure” of New York policymakers and Bringing voices of faith to a day of climate action at the NY State Capitol.
On to more in 2025!
In 2024, we mobilized to bring the moral and grassroots might of our community into the fight for climate justice. We underscored the urgency to center the voices and needs of those on the frontlines of the climate crisis: Black, Brown, Indigenous, and low-income communities.
We understand that climate progress will not happen at the federal level – it’s crystal clear that the fight needs to happen at the state level. Later this month, we will kick off a new campaign in New York that will lay the groundwork for a just and livable future.
Sign up to learn all about our new direction and how to get involved.
New York Campaign Teach-in
Tuesday, January 21, 2025 | 7:00-8:30pm ET
This teach-in will be in collaboration with the RAC-NY. We’ll talk about our coordinated climate campaigns and discuss how our joint work can amplify our power.
In 2025, we’ll be rallying Jewish climate activists in New York to ensure that funds earned through a historic climate law are invested where they’re needed most. The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, passed in 2019, enables the state to set a strict limit on planet-warming emissions, charge corporations for their share of pollution, and invest those funds in climate solutions.
One of the ways that this will be enacted is through a Cap-Trade-and-Invest program which is set to start funneling money to the state budget in 2025.
With the program set to take effect this year, now is the time to demand bold action and environmental justice.
Save the date for our second
New York State Legislative Session Teach-in
Tuesday, February 11, 2025 | 7:00-8:30pm ET (Zoom)
Dayenu is going all in to ensure that climate funding is collected and invested where it’s needed most: in communities that have suffered the most from poverty, pollution, and the burning of dirty energy.
We invite you to celebrate this win, join our efforts to organize for more, and participate in our thriving Jewish climate movement.