What People Are Saying: #CodeRedCongress Day of Action
It’s Code Red for Climate
On Wednesday, Jimmy Kimmel launched his show with news clips illustrating how climate change is a “code red for humanity.” Experts’ warnings of what’s to come if Congress doesn’t act are so catastrophic, it’s enough to make any comedian serious. Yesterday, artists, comedians, and leaders spoke with one voice about the urgency of acting on climate. They called on their viewers, fans and followers to tell Congress it’s now or never. As Kimmel said last night “there’s only one plan that has any chance of doing even part of what needs to be done: the Build Back Better Act.”
At the same time extreme weather is devastating communities across the country and disrupting our lives, we can still save people and the planet from the worst of the crisis. The transformational climate investments in the Build Back Better Act will create good-paying jobs, cut costs for families, and slash pollution. Biden’s case for climate action is also backed in every corner of America by an overwhelming majority of voters. You can’t ignore the new reality in Washington DC, we have the momentum and opportunity, right now, to save the planet. But Congress must act.
Yesterday sparked a groundswell of calls to Congress to act on climate, and not just on Kimmel’s show:
An Avalanche of Celebrity Messages Delivered Results
The hashtag, #CodeRedClimate started popping up on social media accounts yesterday morning and quickly grew rapidly across social media powered by celebrities from all corners of American life. Among others, Amy Schumer, Maroon 5, Damian Marley, Dave Matthews Band, Deepak Chopra, the Foo Fighters, Jon Batiste, Mark Ruffalo, Melissa Etheridge, Neil Patrick Harris, and Radiohead all leveraged their platforms to call for Congress to pass the strongest possible legislation on climate.
Here are a few examples of the messages they delivered:
Comedian Amy Schumer: “The west is on fire. Parts of Louisiana and New York are underwater. The climate crisis is here. Let’s tell Congress it’s time to act: http://CodeRedCongress.com #CodeRedClimate
Basketball Champion Isiah Thomas: “We cannot just rebuild – we have to Build Back Better. Join me to tell Congress they’ve got to pass the strongest climate change bill in American history when they soon vote. #CodeRedClimate #BuildBackBetter http://CodeRedCongress.com
Actor Mark Ruffalo: “This is our moment! We organized, got out the vote for #Democrats & now Congress is on the verge of passing the strongest climate legislation in U.S. history with #BuildBackBetterAct. Let’s get this done!”
Rock Singer Melissa Etheridge: “The west is on fire. Parts of Louisiana and New York are underwater. The climate crisis is here. Let’s tell Congress it’s time to act.”
Pop Band Maroon 5: “This month is a critical moment in the fight against the climate crisis. Join us, @REVERB_org, and other #CodeRedClimate partners to push Congress to pass the strongest climate legislation in American history. Take action: http://CodeRedCongress.com”
The combined influence of these public figures is immense: since yesterday CodeRedCongress.com received over 27,000 page views, and over 12,000 people used it to contact their Senators and Representatives. As of this writing, people are continuing to use the website to contact their representatives in DC. The #CodeRed received over 70 million impressions in a single day.
As People Joined the Calls for Action, Climate Leaders Made the Case on TV
The conversation that caught fire on social media also carried through to cable news. On major shows, heavy hitter climate champions were getting the message across.
- Renowned climate scientist Dr. Michael Mann told Andrea Mitchell that “We have a shrinking window of opportunity to prevent truly catastrophic climate change if we act boldly now.”
- Meanwhile, Climate Envoy John Kerry told MSNBC that the Build Back Better Act’s climate provisions are “the greatest accrual of benefits I’ve ever seen… If we do this right, we’re gonna see an amazing number of jobs created.”
- Rounding out the heavyweight trio, Former Vice President & Noble Prize Winner Al Gore told Lester Holt “this is unfolding faster than the scientists warned us, and now they’re telling us we’ve got to prepare for much worse unless we take action quickly.”
Climate Night on Late Night
Rounding out the show of momentum driving the Build Back Better Act, seven late night shows dedicated their shows to the topic in a historic coordinated effort. In addition to Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, Seth Myers, Trevor Noah, and Samantha Bee all discussed the dangerous effects climate change is having on American lives, from sewage to sex drive. As John Batiste said on Stephen Colbert’s Late Show, “this is something you can actively work towards: just write to your Congressperson at coderedcongress.com. They vote next week to determine our future. It’s a heavy vote, so let’s get on it.”
