In the face of climate-related disasters, effective communication around evacuation orders and recovery resources can mean the difference between life and death. Unfortunately, individuals with Limited English Proficiency (LEP), who are at the front lines of climate change and climate-related disasters, are often excluded from these lifesaving communications— further compounding their vulnerability to climate change. Fortunately, states like New York and Hawaii are pioneering legislative efforts to enhance language access during emergencies and disasters. These models offer a crucial template for other states, demonstrating how targeted policy and funding can ensure that language is not a barrier to safety and disaster resilience. There are three policy recommendations that should be considered: tracking emerging languages as climate migration increases; building trust and embedding cultural competence in emergency management; and measuring translation performance based on accuracy, speed, and literacy accessibility.

Here’s how to cast your ballot, in person or by mail, if extreme weather disrupts your life. With just weeks to go until Election Day, Hurricane Helene has destroyed critical infrastructure and displaced thousands in North Carolina and several other states. State and local officials are scrambling to restore basic services. It’s still possible to vote if you live in western North Carolina. If a disaster strikes, the governor can extend voting deadlines, allow ballots to be forwarded to a new address, allow local officials to change or add new polling places, or postpone municipal elections. The U.S. Vote Foundation has a tool to access your county election office’s contact information. In the wake of a disaster, first confirm where you should be voting. Has your polling place been damaged or moved? Was your car damaged in a disaster? Need a ride to the polls? Early in-person voting is a useful option if you’d like to avoid lines on election day or will be out of town. Absentee voting is often called “mail-in voting” or “by-mail voting.” Every state offers this, but some require you to meet certain conditions, like having a valid excuse for why you can’t make it to the polls on election day. This guide describes these voting rules and policies for every state.

What does building durable multiracial, cross-class power for the US climate movement look like in practice? The Lab has been exploring this question over the past few years in conversation with leaders across the community, which has inspired our strategic Partnerships Program, projects like the Blueprint for a Multiracial, Cross-Class Climate Movement, our Training for Impact cohort, and our recent training series on coalitions.

It is critical that folks dedicated to protecting our children’s chance at a future continue to engage in solution-making processes, in local, national, and international governance systems and institutions that impact climate outcomes. We have been able successfully to kick open the doors to the highest levels of government, to force conversation on Dakota Access Pipeline, on Line 3 Pipeline, while simultaneously laying strong foundations and relationships for people’s movement building. Project-level fights oftentimes still result in industry wins, yet the social license of both industry and government alike continues to shrink under a wave of civil unrest. While the individual losses hurt, the collective movement and the desire to look to frameworks outside of extraction, outside of individualism, keeps growing. And in so much of Westernized movement spaces, most energy is poured into advocacy streams with little to no risk, streams that largely preserve the systems of individualism that must be undone for a habitable world to exist.

The Climate Change Empowerment Handbook emphasizes psychological strategies to address climate change.

Emotions wheels have long been a valuable tool for psychologists to help people better understand and interpret their feelings.

Join us for the online premiere of the short documentary version of “Proposition Amanecer,” along with a live Q&A with organizer and director Miguel Escoto, organizer and editor Monica Chavarria, and organizer and producer Ralph Martinez. This documentary tells the founding story of Amanecer People's Project through the lens of the 2023 "El Paso Climate Charter" campaign, a community written ballot measure that would have transformed El Paso's economic, health, and energy future.

This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including new polling on extreme weather, climate change, and plastic pollution.

HEADLINES

Americans who report experiences with extreme weather are more likely to support pro-climate policies. 62% of Americans support tax credits for families who install rooftop solar or battery storage in their homes. 62% of Americans support increasing investment in energy-efficient forms of public transportation. 60% of Americans support grants to communities to protect them from the impacts of climate change, including drought, heat, and extreme weather. 57% of Americans support forgivable loans for rural communities to improve their energy efficiency.

Climate Safe Neighborhoods is a national effort through Groundwork USA to identify neighborhoods that are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change because of racial and social injustices, spread awareness and educate res