Get the popcorn! The evening of Sunday, October 30, starting at 8 PM Eastern, is going to be a great night for amazing climate stories on your TV.
Coal-fired power plants are the biggest source of climate pollution and a direct threat to our communities’ health. Across the country, grassroots activists are fighting this threat ― and winning. As director of Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign, I’ve been inspired to see America’s transition from coal to clean energy gain momentum. This Sunday begins another opportunity to learn about and celebrate these stories, when this season of the Years of Living Dangerously premieres. The first episode features David Letterman in India, and Cecily Strong of Saturday Night Live investigating campaigns against rooftop solar, in colluding the nefarious anti-solar Amendment 1 in Florida [Link to website for the coalition called Floridians for solar choice]. I had the chance to see it at the red carpet premiere in New York, and it was great.
The Beyond Coal Campaign will be featured in December’s season finale with America Ferrera. I’m excited to follow along with the story throughout this season, and invite you to join me. The story of our campaign in Waukegan, Illinois is a prime example of people power standing up for their communities and the future of our planet.
As the preview for this season makes clear, we are in a race against time. Now is a pivotal moment for deciding the type of world we leave for our kids. Over and over, I’ve seen passionate and committed underdogs win out over entrenched fossil fuel interests. We must continue this work ― and telling the stories that drive the work.
Immediately following the Years of Living Dangerously premiere, NatGeo will premiere Leonardo DiCaprio’s new climate film, Before the Flood. It’s been getting lots of buzz, and it includes an appearance by the Sierra Club’s executive director, Michael Brune.
We’re also launching a new site where you can take action if you’re inspired by what you see on TV – click here. So be sure to watch, tell your friends, and join the conversation on social media or in your living room.
When you watch Years of Living Dangerously and Before the Flood this weekend and throughout the season, remember one important thing: people power can accomplish anything. Together, we can build an electric sector on 100 percent clean energy instead of filthy fuels like coal. We can, and we will.