2023 Annual Report

Climate Reality Leaders are standing up to big polluters and winning

Far too often, the petrochemical and fossil fuel industries present their presence as a benefit to local communities, ignoring the pollution they bring and the damage they do to the health of residents and the planet. Our Climate Reality Leaders and US chapters aren’t willing to stand by and let that happen.

Last year, Climate Reality actively opposed 23 petrochemical and fossil fuel projects, and 10 in the Ohio River Valley, with several important victories. 

• The Susquehanna Valley, PA chapter led an effort that successfully defeated a proposed gas-fired power plant in Renovo and a chemical recycling facility in Point Township – communities that have long suffered the impacts of extractive industry. Both efforts have built momentum in a region that was once at the epicenter of fossil fuel production. In blocking the Renovo plant alone, we’ve helped prevent upwards of 5.5 million tons of CO2 emissions from going into the atmosphere annually (according to the state’s refined air dispersion modeling 2020 report). 
• Climate Reality’s Los Angeles chapter joined other community activists and environmental justice leaders in advocating for more stringent regulations around the Murphy Drill Site and other similar sites for years. (The effort was even featured in a “Local Action” session during our 2018 training in Los Angeles.) In February 2023, this urban oil field in the predominantly Black and Latino neighborhood of Jefferson Park was ordered to be enclosed and electrified, making it safer for residents.  

Climate Reality is helping implement historic climate laws

Just as Climate Reality’s US network was instrumental in organizing and maintaining pressure on decision makers to ensure passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), we are now educating communities on the benefits of the law and urging action to realize its full impact.

After our training in April 2023 focused on IRA implementation, we launched Our Climate Moment: From Acts to Action (FA2A), an implementation campaign that mobilized Climate Reality Leaders and our broader network to spread the word about the IRA in their local communities. With our distributed organizing chapter model, we were able to connect Leaders across states in policy-specific working groups focused on regenerative agriculture, the business community, and climate finance.

Since launching, FA2A has activated thousands of people across the US in grassroots efforts around:

• Local level electrification education on consumer-facing tax credits and rebates in the IRA. 
• State level efforts to create new green banks that can take advantage of the IRA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. 
• Federal-level work to protect the IRA’s $20 billion in climate-smart agriculture funding in the Farm Bill. 

Leaders gave presentations on building electrification and electric vehicle tax credits offered by the IRA. Chapters created sophisticated localized resources to complement the national resources provided by Climate Reality staff. They held webinars, tabled at state fairs and farmer’s markets, and gave presentations in their communities. Some chapters even built a model doll-sized clean energy home to showcase IRA tax incentives and toured it around the state.

The impact of all this work is that more people across the US are aware of how they can benefit from historic climate laws. And they’re ushering in the clean energy transition by installing heat pumps in their churches, benefitting from tax rebates on electric cars, and pushing for their communities to electrify.

With the bulk of the IRA tax credits in effect for 10 years, our work on implementation is only beginning.

Building support for state climate policy

With the urgent need for climate action, US states have become laboratories for bold policies to drive the clean energy transition.

Across the US, Climate Reality’s 100 chapters and 2 million engaged advocates have been organizing their communities to push their states for climate policies that can serve as model for the nation, including:

• After dedicated advocacy by the Climate Reality Washtenaw County chapter and other organizations, Michigan passed the Clean Energy Future package of bills, which will help secure billions of dollars from the Inflation Reduction Act for the state.   
• New York chapters played a key role in getting The All-Electric Building Act passed in their state as part of their coalition work in Renewable Heat Now. Climate Reality Leaders were committed, speaking to legislators about the bill’s value when it comes to decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and building a more sustainable future.   
• California’s Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act (SB 253), signed into law in October 2023, will help hold companies accountable for their environmental impacts. Former Vice President Gore publicly expressed his support for the bill, and Climate Reality’s California chapters mobilized on the ground. This victory showcases our unique model: we leverage the voice and leadership of our founder and activate our grassroots network to drive meaningful climate action.    

Reducing emissions in Colombian states

Colombia has bold plans to reduce emissions by 51% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. But getting there will take the cooperation of Colombian municipal and state governments responsible for the climate policies that can help the country reach its goals.

That’s where Climate Reality Latin America comes in. Along with partners, the branch has been working on the Road to Carbon Neutral, a project that works with key decisionmakers to develop decarbonization plans focused on the energy and transport sectors in the five Colombian states with the highest emissions.

The results speak for themselves: All five participating governments have developed long-term plans to help reduce emissions in their states. And, in coordination with Colombia’s Ministry of Energy and Transportation, the project mobilized 40 million pesos for the financing of climate action initiatives, demonstrating tangible financial support for climate action and sustainability efforts.

Climate Reality Canada helps cities transition to net zero

When the local government of Winnipeg planned to take the net zero strategy out of its four-year Strategic Priorities Action Plan (SPAP), members of Climate Reality Canada stepped into action. As the capital of Manitoba, Canada and home to about 60% of the province's population, Winnipeg plays an outsize role in the region's overall contribution to climate change.

The SPAP informs the city’s budget priorities, making it especially crucial to ensure a net zero strategy wouldn’t be left out.

In the face of this threat, a coalition of nonprofits and grassroots organizers, supported by Climate Reality Canada, launched a successful campaign to raise awareness about the issue. Through education campaigns, letter-writing initiatives, and public engagement, the coalition worked with the city council to amend the action plan to include a net zero strategy.

This achievement not only secured Winnipeg’s continued commitment to its net zero goals but also led to unprecedented climate-specific consultations between city councilors and environmental organizations, demonstrating the power of dedicated climate organizing and potential for transformative change. 

Young leaders are advancing clean energy

Through a partnership with the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community, Climate Reality supports young leaders – “Shapers” – in developing community-based solutions to the climate crisis through local “hubs” around the world.

Since the partnership began in 2017, we have reached over 3,400 young people from 140 countries representing over 300 hubs carrying out solar energy projects, recycling initiatives, community education efforts, and more. Highlights include:

• In Romania, the Global Shapers Bucharest Hub is making clean energy accessible to apartment blocks. It launched the project IntreVecini, or “BetweenNeighbours,” by installing rooftop solar panels that will cover energy costs for common areas for 60 apartments in a Bucharest apartment block. The impact of the project has already multiplied: The hub has received additional funding to work with 10 new communities around Romania where they will install solar panels and engage local communities.
• The Kolkata Global Shaper Hub in India established the first circular economy initiative in the city, Circularity on Wheels. The project collaborated with upcyclers and recyclers to collect electronic waste and used cooking oil and increase community-wide awareness of the initiative and its impacts. The result: 12,000 kg of material diverted from landfill and collected for re-use, upcycling, or recycling.

Building Youth Power

The Climate Justice for All grant program supports grassroots organizations working for climate and environmental justice in disadvantaged communities, from training young people in climate advocacy to calling attention to the legacy of environmental pollution. 

In Atlanta, Girl + Environment put the grant to work by training cohorts of Black and Brown women and non-binary individuals to get engaged in Georgia energy policy and raising awareness about the impacts of energy burden.

One cohort spoke in front of the state Public Service Commission and advocated against the 12% increase of energy costs. The commission ultimately settled on a 4% raise – an 8% difference and a major savings for communities that need it the most.

In New Mexico, The Semilla Project is training young people of color to develop policy recommendations that advance environmental health equity, climate justice, and reduced emissions – and then supporting them in turning that training into action.

One of the organization’s key achievements during the grant period was the Youth Power! Advocacy Day at the New Mexico State Capitol, which mobilized 300 passionate young people to learn about and participate in the legislative process. Youth met with over 70 legislators and the governor, spoke at legislative committee hearings, and submitted testimonies around legislative opportunities that would promote reduced emissions. The Advocacy Day gave young people the opportunity to lead real world civic action and ensured that legislators heard from directly impacted community members on the proposed legislation before them.

One of those bills – which passed! – will establish the New Mexico Match Fund, allocating $75 million to help state agencies meet the local match funding requirements of federal funding opportunities in the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.