“We are not drowning! We are fighting! We are not drowning! We are fighting!”
Those words echoed in the rafters as more than 200 gathered for the Baltimore premiere of How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can’t Change.
Full house in Baltimore tonight to see @LETGOANDLOVEdoc by @joshfoxfilm pic.twitter.com/W8cSWqeniU
The newest documentary by Josh Fox, whose 2010 film Gasland captured people’s attention with its gripping accounting of fracking’s toll on public health and the environment, takes the same local, personal approach to a problem that affects the whole globe at once: climate change. The film focuses closely on families displaced in New York by Hurricane Sandy, Pacific Islanders watching their homes inundated by the sea, Beijing residents fearful to breathe the air outside their homes, and others feeling the impacts now of the pollution that is cooking the planet. I was moved almost to tears by the film’s portrayal of everything we stand to lose as the climate warms around us – but also heartened by the stories of communities all around the world finding the strength and resilience to both fight against climate change and celebrate “what is so deep within us that no calamity can take it away.”
Here in Baltimore, fossil fuel infrastructure puts our health at risk. Oil companies ship crude oil by rail across our streets and under our schools; coal plants make our air among the most polluted on the East Coast; trash incineration spews toxic chemicals across the city. Before and after the movie, Baltimore residents fighting these projects shared their visions for a healthier city, and the steps we need to take to make those visions a reality.
.@LarryHogan & @BarackObama protect Baltimore! No bomb trains! No Cove Point LNG! #letgoandlove #KeepItInTheGround pic.twitter.com/pbH2cyUPgr
Our volunteer team is gathering next week to respond to the film and make plans to protect Baltimore from oil trains. With city legislation pending, changes approaching, and opportunities to spread the word coming, it’s more important than ever for us to speak out against the fossil fuel industry using Baltimore to ship oil regardless of the risk. If you’d like to learn more or join the team, please email me.
