Climate disaster & what we’re fighting for

Across the country, from Appalachia to Alaska, no matter where we live or what we look like, we all want the same things - a safe place to call home, and a livable future for our children.

Over the course of the last week, we’ve watched in collective horror as that sense of safety and confidence in the future has been ripped away for many in Appalachia and the Gulf South, as their communities have been ravaged by a hurricane that many regions had no previous reason to be prepared for.

The absolute devastation we’re witnessing now is not an accident, and it’s not an act of God. This is the result of decades of fossil fuel companies’ greed, and paid-off politicians actively working against our future. It is estimated that climate change led to increased rainfall by up to 50%, and that warming ocean temperatures caused the storm’s rapid increase from a tropical storm to a category 4 hurricane.

Every pipeline we stop, every energy utility we hold to higher standards, and every politician we hold accountable to their climate promises is a way that we protect our neighbors from having to experience the absolute terror and despair that those across the South and Appalachia are experiencing now. As we process our fear and anger about this moment, let’s try to remember who is responsible - fossil fuel CEOs and the politicians they pay for.

We CAN take action against them to protect our neighbors across the country from having to experience unnatural disasters like this. To learn how we’re taking action at FCAC, check out what our PEP team is doing to get out the vote here, and learn more about our upcoming nonviolent direct action training, which will help you to be prepared to take radical action for the causes you care about. You can also take action by signing up to call members of Congress with Appalachian Voices to urge them to pass disaster funding for Hurricane Helene relief efforts. You can find places to donate to help directly with disaster relief here:

Donate to Mutual Aid Disaster Relief

List of Direct Mutual Aid Requests from It’s Going Down

Appalachian Voices List of Resources and Ways to Give

Action Art by Ricardo Levins Morales