Summer 2022 Newsletter
September 13, 2022
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Please put Monday, September 19th from 5:00-7:00pm on your calendar: GBPSR will be holding our first in-person meeting in two years at the Boston Nature Center and we would love to see you there!
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GBPSR will also have a table at the Dance for World Community Festival in Harvard Square on Saturday, September 24th. This is “Greater Boston’s famously inclusive dance event” that celebrates live dance performances, community gathering and collective activism. Please stop by our table to say hello!
Lastly, please don’t forget to register for our virtual concert on October 1 at 7pm, honoring Professors Alan Robock, Brian Toon, and Lili Xia who have pioneered critical research on nuclear winter and the climatic consequences of a limited nuclear conflict. This event will feature performances by Longwood Symphony Orchestra musicians and members from the Silkroad Ensemble, an international musical collaborative that was founded by cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Attendance to this virtual event is FREE, but sponsorships on behalf of both our organizations, no matter the amount, will be appreciated and put to good use.This is GBPSR’s main fundraiser of the year and allows us to support the staffing we need to carry out our important work.
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IMPORTANT ADVOCACY UPDATES
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In June, Commonwealth Magazine published an op-ed, Why do we accept asthma with our ‘natural’ gas? by Drs. Brita Lundberg and Carlos Camargo
In July, PSR National released the Hydrogen Pipe Dreams report, written by GBPSR’s Climate and Health Program Manager, Andee Krasner, and PSR National’s program director of the Environment & Health Program, Barb Gottlieb. Andee Krasner was on a podcast called the Climate Minute with Ted McIntyre to discuss the report. The podcast will post in mid-September.
In August 2022, Massachusetts passed a comprehensive climate bill, An Act driving clean energy and offshore wind. It includes a 10- municipalities building-electrification demonstration program for new construction, the expansion of wind and solar energy, stops biomass from being added to the Renewable energy Portfolio Standard (RPS), and much more. Click here learn more about what is in the law.
Thank you to all our members who responded to the climate bill action alerts and called the Governor and legislators. Your advocacy was crucial for passing this incredibly important bill.
Shortly after the Governor signed the climate bill, Mayor Wu announced that Boston would pass a home rule petition with hopes of being one of the 10 municipalities included in the demonstration project.
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We were thrilled to hear GBPSR members Dr. Joe Hodgkin and Dr. James Muller speak at the Brigham and Women’s Medical Grand Rounds on September 9th; their talk was titled “The Role of Health Professionals in the Prevention of Nuclear War”.
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On August 8th, GBPSR board member Dr. Joe Hodgkin spoke at the United Nations on Zoom as part of an @IPPNW panel discussion at the 10th Review Conference of the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Although summer is usually a slow time for organizing, Back from the Brink made significant strides these past few months. In June, Congressman Jim McGovern introduced H Res 1185, a Back from the Brink resolution in the US House, and we began talks with several Senators about a companion resolution for the Senate. And the national Back from the Brink campaign worked with the Poor People’s Campaign for the successful march on Washington.
In July, the national Episcopal Church adopted a resolution supporting Back from the Brink and the city of Chicago passed a Back from the Brink resolution.
And in August, Bishop William Byrne endorsed Back from the Brink on behalf of the Diocese of Springfield MA and our activist group in Western MA also met with the Mayor of Holyoke who endorsed Back from the Brink and began working to secure a City Council resolution there.
In coming months we want to approach all members of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation to co-sponsor H Res 1185 and encourage Senators Markey and Warren to sponsor the Senate resolution. We want to continue promoting resolutions in local cities and towns and with local community and faith organizations and reach out to high school and college students to involve them in this campaign
The other major achievement of the summer was the publication of IPPNW’s new report Nuclear Famine written by Greater Boston PSR board member Matt Bivens. The report summarized the data in a complex new study published in Nature Food in mid August by Lili Xia, Alan Robock, Brian Toon and their colleagues who we will be honoring at our annual concert on October 1st.
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Chapter Details and Member Alert
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- A hearty thank you to Sarah Griffith, who consulted with Greater Boston PSR to advance building electrification in Massachusetts, advance our climate communication goals, and increase our chapter’s member recruitment, retention and involvement. Sarah has worked in the climate field for years and in combination with her savvy technological know-how, was able to help our chapter reach many of our goals this year!
- The Greater Boston PSR Steering Committee has decided to officially change the name of our nonprofit governing body from “Steering Committee” to “Board of Directors”. Our by-laws require that our general membership be made aware of such changes and be offered the opportunity to weigh in. If you have questions or concerns, please let us know by sending an email to: info@gbpsr.org
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We welcome all GBPSR members to join our monthly meetings. We generally start with a 10-minute presentation on a current issue in the climate, nuclear or public health realm. Please join our efforts and lend your skills and interests to our work. If you would like to volunteer your time, contact info@gbpsr.org; if you prefer, you can donate online or by check here. We are only as strong as the network we create; and we need your engagement to thrive — whether you are a health professional or a concerned citizen. With your help, we can continue to tackle these critical existential issues.
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GBPSR
PO box 123
Boston, MA 02130
United States
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