Our neighbors are losing their homes, and sometimes even their lives, to fires, floods, and extreme heat. Cities and states are spending billions to respond to non stop climate disasters and extreme weather events. But instead of paying their fair share for the damage they’ve caused, fossil fuel companies continue to rake in massive profits at our expense. It’s time to make polluters pay for the damage they’ve done. There’s now a growing global effort to use our legal process to hold Big Oil accountable for their climate disinformation and the damage they’re doing. Cases in South Africa, the Netherlands, the United States, and beyond are already making their way through the courts. Together, we can build a global movement that supports these lawsuits and other mechanisms to hold Big Oil accountable. These lawsuits aren’t a solution to the climate crisis – we need governments to do their part – but they’re a powerful tool for us to finally hold this industry accountable. Join us and sign the petition.

A fight over the future of Maui is coming. Opportunists are already seeking to capitalize on Lāhainā and Maui’s crisis to profit as Maui rebuilds. The Big Money special interests who have held back progress in our islands for too long and helped create the conditions for our current mess can not be the ones to profit or lead us on the way out. We know that as we rebuild, we need to return the power, and rights to our land and water, to the people who give life to Lāhainā. Government and developers need to empower us to decide what’s next, and if they don’t, we will rise up together to fight for what's ours. Image credit: Tiffany Kidder Winn | AP

Each year, more than 500 million plastic bags are discarded. Most people do not think about where this plastic goes, but the truth is, it never goes away. The amount of plastic on the planet is growing. It clogs up the rivers and oceans, chokes animals, enters the air, and contributes to pointless mass production. A simple 5 cent tax on single use plastic bags may seem like a small effort, but it would benefit the environment greatly. It would help people to only take what they really need, and stop over production ie double bagging, if there is a price involved.

Allowing students to park on campus offers a myriad of benefits that enhance their overall college experience. First and foremost, convenient parking facilities alleviate the stress and time constraints that commuting students often face, or even UK's classified 'residential students' due to how large our campus is. By providing ample parking spaces, educational institutions create a more accessible and inclusive environment, enabling students to attend classes, participate in extracurricular activities, and engage with campus resources without the hassle of off-campus parking. Moreover, on-campus parking fosters a stronger sense of belonging and community, as students can easily connect with peers and engage in impromptu discussions or collaborative projects. It also contributes to campus safety, as students don't need to walk long distances in potentially unsafe areas or during unfavorable weather conditions. Allowing students to park on campus ultimately promotes student well-being, academic success, and campus vibrancy by facilitating seamless navigation and engagement within the university environment. Further, not all apartments, houses, townhouses, etc. around Lexington offer parking for their residents, let alone visitor parking. Lex park is no longer available around UK South campus, only closer to downtown. If students need to work, drive to class, go to the store, and other basic living necessities, where are they able to park their cars overnight without being towed, or ticketed by UK? Furthermore, what about our out-of-state student population that makes the commitment of high tuition but has no parking accommodation? What about our working students that need vehicle accessibility to pay towards their tuition and/or rent? How do these students efficiently commute to their place of work in order to sustain income for their education and living? Why are these students forced to struggle as UK transportation refuses to accommodate with any type of local parking availability on campus? Why is student parking not prioritized? Why are the STUDENTS that need to park NOT prioritized?

Only sign this petition if you care about this beautiful planet and how we want to leave it for our future generations.

The Boundary Waters region in northeast Minnesota is a vast wildland refuge critical to people and the planet. The Boundary Waters Wilderness is a rare treasure: a million acres of pristine lakes and forests, unmarred by roads, development, and most motorized use. Yet uniquely accessible to people of all backgrounds and abilities - making it the most visited Wilderness in the entire U.S. and the backbone of the sustainable regional economy. Anishinaabe people (also known in this region as Chippewa or Ojibwe) have lived in the area for countless generations and have a deep relationship to these lands and waters. Indigenous people continue to harvest wild rice in the Boundary Waters region and maintain treaty rights to hunt, fish and gather. As sovereign nations, tribes play a central role in protecting the Boundary Waters. This wild and beautiful place is threatened by copper mining, but we can protect it forever if people take action and “speak loudly for this quiet place.” Visit www.SavetheBoundaryWaters.org to learn more.

Congress needs to push for climate action that will shift our country to stop relying on greenhouse gasses and invest in 100% renewable energy. This includes supporting working-class people and creating green jobs and infrastructure that will boost our economy, invests in working people, and create a more sustainable future. Photo credit: Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times

The Green New Deal for Cities would provide local governments the funding to create good-paying, union jobs repairing their infrastructure, improving water quality, reducing air pollution, cleaning up our nation's parks, creating new green spaces We need to give our local communities the funding and support to act to prevent even further environmental collapse. The Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act is a great start, but the scale of the the climate crisis and the threats that it poses to the health, safety, and livelihoods of our communities demand that we go further to rapidly de-transition from fossil fuels to a green economy. Source for image: Growing Together by James McInvale (left), Breathing New Life Into America by Caitlin Alexander (center), The Green New Deal by Jordan Johnson (right). From the Green New Deal poster series by Creative Action Network.

National forests in the United States are essential and irreplaceable. They preserve precious habitat for a wide diversity of plants and animals, provide health and enjoyment to recreationalists, and play a key role in fighting climate change. But now the U.S. Forest Service is planning to allow carbon waste dumping in national forests. We can't allow the nation's forests to be used as a dumping ground for fossil fuel companies and other industrial polluters. Not only would carbon storage require the buildout of dangerous pipelines, injection wells and roads — it would also pose potentially deadly risks to people and wildlife. Carbon dioxide leaks are highly hazardous and can lead to suffocation and even death. We need to stop this dangerous proposal in its tracks. Tell the Forest Service to scrap its upcoming proposal to allow carbon waste dumping in U.S. forests.

As the climate crisis intensifies, so too will the impacts to all of Pennsylvania's communities, but especially to those that have been suffering disproportionately at the hands of polluting industries for generations. In fact, experts like Pennsylvania's Dr. Michael Mann have been warning us for years that conditions will only get worse, that there is no "new normal." And since what happens in Pennsylvania doesn't stay in Pennsylvania, our outsized contribution to the crisis will impact everyone. Nothing is going to improve without aggressive action by our state government. Nothing is going to make state government act without pressure from all of us.

This petition is to help keep our children, elderly, and property safe from by mindless and/or reckless drivers/motorists.

The summer heat will soon be here and farm workers and other outdoor workers desperately need a federal heat standard. The need is more urgent than ever, with the way the government has shifted to the right. In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis just signed a bill which bans local ordinances giving workers water and shade breaks. It also bans local governments from requiring that employers conduct heat- exposure training programs. It takes away protections for employees who report heat exposure issues and removes record-keeping requirements. The new law takes effect July 1. Texas - already first in work-related heat exposure deaths - passed a similar law last summer. The “Death Star Bill” limits local governments from establishing ordinances for mandatory water and shade breaks for outdoor workers. These state bills are examples of why all farm workers and outdoor workers desperately need federal heat protections. Heat risk is real. Climate change is happening and outdoor workers are more and more in danger every year. Extreme temperatures could make thousands of workers seriously ill – and even suffer heat stroke and die. Farm workers are as much as 35 times more likely to die from heat than any other civilian occupation. Only a handful of states – California, Oregon and Washington – have policies on farm work in extreme heat. This lack of regulations puts farm workers in an impossible situation where they are forced to choose between making a living and taking care of their health. Currently, OSHA is relying on the "general duty" clause that says the general duty of an employer is to provide safe working conditions. That's not enough. Instead, workers need enforceable protections and penalties – including criminal proceedings – so dangerous incidents never happen. The men, women and children working in our fields can't wait. A Department of Labor committee recommended OSHA pass permanent rules, but this can take years. Workers need immediate heat standards to be put in place – before more people die. Heat deaths are preventable tragedies. The prevention is nothing complicated: shade, cool water, rest, education and monitoring. Sign our petition today and demand OSHA enact immediate heat regulations!