Ads Highlight the Need to Act Now on Climate Change and Wildfires
CONTACT: Deborah Camiel, (818) 299-3656, deborah@50p1.com
SACRAMENTO, CA – Clean Air California launched a statewide advertising campaign this week highlighting the urgent need to fight climate change and its impacts by reducing vehicle emissions and curtailing wildfires. The coalition is sponsoring the Clean Cars and Clean Air Act, a November ballot initiative that would boost California’s transition to clean, zero-emission vehicles and increase wildfire prevention and response.
“California is already witnessing the devastating effects of climate change with extreme heat, unhealthy air and catastrophic wildfires. We cannot afford to wait to reduce the emissions polluting our air and driving climate change,” said Mary Creasman, CEO of California Environmental Voters.
“Climate change has completely changed the risk that our state faces from wildfires,” said Tim Edwards, President of Cal Fire. “We effectively have a year-round fire season now, with more intense, more destructive and more frequent wildfires threatening our communities and polluting our air. This multimillion-dollar advertising campaign will introduce Californians across the state to a game-changing, equitable solution to this crisis.”
The statewide campaign includes TV, print and digital ads.
Two 30-second television ads begin airing today across California, the first featuring California firefighters who have witnessed the devastating impacts of catastrophic wildfires firsthand.
“It’s like a bomb dropped,” says John, a veteran Cal Fire firefighter.
“I’ve seen neighborhoods destroyed, lives lost, and firefighters risking their lives,” adds Kevin, a Cal Fire captain.
“The smoke is getting worse, ruining the air throughout the state,” Nick, a Cal Fire captain, says.
John urges, “But we don’t have to settle for all the destruction and the air we can’t breathe.”
“We can prevent and contain fires, save lives and clean the air,” Kevin tells us.
“We can do better,” John concludes.
The second ad focuses more broadly on the worsening impacts of climate change that Californians are experiencing—drought, wildfires, and air pollution.
“Climate change has hit California hard. More wildfires, more drought, unhealthy air, destroying property, hurting the economy, and even taking people’s lives. There are some who say it’s not a problem, that we shouldn’t act. Tell that to your kids, or to their kids. This is about their future. We need to act now to reduce carbon emissions and prevent wildfires from destroying the state before things get worse.”
The Clean Cars and Clean Air Act provides funding for:
- Fighting and preventing wildfires.
- Subsidies to help consumers and organizations afford zero-emission vehicles.
- Charging infrastructure for ZEVs.
The act generates roughly $100 billion over 20 years for these critical programs by taxing only those who can most afford it—Californians with personal income over $2 million a year.
The ads can be viewed here.
Clean Air CA is a broad coalition of environmental, public health, labor, business, environmental justice and consumer advocacy groups, including California Environmental Voters, the American Lung Association, CAL FIRE 2881, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Coalition for Clean Air, Lyft, Rivian, the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice, the State Association of Electrical Workers – IBEW, and many more. For more information about Clean Air California, visit www.cleanairca.org.
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ABOUT CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL VOTERS
California Environmental Voters (formerly the California League of Conservation Voters) believes the climate crisis is here and this moment requires transformative change. California has the policy solutions to stop climate change but lacks the political will to do it at the rate and scale that’s necessary. EnviroVoters exists to build the political power to solve the climate crisis, advance justice, and create a roadmap for global action. We organize voters, elect and train candidates, and hold lawmakers accountable for bold policy change. We won’t stop until we have resilient, healthy, thriving communities, and a democracy and economy that is just and sustainable for all. Join us at www.envirovoters.org and on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. See more press releases.
