Jun 25, 2019
Offering an ominous backdrop to the first debates of the Democratic Party primary scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday in Miami, a wildfire is currently ripping through the Florida everglades--a fiery reminder that the climate crisis is on the minds of many progressive-minded voters even as the party leadership continues its refusal to sponsor a debate focused solely on the planetary emergency.
"We will come together in living rooms, classrooms and halls around the country by the thousands to unleash a social media storm and relentlessly demand the solutions we need." --Sunrise MovementAs Zoya Teirstein, acknowledging the interplay between the wildfires and the first debate of the Democratic primary, wrote for Grist on Monday:
The candidates will engage in what is sure to be a heated conversation about issues ranging from gun control to abortion rights. As all eyes turn to Miami, another fiery event is developing nearby.
Seventeen thousand acres and counting of public lands are aflame in the Florida Everglades, thanks to a brush fire sparked by an errant lightning bolt on Sunday night. Smoke from the fire has floated over the cities of Coral Springs and Parkland, prompting officials to send out advisories warning residents to stay inside.
Courtesy of Earther senior reported Brian L. Kahn, this is what some of that fire looks like:
\u201cIt's two days before the Democratic debates in Miami where climate change is likely to be a big topic and as if on cue, there's a 17,000 acre wildfire in the Everglades https://t.co/Ng2GYMYGaZ\u201d— Brian Kahn (@Brian Kahn) 1561411867
On Tuesday, as Common Dreams reported, a coalition of progressive advocacy groups and leading environmentalists published an open letter urging Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez to reverse his decision and devote at least one night to the planetary emergency.
"A climate debate," said Annie Leonard, executive director of Greenpeace, "is our chance to find out who has what it takes to deliver the visionary promise of the Green New Deal and confront the fossil fuel executives standing in the way of progress."
\u201cThe #DemocraticDebate will take place in two days in Miami. The DNC recently announced it will not host a climate-themed debate. And then yesterday, a lightning bolt sparked a massive fire miles from Miami, because subtlety is dead. https://t.co/d7hFp0YLRj\u201d— Zoya Teirstein (@Zoya Teirstein) 1561418960
The Sunrise Movement, meanwhile, which has been leading the charge for the Democrats to host a climate debate, announced Tuesday that while the push has already increased pressure on candidates to address the crisis, so much more is needed.
As part of its ongoing strategy to force the issue, the group will hold debate watching parties nationwide on Thursday alongside plans to flood social media with climate questions for the candidates.
"We will come together in living rooms, classrooms and halls around the country by the thousands to unleash a social media storm and relentlessly demand the solutions we need," the group said.
Find a watch party near you here, or register to create your own here.
In a strategy message to Sunrise members sent on Monday, executive director Varshini Prakash said that the scale of the climate crisis demands an unprecedented response.
"We need massive mobilization," Prakash wrote, "and disruption in every corner of the country unlike anything we've seen in our lifetimes: millions of people walking out of school, shutting down government offices, and taking to the streets to tell our leaders: this is a crisis, our lives are on the line, it's time you start acting like it."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Offering an ominous backdrop to the first debates of the Democratic Party primary scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday in Miami, a wildfire is currently ripping through the Florida everglades--a fiery reminder that the climate crisis is on the minds of many progressive-minded voters even as the party leadership continues its refusal to sponsor a debate focused solely on the planetary emergency.
"We will come together in living rooms, classrooms and halls around the country by the thousands to unleash a social media storm and relentlessly demand the solutions we need." --Sunrise MovementAs Zoya Teirstein, acknowledging the interplay between the wildfires and the first debate of the Democratic primary, wrote for Grist on Monday:
The candidates will engage in what is sure to be a heated conversation about issues ranging from gun control to abortion rights. As all eyes turn to Miami, another fiery event is developing nearby.
Seventeen thousand acres and counting of public lands are aflame in the Florida Everglades, thanks to a brush fire sparked by an errant lightning bolt on Sunday night. Smoke from the fire has floated over the cities of Coral Springs and Parkland, prompting officials to send out advisories warning residents to stay inside.
Courtesy of Earther senior reported Brian L. Kahn, this is what some of that fire looks like:
\u201cIt's two days before the Democratic debates in Miami where climate change is likely to be a big topic and as if on cue, there's a 17,000 acre wildfire in the Everglades https://t.co/Ng2GYMYGaZ\u201d— Brian Kahn (@Brian Kahn) 1561411867
On Tuesday, as Common Dreams reported, a coalition of progressive advocacy groups and leading environmentalists published an open letter urging Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez to reverse his decision and devote at least one night to the planetary emergency.
"A climate debate," said Annie Leonard, executive director of Greenpeace, "is our chance to find out who has what it takes to deliver the visionary promise of the Green New Deal and confront the fossil fuel executives standing in the way of progress."
\u201cThe #DemocraticDebate will take place in two days in Miami. The DNC recently announced it will not host a climate-themed debate. And then yesterday, a lightning bolt sparked a massive fire miles from Miami, because subtlety is dead. https://t.co/d7hFp0YLRj\u201d— Zoya Teirstein (@Zoya Teirstein) 1561418960
The Sunrise Movement, meanwhile, which has been leading the charge for the Democrats to host a climate debate, announced Tuesday that while the push has already increased pressure on candidates to address the crisis, so much more is needed.
As part of its ongoing strategy to force the issue, the group will hold debate watching parties nationwide on Thursday alongside plans to flood social media with climate questions for the candidates.
"We will come together in living rooms, classrooms and halls around the country by the thousands to unleash a social media storm and relentlessly demand the solutions we need," the group said.
Find a watch party near you here, or register to create your own here.
In a strategy message to Sunrise members sent on Monday, executive director Varshini Prakash said that the scale of the climate crisis demands an unprecedented response.
"We need massive mobilization," Prakash wrote, "and disruption in every corner of the country unlike anything we've seen in our lifetimes: millions of people walking out of school, shutting down government offices, and taking to the streets to tell our leaders: this is a crisis, our lives are on the line, it's time you start acting like it."
Offering an ominous backdrop to the first debates of the Democratic Party primary scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday in Miami, a wildfire is currently ripping through the Florida everglades--a fiery reminder that the climate crisis is on the minds of many progressive-minded voters even as the party leadership continues its refusal to sponsor a debate focused solely on the planetary emergency.
"We will come together in living rooms, classrooms and halls around the country by the thousands to unleash a social media storm and relentlessly demand the solutions we need." --Sunrise MovementAs Zoya Teirstein, acknowledging the interplay between the wildfires and the first debate of the Democratic primary, wrote for Grist on Monday:
The candidates will engage in what is sure to be a heated conversation about issues ranging from gun control to abortion rights. As all eyes turn to Miami, another fiery event is developing nearby.
Seventeen thousand acres and counting of public lands are aflame in the Florida Everglades, thanks to a brush fire sparked by an errant lightning bolt on Sunday night. Smoke from the fire has floated over the cities of Coral Springs and Parkland, prompting officials to send out advisories warning residents to stay inside.
Courtesy of Earther senior reported Brian L. Kahn, this is what some of that fire looks like:
\u201cIt's two days before the Democratic debates in Miami where climate change is likely to be a big topic and as if on cue, there's a 17,000 acre wildfire in the Everglades https://t.co/Ng2GYMYGaZ\u201d— Brian Kahn (@Brian Kahn) 1561411867
On Tuesday, as Common Dreams reported, a coalition of progressive advocacy groups and leading environmentalists published an open letter urging Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez to reverse his decision and devote at least one night to the planetary emergency.
"A climate debate," said Annie Leonard, executive director of Greenpeace, "is our chance to find out who has what it takes to deliver the visionary promise of the Green New Deal and confront the fossil fuel executives standing in the way of progress."
\u201cThe #DemocraticDebate will take place in two days in Miami. The DNC recently announced it will not host a climate-themed debate. And then yesterday, a lightning bolt sparked a massive fire miles from Miami, because subtlety is dead. https://t.co/d7hFp0YLRj\u201d— Zoya Teirstein (@Zoya Teirstein) 1561418960
The Sunrise Movement, meanwhile, which has been leading the charge for the Democrats to host a climate debate, announced Tuesday that while the push has already increased pressure on candidates to address the crisis, so much more is needed.
As part of its ongoing strategy to force the issue, the group will hold debate watching parties nationwide on Thursday alongside plans to flood social media with climate questions for the candidates.
"We will come together in living rooms, classrooms and halls around the country by the thousands to unleash a social media storm and relentlessly demand the solutions we need," the group said.
Find a watch party near you here, or register to create your own here.
In a strategy message to Sunrise members sent on Monday, executive director Varshini Prakash said that the scale of the climate crisis demands an unprecedented response.
"We need massive mobilization," Prakash wrote, "and disruption in every corner of the country unlike anything we've seen in our lifetimes: millions of people walking out of school, shutting down government offices, and taking to the streets to tell our leaders: this is a crisis, our lives are on the line, it's time you start acting like it."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.