Demanding is about calling on our elected politicians and those running for public office to do the right thing in the face of three life-and-death emergencies facing our planet right now. Ultimately, it is governments who must decide to sign the Nuclear Ban Treaty (NBT), stop making nuclear weapons, to put the money into a Green New Deal (GND), and to seriously and comprehensively address the climate crisis, the nuclear nightmare and unsustainable inequality.

 

At the national level:

In the US, we need to elect a President and a Congress who will implement these important solutions before it’s too late. That means:

  • Pushing all candidates to support the GND and the NBT, by writing to them, talking to them, asking questions at public meetings, chasing them on social media and doing publicity stunts to get their attention.
  • Supporting the candidates who do support the GND and the NBT to help ensure they get elected, by knocking on doors, raising money, distributing flyers and helping with their campaigns.
  • Raising awareness among the electorate so they will vote for these candidates, by organizing public meetings, tabling at events, engaging with people in person and on social media, writing letters to the editor, talking with friends, family, colleagues and neighbors.
  • Encouraging people to vote – especially young people, people of color, people who don’t normally vote or who have never voted before.
  • Encouraging people to vote strategically – the coming election is not about voting for our favorite person. It’s about voting for our survival! And that means voting out the climate deniers and war-mongers and voting in the candidates most likely to defeat these people. After the election is over, the battle begins to ensure a new President and a new Congress will actually do the right thing.

At the state level:

Although these decisions must ultimately be taken at the federal level, there is still a lot that can be done at the state level to pave the way for national legislation and also to take steps that put states directly onto the right path for the future. That means:

  • Passing legislation at the state level to bring the state into ‘alignment’ with the Nuclear Ban Treaty as well as with the Paris Climate Agreement and subsequent targets for reducing carbon emissions (by 2030 and 2050) as set by the IPCC internationally.
  • Educating the public about the three global emergencies through public hearings, publishing testimonies, distributing information to public schools and the general public.
  • Pushing state legislators and candidates for state positions to support the GND and the NBT.
  • Encouraging people to support those legislators and candidates.

 

At the local level (cities, towns and counties):

Cities, towns and counties (in some states) can call on the federal government to support the Nuclear Ban Treaty and the Green New Deal. They can also take their own steps to align with the international agreements and to move local communities towards being nuclear free and carbon free.