“If we succeed, we will not only help realize the benefits of a clean energy future,
but lay the groundwork for more ambitious climate action in the future”
NEW YORK, NY – In the wake of the hottest summer on record, punctuated by deadly wildfires and unprecedented floods. And on the heels of both an urgent Papal appeal and a United Nations report warning that the world is behind but can still turn the tide of the climate crisis, the need for urgent climate action has never been clearer.
Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action is rising to the challenge, launching a new campaign to accelerate the transition to a clean energy future, and guarantee that everyone can share in the benefits: Good, family sustaining jobs, clean air and water, affordable energy bills, and accessible transportation.
Last night, Dayenu announced its new campaign, A Time To Build: Climate, Jobs, and Justice for All. Reflecting the growth of the movement and the urgency of the call, the 450 people who registered for the launch call came from 35 states plus Washington, DC and Puerto Rico.
The campaign mobilizes American Jews to call on their policymakers to ensure that recent historic federal investments in clean, good jobs, and environmental justice reach every community — especially those that need it the most — without delay. Its name and the inspiration come from Kohelet (Ecclesiastes): “A season is set for everything, a time for every experience under heaven,” including “a time to tear down and a time to build up.
“Now is the time to build the just and livable future we so desperately need,” said Rabbi Jennie Rosenn, Dayenu’s Founder & CEO.
Last year, after decades of mounting public pressure and a sustained 18-month campaign, Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act. It was the first major piece of federal legislation to confront the climate crisis, and a catalyst for America’s rapid transition to clean energy. Dayenu campaigned actively for the law’s passage, marshaling support from Jewish communities in dozens of states.
“The passage of historic climate legislation launched us into a new new era. Investments in clean energy, good jobs, and environmental justice are starting to flow, but the future remains unwritten,” said Rabbi Jennie Rosenn. “Will the transition happen at the pace needed to avert the worst impacts of the climate crisis, and will the much-needed reach the communities who need it the most? It’s up to us to demand our elected officials at all levels of government deliver for all of us and for generations to come.”
To date, the Inflation Reduction Act has created at least 74,181 new jobs, on 210 clean energy projects in 38 states. This success provokes opponents of climate action: the fossil fuel industry and the politicians who do their bidding. Currently, members of the US House of Representatives are trying to claw back billions of dollars of climate funds as part of ongoing budget negotiations.
Over the course of the campaign, Dayenu’s network of 150 groups including 80 active Circles around the country will work alongside Jewish, multifaith, and secular allies to protect historic climate investments from rollbacks, then advocate to national and state officials to make sure they reach every community, avoiding unnecessary delay or diversion. Throughout, they will tell the story of our vision of a world transformed by clean energy and climate solutions that allows everyone to not only survive, but thrive.
“Success will not only help realize the benefits of a clean energy future, but lay the groundwork for more ambitious climate action in the future.”
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