Washington, DC — The Republican National Convention concluded with Trump praising the exit from the Paris Climate Accord and boasting fossil fuel dependence.  His speech took place whilst Category 4 Hurricane Laura slammed Louisiana and Texas, devastating communities and forcing thousands to evacuate ahead of the 15th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Laura took direct aim at America’s petrochemical hub, inciting a chemical fire in Louisiana. Meanwhile, wildfires and heat waves ravage the West and thousands protest state sanctioned violence across the country, following the shootings of Trayford Pellerin and Jacob Blake.

350 Action Associate Policy Director Natalie Mebane gave the following response:

“Donald Trump and the RNC are negligent, period. The sharp juxtaposition between what came out of RNC speakers’ mouths this week and the compounding crises of health, racial injustice, and climate disaster that Americans are facing is further evidence of how preposterously out of touch the party is. The Administration’s persistent climate denial, environmental rollbacks, and propping up of the fossil fuel lobby is putting our communities at risk. While Donald Trump and Republicans toy with our lives for political gain, spreading disinformation and stoking the flames of racism, hate and division, thousands of people are being displaced by hurricanes and wildfires, COVID-19 continues to spread, and police brutality continues rampantly. We cannot afford four more years of Trump. We need socially and economically transformative leadership towards a Just Recovery now.”

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Contact: Denali Nalamalapu, [email protected]