 | |
| Abbreviation | ACE |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2008 |
| Type | Non-profit |
| Purpose | Climate engagement, strategic media, youth advocacy and civic engagement |
| Location |
|
| Website | acespace |
Action for the Climate Emergency, or ACE (formerly Alliance for Climate Education) [1] is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates in the United States. Its stated mission is to educate young people on climate issues, counteract climate misinformation, and engage and register young voters. [2]
ACE provides in-person assemblies at high schools nationwide. [3] A study by Stanford, Yale, and George Mason University showed that after viewing the live ACE Assembly, students demonstrated a 27% increase in climate science knowledge, more than one-third (38%) became more engaged on the issue of climate change, and the number of students who talked to parents or peers about climate change more than doubled. [4]
ACE youth leaders have lobbied elected officials for pro-climate policies including energy efficiency, [5] fossil fuel divestment, [6] and renewable energy. [7] They have also spoken at events such as the United Nations, [8] Bioneers, [9] and Climate Action 2016. [10]
Awards for ACE's work include the White House Champion of Change Award for Climate Literacy, the National Center for Science Education Friend of the Planet Award, the AQMD Award for Public Education on Air Quality Issues, the EPA Environmental Merit Award, and the Climate Change Communicator of the Year Award. [11]
A fossil fuel is a carbon compound- or hydrocarbon-containing material such as coal, oil, and natural gas, formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the remains of prehistoric organisms, a process that occurs within geological formations. Reservoirs of such compound mixtures can be extracted and burned as a fuel for human consumption to provide heat for direct use, to power heat engines that can propel vehicles, or to generate electricity via steam turbine generators. Some fossil fuels are further refined into derivatives such as kerosene, gasoline and diesel.
Timothy Endicott Wirth is an American politician from Colorado who served as a Democrat in both the United States Senate (1987–1993) and the United States House of Representatives (1975–1987). He also served in several appointed roles in government, including as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Education during the Nixon Administration and Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs for the U.S. State Department during the Clinton Administration. From 1998 to 2013, he served as the president of the United Nations Foundation, and currently sits on the Foundation's board.
The University of Vermont (UVM), officially titled as University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a public land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. Founded in 1791, the university is the oldest in Vermont and the fifth-oldest in New England, making it among the oldest in the United States. It is one of the original eight Public Ivies.
People & Planet is a network of student campaign groups in the UK. It is "the largest student campaigning organisation in the country campaigning to alleviate world poverty, defend human rights and protect the environment."
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Michael Scott Roth is an American academic and university administrator. He became the 16th president of Wesleyan University in 2007. Formerly, he was the 8th president of the California College of the Arts (2000–2007), associate director of the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles, and Director of European Studies at Claremont Graduate University. He was also the H.B. Professor of Humanities at Scripps College, where he was the founding director of the Scripps College Humanities Institute.
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Individual action on climate change is about personal choices that everyone can make to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of their lifestyles. Such personal choices are related to the way people travel, their diet, shopping habits, consumption of goods and services, number of children they have and so on. Individuals can also get active in local and political advocacy work around climate action. People who wish to reduce their carbon footprint, can for example reduce their air travel for holidays, use bicycles instead of cars on a daily basis, eat a plant-based diet, and use consumer products for longer. Avoiding meat and dairy products has been called "the single biggest way" how individuals can reduce their environmental impacts.
The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 21 or CMP 11 was held in Paris, France, from 30 November to 12 December 2015. It was the 21st yearly session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 11th session of the Meeting of the Parties (CMP) to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.
Connect4Climate is a global partnership program of the World Bank Group dedicated to engaging diverse audiences through creative climate communications campaigns. Its goal is to accelerate and consolidate climate action in pursuit of a sustainable future.
The climate movement is a global social movement focused on pressuring governments and industry to take action addressing the causes and impacts of climate change. Environmental non-profit organizations have engaged in significant climate activism since the late 1980s and early 1990s, as they sought to influence the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Climate activism has become increasingly prominent over time, gaining significant momentum during the 2009 Copenhagen Summit and particularly following the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2016.
Fossil fuel divestment or fossil fuel divestment and investment in climate solutions is an attempt to reduce climate change by exerting social, political, and economic pressure for the institutional divestment of assets including stocks, bonds, and other financial instruments connected to companies involved in extracting fossil fuels.
DC Divest is an advocacy campaign that seeks to get Washington, D.C., to remove investments in fossil fuel companies from its investment portfolios, to raise awareness of local climate impacts, and support local climate activism. It is one of hundreds of locally focused campaigns worldwide taking part in the fossil fuel divestment movement, which seeks to increase the sense of urgency among elected officials, financial leaders, and the public around the need for political and social action to mitigate the worst effects of climate change.
Juliana, et al. v. United States of America, et al. was a climate-related lawsuit filed in 2015 by 21 youth plaintiffs against the United States and several executive branch officials. Filing their case in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon, the plaintiffs, represented by the non-profit organization Our Children's Trust, include Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, the members of Martinez's organization Earth Guardians, and climatologist James Hansen as a "guardian for future generations". Some fossil fuel and industry groups initially intervened as defendants but later requested to be dropped following the 2016 presidential election, stating that the case would be well defended under the new administration.
Climate change litigation, also known as climate litigation, is an emerging body of environmental law using legal practice to set case law precedent to further climate change mitigation efforts from public institutions, such as governments and companies. In the face of slow climate change politics delaying climate change mitigation, activists and lawyers have increased efforts to use national and international judiciary systems to advance the effort. Climate litigation typically engages in one of five types of legal claims: Constitutional law, administrative law, private law (challenging corporations or other organizations for negligence, nuisance, etc., fraud or consumer protection, or human rights.
Carla Suzanne Denyer is a British politician who has served as co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales alongside Adrian Ramsay since 2021 and as the Member of Parliament for Bristol Central since 2024.
Adam McGibbon is a Northern Irish environmentalist and writer.
Niria Alicia Garcia is a Xicana environmental activist, human rights advocate, and educator. She is an organizer involved with indigenous-led species restoration efforts in California's Sacramento River watershed.
May Boeve is an American environmental activist. She is a founder and executive director of 350.org, a climate NGO. The Guardian called her "the new face of the climate change movement."
Vic Barrett is an American climate activist. He was a plaintiff in Juliana v. United States, which has been called likely the most ambitious and aggressive climate change lawsuit filed to date. Barrett also featured in a documentary about the case, Youth v. Gov.