The Global Warming Coalition is a group started in January 2003 when a small group of activists invited the public to a showing of the British documentary called “The Day the Oceans Boiled”, 140 people went to watch the documentary in the Douglas County Library. The show’s message served as the inspiration for the formation of the Global Warming Coalition in Douglas County, but May 2023 is when the group was formally established. The Coalition addresses and educates the public on global warming, advocating and addressing the climate crises, and finding the best way to make a greener earth.
The Coalition has brought in many members and volunteers over the years and some Internationally recognized experts like Dr. Jane Lubchenco who used to be the director for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Dr. Phillip Mote who directed the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute (OCCRI). There has been many scientists and other climate activists throughout the years of the coalitions existence. The Coalition has played strong roles in advocating for policies impacting climate change on both a local level and even national levels. Many times the coalition will collaborate with other organizations and climate activists on problems such as when they joined with other organizations to form a clean transportation network when promoting the use of electric vehicles, or when they joined with other activists across the state to reduce Oregon greenhouse gas emissions.
The board members are Stuart Liebowitz the founding board member of global warming coalition, Diana Bailey who joined the board in 2020 she educates people about climate change, Polly Stirling was inspired by The Day the Oceans Boiled documentary leading to the organization of the global warming coalition, the other two members are Scott McKain and Melanie MacKinnon. A poll asked people around the school about the global warming coalition and climate change in general. The poll asked people if they knew/heard about the Douglas county global warming coalition. 9 said they haven’t heard about it/knew anything about the coalition while only 2 said they have heard about it. The low numbers on both this small scale poll around the school and on their Facebook and Youtube platforms is a big reason why I wanted to create this article. It’s important for people to know about the climate and the coalition as well. This doesn’t mean that the coalition isn’t recognized at all but that it’s not as well known
Through their Friends Of The Climate project they have been able to offer information to people new on the subject. They have a newsletter with Katharine Heyhoe which tackles the climate on different subjects and areas such as how the Antarctica sea is at an all time low or how food waste affects the world. All these newsletters are found on her website www.talkingclimate.ca. There is a lot more than just newsletters, there are podcasts in the project, monthly climate tips, and being able to restore nature and make it more diverse.