WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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Golden Bicycle and Extinction Rebellion are groups in Bloomington who put climate change at the forefront. In a letter to the city, these groups say climate change is the defining issue of our time. The letter addresses how the mayor should allocate local income tax revenue to help those affected most by climate change – which include people of color and working-class communities.
The letter said, “We hope to see a working group that is as you have proposed- empowered, resourced, and engaged. Likewise, the Sustainability Fund should be transparently applied in the most effective way, based on scientific analyses and focused on those most affected. We anticipate your commitment to a progressive approach to any new tax, ensuring that it builds a more equitable Bloomington and does not harm those least able to afford it.”
The letter addresses two major initiatives by the mayor. First, it mentions the local income tax increase, meant to allocate about 8 million dollars to a Sustainability Fund. Second, the letter highlights the city’s formation of a Green Ribbon Panel, a governmental body meant to identify and address climate challenges.
The groups wanted to remind people climate change isn’t a future possibility to avoid, but instead a crisis that is occurring now. They said climate change is a culmination of our past actions that can only increase in severity, regardless if it is slowed by current and future efforts.
They cited concrete examples of climate change in effect, including the disruption of the Midwestern growing season cycles. Furthermore, on a global scale, the Australian fires show the reality of climate change. They referred to the natural disasters and the changing climate patterns as the “new normal.”
In the letter, Extinction Rebellion and Golden Bicycle wrote, “It is imperative that we not take half measures in this crisis, and thus a clear and transparent plan for any money raised by the LIT is necessary if it is to be accepted by the public.”
Golden Bicycle and Extinction Rebellion said the plan for LIT revenue should guarantee Bloomington’s resources are “efficiently and progressively” directed to respond to the climate crisis.
They referred to a list of demands delivered to the city in September for a rapid deployment of resources for climate transition. The demands focus on affordable and sustainable housing, a transit plan to end dependency on private transportation, support for the local food economy and fruit tree plantings for food resilience.
They said to hold large corporations accountable. For instance, Duke Energy.
The groups wrote, “Duke Energy is a major employer in southern Indiana, but their carbon emissions are the second highest of any company in the United States. Maintaining business as usual for large employers does not have a positive impact on our health, survival, and environment. In order to avoid the phenomena known as ‘greenwashing’, a GRP must be directed by experts and community members rather than corporate initiatives.”
Lastly, the letter to the city provides a list of recommendations to the Green Ribbon Panel, based on the local grassroots climate coalition. Furthermore, they pushed for transparency in the Sustainability Fund that they said should be applied in the most effective way – rooted in science and aimed to help those most impacted by climate change.
The letter says, “Any serious discussion of the state of the city tonight must take into account the climate crisis that we are already in, and the inequitable distribution of the catastrophes it will produce here.”
Among Golden Bicycle’s list of demands to the city, the group said carbon emissions need to be at net zero by 2040. Extinction Rebellion demands emissions to net zero by 2035.
