Women Over 60 Demand Climate Action

Group of Supporters in City Hall Courtyard,August 28, 2023 (Photo – Brian Biery)

PASADENA – ColoradoBoulevard.net:

A room full of silver-haired women dressed in black and festooned with silver satin ribbons stood up in unison on Monday evening at the Pasadena City Council meeting to call attention to climate change and its dangers to public health.

By News Desk

More than 60 Pasadena area residents, including some men, packed the City Council meeting on Monday, August 28. Twelve senior women addressed the Council during the public comment on non-agendized matters.  They spoke of the dangers from excessive heat on the elderly and, in particular, on senior women.  Recent studies show that in 2022, more than 60,000 Europeans died from excessive heat caused by climate change, with the largest number of those deaths among senior women.

One speaker read aloud from a letter of solidarity from an organization of Swiss women that recently sued their government for failure to take action, in violation of the human right to a safe climate. The speakers also recognized the August 26^th anniversary of the passing of the 19^th Amendment (adopted after 70 years struggle by women).

Supporters standing in Council Chambers (Photo – Brian Biery)

Claudia Funke, representing PASADENA 100, said “We stand firm, and we will not be ignored.” … “We stand here as a most vulnerable group, yet with the strength that comes from recognizing that climate change unites all of us.”

Among the notables wearing silver ribbons in the Council Chambers crowd was Nobel laureate Professor Frances Arnold, Co-Chair of President Biden’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology.  A letter of support from Dr. C. Freeman, a geriatric psychiatrist and the first African American President of the L.A. County Medical Association was presented to the City Council.

100% carbon-free electricity by 2030

Speakers voiced the need for immediate action by the City Manager and Pasadena Water & Power to develop and implement a specific plan to reach the City Council’s goal of sourcing 100% carbon-free electricity by 2030.  Pasadena residents may monitor the progress of the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) by attending the meetings of the Municipal Services Committee, Environment Advisory Commission, IRP Community, and City Council.