Former Staunton City Council member publishes book on climate change

Ox-Eye Vineyards in Staunton is hosting the book launch of “Abolish Oil Now! Abolitionists Beat Slavery and Abolitionists Can Beat Climate Change” by Erik Curren.

The event, scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m., is free and open to the public. Refreshments provided.

Curren, a former member of Staunton City Council, will read from the book and sign copies for purchase. Curren is a 10-year veteran of the solar power industry, a longtime climate change activist and author of three previous books.

In advance of the COP26 United Nations Climate Change Conference scheduled for Oct. 31-Nov. 12, and while Congress considers the first major climate legislation proposed in the U.S. in more than 4 years, “Abolish Oil Now!” has just been published to call for a bigger and more urgent response to the climate crisis.

Scientists warn that the world must make transformative changes to the economy by 2030 or risk the worst consequences of runaway climate disruption. Wildfires in California, heatwaves in the Pacific Northwest, and record high temperatures in Virginia across the nation have shown that climate change is not a problem for future generations or far away nations but for Americans right now.

Clean energy and other solutions are ready now, and citizens overwhelmingly demand them. But governments have failed to act, blocked by the massive political power of fossil fuel companies. To unblock our politics and save the climate – and our civilization – citizens must demand that dirty energy interests get on the clean energy train or get off the tracks.

Time is limited and the next few years may be our last best chance to avoid catastrophe.

Fortunately, we have a model from the past to overcome moneyed political interests, the most successful citizens’ movement in history. In the middle of the 19th century, Black and white abolitionists worked together internationally to free nearly 5 million people in just a few decades against great odds.

“Abolish Oil Now!” makes the connection, offering inspiration and tools to win on climate today with a special focus on racial equity and climate justice for Black Americans and other people of color to create a new economy that’s both clean and fair for all.

MORE INFO: erikcurren.com