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PEG 6th Congressional District Newsletter 348
Michigan Democratic Presidential Primaries: February 27, 2024
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Planet on Fire: The Final Resolution of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28)
UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell hailed the final, unanimous agreement of the COP28 conference. After much conflict between the petrostates and others, particularly the island nations, in the end, representatives from the 198 nations acknowledged the need to end our planet’s dependence on fossil fuels. Stiell notes, “Whilst we didn’t turn the page on the fossil fuel era in Dubai, this outcome is the beginning of the end. Now all governments and businesses need to turn these pledges into real-economy outcomes, without delay.” According to John Kerry, President Biden’s special envoy for climate change, this is “the most important decision since the Paris agreement” in 2015.
But critics are concerned there is little bite behind the conference’s unifying bark. The final compromise agreement resorted to language like “transitioning away from” rather than calling for an outright phaseout of fossil fuels.
Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, the energy minister of Saudi Arabia, insisted that the deal would not hinder his country’s sale of crude oil. As did Sultan Al Jaber, the Emirati oil executive who said the United Arab Emirates national oil company would continue to produce petroleum.
The United States makes a similar two-step move. Although President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act is unprecedented in its commitment to renewable energy over the next ten years, our oil production is at an all-time high.
Auden Schendler, the Senior Vice President of Sustainability at Aspen One, is skeptical of the ability of private corporations to voluntarily limit or end their fossil fuel production. Calling for serious governmental regulations, he notes that “for fossil fuel companies, committing to containing methane leaking from their pipelines and wellheads is a way for those businesses to appear beneficent while continuing to traffic in oil and gas.”
But even a cynic like Schendler acknowledges glimmers—mere glimmers—of hope. Despite the intransigence of the oil-producing nations, there were insistent calls for a phase-out of fossil fuels. And the US’s Environmental Protection Agency announced new regulations of methane gas.
However incomplete Biden’s leadership might be on climate change at home, his presidency has put US support for carbon regulation at the forefront of the COP28 conference. The possibility of Donald Trump’s second presidency, on the other hand, casts a shadow over US leadership in phasing out fossil fuels. George David Banks, who accompanied a group of Republicans to the conference, predicted that Trump, if elected, would withdraw the US from the Paris climate accord as he did in his first presidency. And if Trump’s first term as president was any indication of his future policies on the environment, he’d wipe out or weaken 125 rules, mostly designed to reduce planet-warming.
Events and Opportunities
Friday, December 22. Prayer Vigil for Ypsilanti Area Victims of Gun Violence
Join our neighbors who remember local victims of Gun Violence for an hour vigil in front of the Black Rose Mural at the Corner Health Center by N. Huron Parking Lot, 47 N. Huron Street, Ypsilanti. 5:30 – 6:30 pm
Wednesdays. America at a Crossroads Virtual Series
- Wednesday, January 3. “The World at War: Is There a Path to Peace?” Mike Mullen – Retired US Navy Admiral with Warren Olney. Register here. 8 pm ET
- Wednesday, January 10 at 8 pm ET, historian, author and Substack blogger Heather Cox Richardson in conversation with Patt Morrison: “Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America” (Register Here)
- January 17. Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of Berkeley Law, with Larry Mantle: “Anti-semitism and Anti-Zionism on College Campuses: What can we do?” (Register here.) 8 pm ET
Saturday, January 6. FREE Reclaim January 6th Nonviolence & De-escalation Training
The Meta Peace Team (MPT) and the Interfaith Council for Peace & Justice (ICPJ) have co-created this full-day nonviolence & de-escalation training to prepare & organize ourselves to respond to animosity and hatred with non-violence, de-escalation, empathy, and love.
The training is a proactive response to increasing threats and violence against Black, Brown, Indigenous, Jewish, Arab, Muslim, Palestinian, and queer communities, especially since the January 6th attack, with a recognition of the potential for further escalation as elections approach. Journey of Faith,1900 Manchester Rd, Ann Arbor. Register here. 10 am– 5 pm
Saturday, January 6. Screening of Behind Our Walls
Join Humanity for Prisoners and Michigan Justice Advocacy for the screening of Humanity for Prisoners’ 2023 Grand Rapids Film Festival’s Best Documentary, Behind Our Walls. The documentary, produced by Nate Roels, tells the story of eight Michigan prisoners in Handlon Correctional Facility (the facility where Leslie McGraw (of PEG)’s son is currently an inmate). The film highlights the educational program that brought them together, Calvin Prison Initiative, established by Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary.
Prior to the feature film showing, a brief but inspiring film depicting the work and mission of Humanity for Prisoners will be shown. The screening will be held at Washtenaw Community College, Towsley Auditorium, 4800 E. Huron River Drive, Ann Arbor. Tickets are available here. 6:30 – 9 pm
Monday, January 15. MLK Symposium – Keynote Memorial Lecture featuring Michelle Alexander
Essential to the ministry and social justice advocacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr is his belief in the transformative power of faith, hope, and love to mend the rifts in society. In his historic “I Have a Dream” speech, he articulates his dream of racial equality and social and economic justice. Keynote Memorial Lecturer, Michelle Alexander, is the Best-selling author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. This event is Free and open to the public. University of Michigan, Hill Auditorium, 825 N. University Ave, Ann Arbor. 10 am Learn More
Don’t Miss Out! Get the MLK Symposium App
Throughout the entire month of January, the MLK Symposium provides the community with over 40 opportunities to participate in lectures, live performances, exhibits, workshops and community service projects sponsored by academic and non-academic units, student and staff organizations and community groups. Explore these events and ways to get involved through this guide. Download the App
More things to do, read, watch, and listen to
Get Inspired by a D.C. student who is to Helping Others Share their Grief from Gun Violence
Kanihya Glover is not waiting for someone else to take the lead. She has organized weekly meetings for other students experiencing the tragedy of gun violence at Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington D.C. They share how their lives are affected by the sounds of gunfire outside their homes, stray bullets killing beloved friends, even how they must be sure not to wear too-flashy outfits for fear of becoming a victim. They are always reminded that danger surrounds them.
Kanihya (age 17) created the group Broken Concrete after losing two cousins in fatal shootings. She leads the lunchtime meetings with the skill of a much older person, doing more listening than talking. She is helping them to feel less alone, and to keep themselves from becoming another statistic. She constantly thinks about how to prevent the gun violence rampant in her D.C. neighborhood. (Ward 8 has recorded at least 94 homicides in 2023, by far the most of any ward in the District.) This year, she plans to create a museum exhibit displaying personal items from lives gunned down; she will include the bow her cousin wore in her hair while cheerleading. In October 2022, she launched an Instagram page as a place for families and friends to share their stories and grief, and to promote the importance of mental health awareness. She called it Broken Concrete to represent all the kids who are falling through the cracks.
Congress, languishing with inaction, could learn a great deal from this wise and grieving young woman. From her stolen youth, she gives us hope that the solutions and social change of the future will come from our young people. Surely Kanihya will be one of those leaders who will change the broken world we and she live in.
In Case You Missed It. Debbie Dingell address Washtenaw Dems
Earlier this month, the Washtenaw Dems held a meeting entitled Keeping Trump off the ballot next November. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell started the meeting with a report on what’s happening at the national level, while urging everyone to stay connected to important issues being addressed at the county level. She went on to speak on the existing conflicts globally and how it is showing up here in Michigan.
Click the video above to listen to some of the pressing conversations and updates from local, state, and national leaders that will most likely be at the forefront of the upcoming election season.
Speaking of roads
The Michigan Department of Transportation invested almost $2 Billion this year to improve and maintain its share of the roads throughout the state. The state said it rebuilt or rehabilitated about 1,187 lane miles of roadway and 96 bridges this year. Take a look at the 10 major Michigan road construction projects from 2023. Read More
PEG TikTok Video of the Week
