1.    Climate change is here -- it is real and well documented, and is causing droughts, super storms, sea level rise, and a multitude of other extreme weather phenomena and related problems.

2.    The fossil fuel industry continues to expand, employing increasingly destructive and resource intensive methods for energy extraction. Unless we take action, we face the real possibility of the privatization of our air, water and land resources under the guise of a “global climate compact.”

3.    Extreme weather and extreme energy extraction go hand in hand, as evidenced by rising temperatures that generate localized and often catastrophic weather events around the world, including here in the Catskills...

·         Forced migration -- due to super storms, droughts and rising sea levels -- is already occurring in Pacific island and Arctic coastline areas, and will only increase, posing a dire threat to unique and diverse cultures.

·         Droughts are increasing the risk of wildfires.

·         Widespread habitat change endangers key species; threatening the loss of vital pollinators of our food crops, an overpopulation of serious pests, and a breakdown of regional ecological systems.

·         The impact of drought on agricultural production has the potential to lead to food scarcity. Adapting to changing conditions will be complicated by our increasing dependence on industrial agriculture.

·         All of this constitutes a significant burden for many local, regional and national economies.

5.    The fossil fuel industries have become leading contaminators of water suppliesworldwide. In combination with the increased incidence of droughts, potable water scarcity is likely to become a defining global issue in the future.

6.    The climate crisis is symptomatic of a deeper problem, namely the continuation of an economic development model that favors the exploitation of resources and people over broad-based sustainable development, and which benefits a few at the expense of communities and the planet.

7.    Climate Action must be rooted in justice, and a recognition that the people who stand to be worst affected by the climate crisis are largely those who are least well-equipped to confront it, namely in low-income, indigenous, rural and minority communities. These are the people who will be hardest hit by both the extractive, polluting and wasteful industries causing global warming, as well as the resulting climate disruption in the form of storms, floods and droughts.

8.    People on the frontlines of the climate crisis know what needs to be done, and we are ready to make change happen. It is our governments that must catch up and start to show real leadership. World leaders must take climate action by committing to and financing a just transition – to keep fossil fuels in the ground, create meaningful jobs for our communities, and focus on building the infrastructure to address climate change and ensure a sustainable future.

9.    Despite 25 years of warnings and recommendations from top climate scientists worldwide about how to curb the problem, the UN climate negotiations have repeatedly failed to address climate change in a meaningful way. The 2014 Climate Summit in NYC, leading up to the negotiations in Paris, will likely be characterized by more of the same – a continuation of the corporate hijacking of the UN climate negotiation process and the failure of world leaders to commit to doing what is needed to stem the tides of global warming and climate change. We can and should take concrete actions in our individual lives to reduce our climate impact, but collective action is needed, as well.

10. We can still do something about the climate crisis, but we must act now to prevent the worst impacts. The window for us to affect the necessary change is shrinking, and continuing to kick the can down the road for future generations is simply not conscionable.  We must oppose new fossil fuel development such as the massive gas infrastructure proposed to transport gas through New York, divest from fossil fuels in our portfolios, andinvest in renewable energy.