{"id":22084,"date":"2020-04-03T13:17:20","date_gmt":"2020-04-03T17:17:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/?page_id=22084"},"modified":"2020-04-14T00:57:39","modified_gmt":"2020-04-14T04:57:39","slug":"phase-down-hfc-super-pollutants-to-stop-global-warming-whwn-april-2020","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/phase-down-hfc-super-pollutants-to-stop-global-warming-whwn-april-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Phase down HFC super pollutants to stop global-warming (WHWN April 2020)"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-22088 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/earth_hand-e1585935663175.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"209\" \/><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><b>Action Alert: Tell your U.S Representative to Take Action Now Against Dangerous Climate \u201cSuper Pollutant\u201d HFCs \u2014 While Creating New Jobs!<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: left;\"><b>Page Contents <\/b><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(click on a title to go to that section)<\/span><\/em><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h4><a href=\"#Action\"><strong>Action Needed Now: 3 Things You Can Do<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/FINAL-2020-04-12-WHWN-House-HFC-Jobs-AMIL-HR5544.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Link here for the April WHWN Handout<\/a>\u00a0letters\/action due 4\/16.<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h4><a href=\"#Know\"><strong>What You Should Know<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h4><a href=\"#Spiritual\"><strong>Our UU Spiritual Grounding<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h4><a href=\"#Resources\"><strong>Resources and Relevant Links<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our faith calls us to promote bold action and hold our legislators accountable. We strongly believe that the climate crisis demands a dramatic and rapid reduction of emissions of the greenhouse gases that are causing the earth to warm dangerously. Among one of the most potent groups of climate-changing super pollutant chemicals are hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), used in air conditioning, refrigeration, and many other applications. <\/span><b>The House<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong> must bring the<\/strong> <\/span><b>American Innovation and Manufacturing Leadership (AIM) Act<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong> (H.R.5544) to the floor for a vote.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Our ASK: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tell your Representative to co-sponsor H.R.5544 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> talk to leadership to urge a full committee vote in the House Energy and Commerce Committee.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Why now?:\u00a0<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We have a rare opportunity to advance bipartisan bicameral legislation that is good for the environment, will create jobs and grow the economy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While attention is now understandably focused on the COVID-19 pandemic and we know that job recovery must be addressed, we must not neglect the longer-term but equally serious crisis posed by global warming, which seriously impacts air quality and the health of people. H.R.5544 addresses economic job growth, reducing HFCs while improving air quality and reducing global warming. This bill \u00a0presents a welcome opportunity to show that Congress can act on a bipartisan basis, just as it did with the Corona Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, to address the serious dangers to health and the economy posed by the buildup of powerful heat-trapping chemicals like HFCs. <\/span><\/p>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Contact Your U.S. Representative by 6pmET April 16, 2020:<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><b>Write letters for delivery through UUSJ, and\/or call or send message to your Representative.\u00a0<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0See details below<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4 id=\"Action\"><\/h4>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Action Needed NOW: 3 Things You Can Do<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<h4><b>1 \u2013\u00a0Write letters \u2013 organize members of your congregation to Write Here! Write Now! (WHWN) letters and deliver by Thursday, April 16 by 6pmET, UUSJs will deliver later in the month. <\/b><\/h4>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Due to the coronavirus outbreak, we are altering our scheduled visits to the Hill but will move forward with the <\/span><b>Write Here! Write Now!<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> letter writing. We have canceled the April 14 Capitol Hill Advocacy Day visits to the House and will fax or deliver all letters as soon as it is safe. We are in consultation with some Hill offices about alternatives to our delivery of letters and face-to-face meetings, and their availability for Zoom or phone call in meetings with constituents in April.<strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/FINAL-2020-04-12-WHWN-House-HFC-Jobs-AMIL-HR5544.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Link here for the April WHWN Handout<\/a>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"padding-left: 30px; text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><b>How should we conduct <\/b><b>WHWN! at a time of physical distancing<\/b><b>?<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Consider hosting an online letter-writing event (utilizing Zoom, Skype, or another online platform). <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is a good way to maintain a sense of community for many people who are feeling isolated. Maybe host it as a happy hour, or gather virtually after your online Sunday service. If you don\u2019t have your own Zoom account, contact your congregation as they might have or have recently purchased the service. A free Zoom account allows for 40-minute meetings but you can extend it with a quick re-invitation of the group. Link here for more Frequently Asked Questions generated during our March 29 brainstorming sessions with WHWN partners.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Want to write your members of Congress regularly?<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> UUSJ offers a monthly letter-writing campaign. We send you a promotional announcement to adapt, WHWN issue handout, and a report on our Advocacy Corps Day Hill visit. Want to explore becoming a partner? Contact Lavona Grow at <\/span><a href=\"mailto:advocacy@uusj.org\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">advocacy@uusj.org<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4 style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><b>How do I deliver our letters to Washington, D.C.?\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mail your letters to UUSJ c\/o Lavona Grow, (see address on WHWN handout), or scan and email your letters to <\/span><a href=\"mailto:advocacy@uusj.org\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">advocacy@uusj.org<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Mailed or emailed letters should arrive no later than Thursday, April 16 by 6:00 PM ET. We will fax or deliver letters as soon as it is safe.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Want to mail your letters but don\u2019t want to go to the Post Office?<\/b>\u00a0Consider a bulk snail mail service like<a style=\"background-color: #ffffff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mailform.io\/\"> MailForm.<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><b>2 \u2013 Call your representative\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n<h4><b>3<\/b><b> \u2013 S<\/b><b>end an online message<\/b><\/h4>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-22124 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/letter_wide-114373157624ef432f57452b56c2eb19289fd314-s800-c85-e1586198887997.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"192\" height=\"108\" \/>Suggested message \u2013 adapt for your call or online message<\/b><\/h4>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hello, my name is <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[your name]<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. I\u2019m a constituent from<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> [city, state]<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. I am a Unitarian Universalist from<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> [name of congregation and location optional]<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I have a deep concern for the environment and for people who suffer most from the effects of a warming planet. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I urge <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[Representative\u2019s name]<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to take action to address the dangerous heat-trapping <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and also create jobs by supporting the <\/span><strong>American Innovation and Manufacturing Leadership (AIM) Act, H.R.5544.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I also urge <em>[the representative&#8217;s name]<\/em> to <\/span><a style=\"color: #008000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/116th-congress\/house-bill\/5544\/cosponsors?searchResultViewType=expanded&amp;KWICView=false\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">co-sponsor <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">H.R. 5544<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> [check to see if your member is a co-sponsor, if yes, thank them, if not ask if they will]<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Please speak up and take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by supporting common-sense bipartisan legislation. Please urge the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">leadership to support this common-sense legislation now pending a vote in the Energy and Commerce Committee.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> [Add a personal concern or story from your community or state, etc.]<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #008000;\">Thank you for your consideration of my concerns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"padding-left: 30px; text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><b>How do I contact my Representative?<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><b>Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (202) 224-3121- you&#8217;ll be connected to your member of Congress&#8217;s office.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><b>To find<\/b> <b>contact information (phone, website, D.C. office etc.) for your members of Congress<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> visit these websites or Google your member and go to the D.C. office page. On their webpage. you&#8217;ll find an online email form to send a message.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.govtrack.us\/congress\/members\/map\"><b>GovTrack<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to search by your address.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.house.gov\/representatives\"><b>U.S. House of Representatives<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to search by state or Representative\u2019s name<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">After sending your letter, consider<strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/i\/lists\/4244910\/members?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tweeting<\/a> <\/strong>your Representative or finding them on Facebook<\/p>\n<h4 id=\"Know\"><\/h4>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>What You Should Know<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>WHWN Issue Handout:<\/strong> For more information about the topic, see the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/FINAL-2020-04-12-WHWN-House-HFC-Jobs-AMIL-HR5544.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>WHWN handout with talking points and sample letter<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Send to your letter-writers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Citizen engagement is an essential aspect of our democracy \u2014 all the time<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Advocacy is particularly important at this time because special interests may use this time to advance their agendas to the detriment of the people and the environment. Our members of Congress need to know we are still paying attention.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we are altering our scheduled visits to the Hill but will move forward with <\/span><b>Write Here! Write Now!<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> letter writing. We have canceled the April 14 Advocacy Day visits to the House and will deliver all letters as soon as it is safe, we are in consultation with some Hill offices about alternatives to delivering letters, and their availability for Zoom or phone call in meetings in April.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>During April<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, to address the climate crisis we must reduce harmful greenhouse gases. A bipartisan bicameral bill now in the House and Senate can help make that happen, while creating new jobs. The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/116th-congress\/house-bill\/5544\"><b>American Innovation and Manufacturing Leadership Act (AIM), H.R.5544<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, is a bipartisan bill to reduce <strong>hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)<\/strong> by 85% over 15 years. Pound-for-pound, HFCs are more potent drivers of warming than carbon dioxide. The AIM H.R.5544 bill is a critical solution to decrease harmful gases caused by air conditioners and refrigeration and replace them with environmentally-sound alternatives. The bill is supported by environmental and business communities.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Note: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For the <\/span><b>May 2020 nationwide WHWN letter-writing campaign<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, we will write to our Senators regarding the HFC <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">companion bill in the Senate (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/116th-congress\/senate-bill\/2754\/text\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">S.2754<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. We are co-sponsoring the Senate letter-writing with the UU Ministry for Earth (UUMFE) the Senate WHWN handout will be available on April 14. We will be in consultation with the UUMFE regarding the due date for your letters.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-22082 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/methaneeffective-stock-photossstock-e1585940205439.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"144\" height=\"150\" \/>From GreenBiz Group:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Super-pollutant greenhouse gases such as methane, black carbon (aka soot), nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) don\u2019t have a long lifespan in the atmosphere (measured in days and decades rather than the centuries that carbon dioxide could hang around) but data suggest they have an outsize negative impact on the global warming trend during their aerial lifespan.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indeed, some figures suggest that collectively speaking, super pollutants may be contributing as much as 50 percent to the current warming trends of the planet. Without more aggressive reduction or phase-out measures, there\u2019s a strong possibility that temperatures could rise 1.5 degrees Celsius before 2030 (barely a decade away) with catastrophic implications for human health, according to a 2018 event report.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<h4 id=\"Spiritual\"><\/h4>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Our UU Spiritual Grounding<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Avoiding a climate crisis falls squarely within our UU 7th Principle: Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. At the General Assembly, UUs passed an Action of Immediate Witness, Build the Movement for a Green New Deal (2019) and Act for a Livable Climate&#8230; (2015), and a Statement of Conscience, Threat of Global Warming\/Climate Change (2006). <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Resources and Relevant Links<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<h4><b>Where to learn more about the issue:<\/b><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reps. Olson &amp; Tonko Applaud Hearing on Bipartisan Bill to Phase Down Use of HFCs<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/olson.house.gov\/media-center\/press-releases\/olson-tonko-applaud-hearing-on-bipartisan-bill-to-phase-down-use-of-hfcs\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">January 14, 2020\u00a0 Press Release <\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/eia-global.org\/blog-posts\/20200113-bipartisan-bill-ains-to-phase-down-hfcs\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Environmental Investigation Agency<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/newsletters\/morning-energy\/2020\/01\/14\/house-takes-up-hfcs-784351\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Politico<\/span><\/a>\u00a0&#8211; House Takes Up HFCs<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aip.org\/fyi\/federal-science-bill-tracker\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">American Institute of Physics<\/span><\/a>\u00a0&#8211; federal science bill tracker.<\/li>\n<li>\n<h4><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Fact Sheets<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change <a href=\"http:\/\/www.creationjustice.org\/uploads\/2\/5\/4\/6\/25465131\/wisc_eewg_ipcc_report_fact_sheet.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Summary<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>A Faith Leader&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.creationjustice.org\/uploads\/2\/5\/4\/6\/25465131\/wisc_eewg_nca4_fact_sheets.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Guide<\/a> to the the 4th National Climate Assessment<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These guides were created by the Inter-Religious Staff Community (WISC) Energy &amp; Ecology Working Group for people of faith to understand the assessment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Action Alert: Tell your U.S Representative to Take Action Now Against Dangerous Climate \u201cSuper Pollutant\u201d HFCs \u2014 While Creating New Jobs! &nbsp; Page Contents (click on a title to go to that section) Action Needed Now: 3 Things You Can Do \u00a0Link here for the April WHWN Handout\u00a0letters\/action due 4\/16. What You Should Know Our &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/phase-down-hfc-super-pollutants-to-stop-global-warming-whwn-april-2020\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Phase down HFC super pollutants to stop global-warming (WHWN April 2020)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-22084","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22084","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22084"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22084\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22196,"href":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22084\/revisions\/22196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}