The visuals were first-rate: an all-electric camper van customized with images of wind turbines turning against an orange sky.
There was swag: postcards, fans, buttons and posters.
And there was a passionate speech by a leading voice for climate action in the U.S. Congress: “There is a stark choice facing us,” said U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor of Florida. “Are we going to continue to help people afford the heating of the planet and all these extreme (weather) events? Or are we going backwards?”
But this wasn’t the Democratic National Convention. In addition to the standard meetings and workshops at McCormick Place, climate groups are holding a range of events in Chicago this week: at least two news conferences, a tour of an all-electric home in North Lawndale, a happy hour and watch party at the Salt Shed, and a “little climate voter party” in the West Loop that was attended by actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
The message at two events attended by the Tribune was clear: The climate crisis is urgent, real people are already suffering, and President Joe Biden’s signature climate bill must not be rolled back.
“All eyes are on Chicago and Illinois during the Democratic Convention this week, and I’m proud to say, they should be,” Walling said. “Thanks to the leadership of the Biden-Harris administration, Gov. (JB) Pritzker and his administration, and Mayor Brandon Johnson and his administration, and countless advocates — many of whom are in the room today — Illinois is a blueprint for clean energy progress and environmental protection nationwide.”
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