“We know that our state faces escalating climate impacts that demand bold action. Further delay puts our communities and our futures in peril.”
Today, one year after devastating fires ripped through communities in Southern California, Jewish clergy across the state released a letter calling on California state legislators and Governor Newsom to establish a Climate Superfund in California.
The letter cites bedrock Jewish values guiding them to climate action including the value of being shomrei adamah (protectors of the earth) and rodfei tzedek (pursuers of justice), and calls on legislators “to act now to ensure a livable planet so that all people may continue to live and thrive l’dor v’dor, from generation to generation.”
The letter notes, “As clergy in California, we have seen firsthand the impact of the climate crisis on our congregants and communities – including devastating fires, floods, toxic smoke-filled air, and the grief of facing a world on the brink of ecological collapse. We are united in our call to establish a Climate Superfund in California to fund vital climate mitigation and adaptation, including responding to wildfires, preparing for storms, supporting workers and communities in the wake of disaster, and building sustainable infrastructure.”
The Climate Superfund would require the worst fossil fuel polluters to pay their fair share for the climate damages they have caused, while enabling California to invest in climate resilience, clean energy, and support for frontline communities.
The letter ends by noting, “We know that our state faces escalating climate impacts that demand bold action. Further delay puts our communities and our futures in peril.”
The letter, which is sponsored by Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action and The Religious Action Center: California has so far been signed by over 60 Jewish clergy from across the state. The letter is still open for additional signatories.