Montclair Climate Action

montclair climate action

Taking action in Montclair to address the climate crisis

who we are

We are Montclair parents and neighbors, seeking a safer future for our children, our town, and the planet we all share. Through encouraging individual lifestyle change and demanding policy change by the township government, we hope to do our part of address the climate crisis. Together, we have formed Montclair Climate Action to achieve significant steps towards greenhouse gas reduction and climate change adaptation by the government and residents of the township of Montclair, through organizing, education, outreach, and lobbying, in order to make Montclair a climate leader.

why we act

Our climate is in crisis. For 200 years, human beings have been burning fossil fuels and dumping carbon dioxide and other planet-heating gases into our atmosphere. Greenhouse gases have now reached double pre-industrial level — levels that have not been seen for tens of thousands of years. The result has been rapidly rising global temperatures and spreading climate chaos on our world.

New Jersey is already 3.5° warmer than it was 100 years ago, with up to 2° of additional warming possible in just the next 30 years. While that may seem small, the effects are already noticeable. Heat waves are more common. Sea levels have risen. Sudden downpours and powerful hurricanes happen more often. Flooding has increased.

[Image: Hurricane Sandy flooding the Jersey Shore]

Around the world, the effects are even more pronounced. The Greenland ice sheet is melting at unprecedented rates. Droughts are afflicting countries around the world. Wildfires rage from Australia to California. Wildlife populations have dropped by two-thirds in the last 50 years, as climate change and habit loss push species to the brink. Scientists tell us that we have less than ten years to make significant cuts in our emissions of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, if we want to avoid serious harm to our planet and the people who live on it.

"We've waited too long to deal with the climate crisis, and we can't wait any longer. We see it with our own eyes, we feel it, we know it in our bones. It's time to act."
Joe Biden

There is hope

But it is not too late to act. We formed Montclair Climate Action to encourage our government and our neighbors to take action so that, together, we can do our part to address the climate crisis. Every step we take, small or large, does a little bit more to reduce the damage we are inflicting on the world and to leave a better world for our children and grandchildren. MCA was formed out of concern over the climate crisis, but also a faith that Montclair can become a leader in its response to the climate crisis.

What we do

We work with the township government to promote policies that will drive the transition to renewable energy, such as adoption of town-wide renewable energy, town-wide composting, and purchasing of electric vehicles. We also work with the public to increase support for these policies and to encourage residents to do what they can for themselves, whether that is reducing waste, buying renewable energy, or taking public transportation. Through systemic change, we hope to create a town and a world where we can all live in a way that leaves a better world for our children and grandchildren.

"We deserve a safe future. And we demand a safe future.
Is that really too much to ask?"
Greta Thunberg

Find out What you can do

Energy

Find out more about getting renewable energy to your home, and to our township government.

Waste, recycling, and compost

Reuse, recycle and compost to cut down on your waste. That cuts the pollution we put into the atmosphere.

Outreach

Share your concerns about the climate crisis by speaking to your neighbors, with presentations, tabling, and door-to-door canvassing.

Transportation

Find out more about electric vehicles and public transportation, as ways of reduction CO2 emissions.

Lobbying

Contact local, county, and state officials about your climate change concerns.

Learn

Find out more about climate change, and what we can do to address it.

The time to Act is now

Let's address the climate crisis together