On Tuesday, Aug. 13th, 30 members of Northwest Suburbs Organizing for Action (NWSOFA) met at Barrington Memorial Park to hold Representative Peter Roskam accountable for being a climate change denier. The debate about whether climate change is real has been over for a long time —a majority of Americans, 97% of climate scientists, NASA, NOAA and the National Academy of Sciences all agree. But Rep. Roskam refuses to accept the overwhelming judgment of science, and OFA handed out a Unicorn “award” to recognize Rep. Roskam’s perseverance in resisting the facts. In a 2006 debate, Rep. Roskam called climate change “junk science.”
The group marched to Rep. Roskam’s office where Matt Flamm of Palatine presented a statuette of a unicorn to the Congressman’s aide and said, “We must address climate change now for the sake of our children, our children’s children, and all future generations.” Flamm continued, “We present you with this award with a challenge. We will welcome you to return this award by accepting the science of climate change and the need to act.”
“Representative Roskam has a choice,” said Joe Salvato, one of the organizers of the event.”He can continue to deny climate change and obstruct efforts to alleviate man’s impact on the climate, or he can embrace reality and do everything he can to promote a healthy world.”
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Beth Carow of Algonquin said, “ I want my Representative to concentrate on finding solutions to climate change and other critical issues, not to waste his time voting over 40 times to repeal health care reform.”
Americans' experiences with increasingly extreme weather and the nation's economic interests are all in line with the moral obligation to act on climate change to protect our health, our children, and future generations. It’s time for Rep. Roskam to face reality and for Congress to take action to address the serious threats posed by climate change.
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OFA volunteers nationwide are spending the August congressional recess organizing their communities around the issues the American people voted for in 2012, like immigration reform, affordable healthcare, combating climate change, gun violence prevention, and a better bargain for the middle class, among others. OFA’s “Action August” volunteers will make it clear to their representatives in Washington that they expect them to put the American people before D.C. politics.
About Northwest Suburbs Organizing For Action
Northwest Suburbs Organizing for Action (NWSOFA) is the northwest suburban chapter of Organizing for Action (OFA), a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to advancing the policies that the American people voted for in 2012. In just six months, more than 3.1 million volunteers have taken action through OFA. As a grassroots funded social advocacy group, OFA is committed to tipping the scales of power back to the American people instead of special interests in Washington. OFA is working to advance policies like job creation, strengthening the middle class, gun violence prevention, comprehensive immigration reform and measures combating climate change that a majority of the American people support. More information at www.nwsofa.org or call (224)241-2012.
