This blog post is the full length Notes from the Chair newsletter piece from Michael Heisler.
The following comments are mine alone and do not reflect the opinion of the Board of Directors of SoDak 350 nor of 350.org.
Well, where to begin…
Let us be clear: what has happened in the United States since January 20, 2025 is unprecedented, is beyond the simple politics of right vs. left and in fact is about whether all of us will stand up to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, or look away and allow this fragile experiment in democracy that began at Valley Forge, continued at Gettysburg, and was tested on the beaches of Normandy – to survive or to “perish from this earth.”
SoDak 350’s mission is to build a grassroots movement to mobilize South Dakotans to take action to address the climate crisis. Since January 2025, it has been necessary to broaden our efforts beyond climate and beyond our commitment to transition to a renewable future. We have had no choice but to face the more urgent demand that we protect this fragile constitutional republic first.
Without the rule of law, without a country based on the Constitution, without an independent judiciary, without a true free press, without a military committed to the Constitution and not to a tyrant consumed with retribution - there will not be any process left to accurately define the reality of climate change nor will there be a mechanism to use objective information to drive policy and generate grassroots support for strategies required to mitigate the impact of climate change.
So this edition of the “Notes” will be used to provide information about the truth of where we are and to provide some idea about how we effectively mobilize.
There is no need to duplicate the outpouring of information that is available and so instead, summary information from over the past few months will be presented with links to the referenced document.
1. Despite endless claims to the contrary, Trump did not achieve an overwhelming victory in November and certainly does not have a mandate for his assault on the Constitution and on the environment.
An article in the Washington Post on January 20, 2025 provided the following information:
Such claims are not supported by the election results, which show a starkly divided electorate and a historically slim win by Trump. His margin of victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the national popular vote — 1.5 percentage points — is the smallest of any president who secured a popular-vote win since Richard M. Nixon in 1968.
And though Trump won the popular vote, he did not secure a majority, coming just shy with 49.9 percent of the vote, according to certified state results compiled by the Associated Press.
2. Aware that there is no mandate for any of what Trump has done over the last 33 days to the Constitution and to the environment there are, nevertheless, reports and articles that summarize the assault on all previous attempts to address climate change and protect the environment that began with an executive order on January 20th to remove the United States from the Paris Accords.
Articles and summary papers from the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Union of Concerned Scientists, TIME Magazine, and Politico are just a few examples.
NRDC Editorial Board: Trump’s Executive Orders Mean Real Damage to U.S. Economy, Communities, and Clean Energy Gains. Nobody voted for any of this—and it’s not what most of the country wants. February 3, 2025. Trump’s Executive Orders Mean Real Damage to U.S. Economy, Communities, and Clean Energy Gains
Union of Concerned Scientists: The Trump Administration Is Waging an Attack on Environmental Health and Fair Representation February 19, 2025. The Trump Administration Is Waging an Attack on Environmental Health and Fair Representation
TIME Magazine: Here Are All of Trump’s Major Moves to Dismantle Climate Action. February 18th 2025. Here Are All of Trump’s Major Moves to Dismantle Climate Action
POLITICO: Viciousness of Trump’s climate attacks stuns even his critics. President Donald Trump has attacked nearly every aspect of the U.S. effort to confront rising temperatures. February 2, 2025. ‘Viciousness’ of Trump’s climate attacks stuns even his critics
All of these reports and others provide basically the same list:
withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Accords
review of the effectiveness of FEMA
declaration of an energy emergency that does not exist, allowing a dramatic increase in oil and gas production
cuts to the EPA
blocking support for electric vehicles
eliminating positions in the Justice Department’s division of environment and natural resources
freezing funds and grants already awarded through the inflation reduction act
prohibiting any further participation by scientists from the United States on work that focuses on the preparation of the next IPCC report
and on and on and on
3. How To Respond
First, we must respond with urgency and tenacity and courage. These are not ordinary times. As committed as we are to addressing climate change, the call to action at this moment requires an even greater commitment than we have had at any point in the past. Fortunately, there are resources and roadmaps for what we can do to make an immediate difference now.
Second, if you have not heard the last part of Gov. Jay Pritzker’s State of the State address to the Illinois legislature from February 19, 2025, take a moment and listen to it now. Full text: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker's ‘State of the State' address. A few excerpts:
I do not invoke the specter of Nazis lightly. But I know the history intimately — and have spent more time than probably anyone in this room with people who survived the Holocaust. Here’s what I’ve learned – the root that tears apart your house’s foundation begins as a seed – a seed of distrust and hate and blame.
The seed that grew into a dictatorship in Europe a lifetime ago didn’t arrive overnight. It started with everyday Germans mad about inflation and looking for someone to blame
My oath is to the Constitution of our state and of our country. We don’t have kings in America – and I don’t intend to bend the knee to one. I am not speaking up in service to my ambitions — but in deference to my obligations.
If you think I’m overreacting and sounding the alarm too soon, consider this:
It took the Nazis one month, three weeks, two days, eight hours and 40 minutes to dismantle a constitutional republic. All I’m saying is when the five-alarm fire starts to burn, every good person better be ready to man a post with a bucket of water if you want to stop it from raging out of control.
Tyranny requires your fear and your silence and your compliance. Democracy requires your courage. So gather your justice and humanity, Illinois, and do not let the “tragic spirit of despair” overcome us when our country needs us the most.
Third, read Timothy Snyder’s 2017 monograph On Tyranny with particular attention to his list of Twenty Lessons For Fighting Tyranny. There is no time or space in these notes to provide a summary but they are essential to all of us as we move forward. Please take a moment and read them today.
Fourth, read A Practical Guide To Democracy On The Brink – Strategies, Practices, and Tips For How Everyday Americans Can Fight Back Together Wherever We Live produced by Indivisible. There are multiple guides and lists like this that are available but Indivisible’s is certainly a great place to start.
Michael Heisler
SoDak 350 Chair
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