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Biden Just Endorsed my State GND Strategy (Keep Shaking Elon) [1]

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Date: 2025-01-13

The LA fires are catastrophic, and clearly connected to the climate crisis. While the right is yapping about DEI and trying to pin the blame on us, we on the science side of the spectrum know this is the climate crisis is continuing to rear its ugly head. I think Meteor Blades does a fine job explaining the current situation in his most recent article, which I encourage you to read.

“Every one of the 50 states—blue, red, and purple—faces the predicted litany of impacts scientists say the climate crisis will lay on us globally in the years to come.”

Well said MB… Well said.

The estimated damage from Hurricane Helene, which tore across six southeastern states last fall, at $225 billion to $250 billion. The costliest hurricane in history. A preliminary estimate for the LA fires by AccuWeather put the damage and economic losses so far between $135 billion and $150 billion. And since the fires are still raging it’s likely, they may approach, if not exceed, the damage caused by Helene.

However, with President Biden still in office until January 20th, I made an urgent appeal for one last opportunity to enact bold, national climate action before the transition of power. Specifically, I asked President Biden to use his executive authority to declare a national climate emergency—citing the devastating California wildfires as an immediate threat—and to implement a national Green New Deal.

For context, implementing a national Green New Deal is estimated to cost between $900 billion and $1.1 trillion per year. Combined, the immense costs of the fires and Hurricane Helene, those events alone account for half of the annual cost of a Green New Deal.

And it’s only going to get worse.

As the old saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Beyond this “prevention”, we’d actually be investing money into our economy. We’d be creating jobs and performing our duty to the planet at the same time.

I cited all of this in a letter to Pres. Biden through a colleague, Ali Zaidi, whom I had the privilege of meeting at the United Nations Conference of Parties in Baku just this past November. Mr. Zaidi is Pres. Biden’s climate advisor.

This morning, I got a response from Pres. Biden through Mr. Zaidi.

The response to my proposal is recorded below:

Subject: Re: Request to Pass a National Emergency Green New Deal Dear Mr. Aboujaoude, It was a pleasure meeting you at COP29 and witnessing your passionate advocacy for climate action. Your dedication to addressing the climate crisis, especially through your Congressional campaign and continued efforts, is both commendable and inspiring, especially from someone so young. President Biden has expressed his deep appreciation for your run for office and the tireless work you’ve done to elevate climate issues to the forefront of public discourse. Your calculation that investing in climate resilience and mitigation now is far less costly than bearing the escalating damages of inaction resonates strongly with the administration’s goals. That said, I must share that, given the current political and logistical realities, the President will not be declaring a national climate emergency or implementing a nationwide Green New Deal program at this stage. While the administration remains committed to advancing bold climate policies through existing channels, the broader national scope you propose requires significant groundwork and bipartisan collaboration that is challenging to achieve in the near term. However, I join President Biden in a wholehearted support of your efforts to advance your policies state by state. The road you have advanced is totally consistent with the notion that states can serve as laboratories of innovation which successfully model the effectiveness and dividends of those programs to create an on-ramp to broader adoption. The President has also expressed his endorsement of your efforts to advocate for climate action at the state level. Your leadership, backed by your experience and scientific expertise, positions you as a critical voice in the fight against climate change. We encourage you to keep pushing forward with your vision, working with state governments, stakeholders, and communities to implement transformative policies. The White House remains an ally in this fight, and we are here to support your endeavors however we can. Let’s stay connected, Rock. Your work is critical, and we believe in your ability to make a profound impact. Warm regards,

Ali Zaidi

National Climate Advisor

The White House

Yeah. Not the best news, but expected from an outgoing president. There is a silver lining: Biden endorses my proposal to get state-sponsored Green New Deal action going.

Given this endorsement, I am planning to approach as many climate friendly representatives and push hard for climate action at the state level.

As many of you know, I recently founded The Climate Fund , a non-profit think tank designed to develop climate strategies that can withstand the challenges posed by an alt-right, climate-denying administration, such as the one we face under the impending Trump presidency. Our strategies are targeted and developed with the Trump administration in mind. In other words, we’re ready for him.

One of our core strategies is to drive state-level action, focusing on passing state-specific Green New Deals to accelerate meaningful climate progress where federal leadership may fall short. By empowering states to lead, we can ensure that climate action continues, even under the most challenging circumstances.

I’ve got some pretty big plans in the works, but as a reminder, this isn’t my full time job. I am a PhD student first, and activist second. Ideally, our plan to track the transgressions of the Trump admin and fight him on state levels would allow me to hire 1-2 of my former campaign staff and activists to help me do this. So if initiatives like these are something you find worth it, please consider donating here to help me get this on track: secure.actblue.com/...

As always, in solidarity my dear friends.

Rock

A little about me: I founded the Climate Fund with a bold vision: to tackle the climate crisis head-on through innovative strategies that bridge advocacy, policy, and grassroots action. My normal work is as a PhD student studying Carbon Farming. I also know that research takes advocacy to turn into real solutions. It’s why I ran for Congress this past election cycle. I am committed to a career building solutions that empower the next generation to lead the fight for a sustainable and equitable future.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/1/13/2296682/-Biden-Endorses-my-State-Level-Green-New-Deal-Efforts-Keep-Shaking-Elon

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