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Tell President-Elect Obama to Take Climate Action During First 100 Days

Jewish values of justice and stewardship compel us to address the challenges of climate change as a national priority. President-Elect Obama has spoken of his commitment to pursue immediate, effective action upon taking office to address our climate emergency. He will need our help in facing the nay-sayers, obstacles and opposition to his creative, broad-reaching initiatives. Please join us in showing President-elect Obama that we stand behind him as he works to make addressing climate change a national priority.

Evidence of human-induced climate change is mounting. Last year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ("IPCC") concluded that climate change is "unequivocal" and that human beings are more than likely causing it. They won the Nobel Prize for that pronouncement. These changes are harming Creation and intensifying poverty and suffering in the United States and abroad. Jewish tradition teaches that human beings are partners in creation. We must urge our leaders to follow scientific recommendations and take the necessary action to protect creation.

Help strengthen our nation's efforts to address climate change by adding your name and supporting President-elect Obama's commitment to:

- Strong, science-based emissions reductions to prevent the worst impacts of climate change;

- Financial assistance to low-income and working families to protect them from the rising cost of energy;

- A substantial federal investment in renewable energy research and development to jumpstart the emerging green economy;

- International adaptation assistance to help vulnerable nations and communities cope with the impacts of global warming.

Please submit your information below, press "Send Your Message." On the next page choose "Transition Process" and click on "Submit" to send your message to President-elect Obama.

Subject:

Your Letter:

As a Jew and an American citizen, I urge you to stand fast in making climate change a top priority in the first 100 days of your Administration.

Jewish tradition teaches that Adam and Eve were asked to "till and to tend" the Garden of Eden  (Genesis 2:15).   We believe that humans remain a partner in Creation.  As you know, we fulfill this mandate by practicing "Tikkun Olam," literally, repairing the world.  Climate change threatens to irreparably alter the Earth.  Indeed, we are already seeing its effects in the form of extreme storms, habitat degradation, species extinction, and political instability.

We support you in your commitment to adopt policies to reduce the effects of climate change and commend your recognition of the need for science-based emission reductions.  To protect our children and future generations, we strongly urge you to support state and federal policies that will reduce global warming pollution by at least 15-20% from today's levels by 2020 and by at least 80% by 2050.  Failure to meet these ambitious but manageable targets will put Creation in great peril.

Experts tell us that low-income communities will suffer the most from climate change and will likely bear the greatest economic burden from efforts to address it. Internationally, communities and individuals who have contributed the least to the problem stand to suffer the most from it.  Less-developed countries are also least able to cope with the devastating impacts of extreme weather events, rise in sea level, drought, disruption of water and food supplies, impacts on health, and the destruction of natural resources.

Our tradition teaches us to "Speak up, judge righteously, [and] champion the poor and needy" (Proverbs 31:9).  Accordingly, we will support you in your efforts to include meaningful steps to shield those in poverty from the disproportionate dangers, while limiting their increased financial burdens.  We can also address the needs of the poor by investing in a new energy economy that not only generates the power we need while dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but also produces millions of new jobs, new industries, new revenues and new opportunities for all Americans. Your commitment to invest $15 billion each year in the emerging clean-energy economy is a critical first step.  We must also provide assistance to help less-developed nations avoid and adapt to climate change and access clean energy technology.

We recognize that you have an enormous task ahead of you.  To succeed, the White House must work closely with Congress to formulate key elements of the U.S. position prior to international climate negotiations scheduled for June in Bonn.  In this way, you can help America become a leader on global warming.

Together, we can achieve energy solutions that embody and promote justice, stewardship, and intergenerational responsibility.  We urge you to consider and consult these values as you evaluate the energy policy options before the nation, and work to pass responsible and effective legislation as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama

President-elect