| The Tree of Life holds the scales of justice. This image of Life itself determining justice came from a dream I had a few years ago. I was reminded of it this past week, as I considered the lies and false information the fossil fuel industry uses to prop up its moribund business. It is astonishing to add up the amount of money the oil, gas, and ethanol corporations pour into lobbying groups, ad campaigns, and industry-funded “science.” They put the lies and deceptions on one side of the scale of justice while poisoning the Tree of Life with their toxic products and waste. SEHN’s mission is to weigh the scales of justice with accurate science, ethically grounded and freely shared. We equip community groups, journalists, and policy makers with this information so that the Tree of Life can flourish for present and future generations. We welcome your financial support as we engage in this critical mission. Over the past year, we increased our staff with Sandra Steingraber and Carmi Orenstein joining SEHN. They brought both their star power and their meticulous science-based climate and anti-fracking work. Within days of welcoming them to our ranks, we got wind of two huge proposed CO2 pipeline projects for the Midwest United States. In response, we convened a working group of scientists, grassroots groups, national advocates, and lawyers to investigate the claims of the fossil fuel industry and resist these plans to build a sewer system for fossil fuel pollution at the public’s expense. What we discovered is that those pipelines are just one piece of a gigantic (and expensive!) national and international push to use failed—or, at best, unproven—technology in a process called carbon capture and storage (CCS), as a way to extend the life of the fossil fuel economy. We realized that this was a make-or-break deal for climate. If CCS proceeds on the scale proposed, it would displace meaningful action and we would face runaway climate change. If you follow climate activism you know there are many groups, each of which play an important part. Some groups focus on national policy. Others are local or state-wide groups that organize members. SEHN has a unique place in the world. We work with groups of all sizes and stripes by: |
