USCAN is a vital network for 190+ organizations active on climate change.
USCAN’S MISSION
Our mission is to build trust and alignments among members to fight climate change in a just and equitable way.
USCAN’S VISION
We envision a powerful, inclusive, and trusting network of US organizations who worked together to meet the global goals in the Paris Climate Agreement and exceed the US targets outlined in that agreement.
THE NEED
There is no denying it, we are seeing devastation from climate impacts happening more often. Even though we have the solutions at our fingertips, the next five year period will not be an easy road for climate action in America. It may even be the most challenging time in the US Climate Action Network’s 28 year history.
USCAN’S THEORY OF CHANGE
USCAN’s theory of change is that if we work together we will successfully impact climate change. This is rooted in the belief that our network members must double down on democracy and relationships in order to pursue our shared goals. Our inside game and our outside game members must be in relationships with each other and coordinate in areas where they decide that working together will enable us to meet the network’s vision.
OUR WORK AHEAD: STRATEGIC PLAN 2017-2022
JUSTICE, EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION STATEMENT
As our mission indicates, we are committed to fighting climate change in a just and equitable way.
We believe that we can accomplish far more together than alone. Our passion for a just and equitable world requires that we are inclusive, transparent and fair in all that we do, and that we act in solidarity and with appreciation for the work of our colleagues around the world, especially in the global south. We can only achieve our vision with full participation from a multitude of cultural and life experiences and communities.
Our commitment to building trust and alignments among our members requires that we build situations and relationships where all members are valued, heard, respected and empowered, so that our collective action is informed by a broad range of perspectives.
Our pursuit of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion recognizes that the impacts of climate change disproportionately hurt the most vulnerable communities, including women, communities of color, income-challenged communities, and those who are not able to advocate for themselves.
Science and community input inform our work. We know that systems of racial and economic injustice must be dismantled and a new system created to bring justice to the marginalized communities that are most affected by climate change. We seek to address these historic inequities in our work.
We value justice, equity, democracy, inclusion, trust, relationships, optimism, wisdom, and perseverance. In order to fulfill our purpose and live our values, we aim to make our commitment to justice, diversity, equity and inclusion evident in our network structures, organizational structures, policies, board of directors, staff, mission, and vision. We are accountable to each other in our network, and transparent in our pursuit of equity. We embrace people of all backgrounds and seek to foster a culture where everyone is welcome, and historically marginalized voices are heard. We move collectively, taking leadership from frontline communities, marginalized communities, and communities of color. We act in accordance to the Environmental Justice Principles and the Jemez Principles for Democratic Organizing.
In summary, our commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion is essential to achieving our mission and vision.
TESTIMONIALS
“USCAN serves as the connective tissue between organizations that are working to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and to help communities adapt to the impacts of climate change. It is critical that Oxfam coordinate our efforts at the international level with groups working on state, regional, and national policies, and USCAN provides us with that service. USCAN has also connected us to new groups and constituencies engaging on the climate issue, providing us with critical long-term allies, and has helped us to better understand the landscape, the people, and the politics surrounding this complex set of issues.”
– HEATHER COLEMAN, MANAGER, CLIMATE CHANGE, OXFAM AMERICA
“As a regional climate activist, I find it vitally important to connect with other regions and with national and international climate action. To sustain us as climate champions, we all need to connect our limited slice of the action to the people and organizations that are forming a bigger, more coherent, hopeful whole. USCAN is the vital glue, the hub, the connection that makes that possible.”
– KC GOLDEN, POLICY DIRECTOR, CLIMATE SOLUTIONS
“USCAN and its commitment to climate change has reactivated my enthusiasm to champion the causes and rights for others to enjoy clean air and water. Since climate change negatively impacts the lives of all people regardless of race, creed, class, or culture, I believe that it is the civil and human rights issue of our day, and I want to be in the thick of this battle. This is a battle we can win if we speak with ONE VOICE. USCAN will help us progress together!”
– REV. DR. GERALD DURLEY, PASTOR EMERITUS, PROVIDENCE MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH
“Our involvement in USCAN provides an opportunity for us to give input into central conversations on organizing to address climate change, from a civil and human rights perspective. We also appreciate the opportunity to coordinate with an array of organizations to combine efforts to simultaneously prevent and adapt to climate change.”
– JACQUELINE PATTERSON, DIRECTOR, ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE JUSTICE PROGRAM, NAACP