50-year-old Wynn Bruce from Boulder, CO set himself on fire on Earth Day in what those closest to him say was a climate change protest. While this is a shocking and tragic act, Bruce's friends say he was a Buddhist of sound mind, and his self-immolation was a "deeply fearless act of compassion" to bring attention to the climate crisis. Organizers of Bruce's vigil urged attendees to act by demanding governments actually combat climate change.
U.S. lawmakers must recognize Wynn Bruce's courageous act and honor his memory with similarly courageous climate action. Sign the petition to demand that they save our planet!
The shocking nature of Bruce's death was no mistake -- he successfully represented the urgency of the climate crisis staring our politicians in the face. The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report shows that the wealthiest countries in the world -- like the U.S. -- are responsible for significantly more emissions than less wealthy countries. On top of that, only 24 countries in the world are actually reducing their emissions. The U.S. has a responsibility to create more ambitious climate action plans to eliminate emissions and pull more carbon from their atmosphere.
Addressing the climate crisis is not easy, but based on the IPCC report, it's clear there is no other option. If governments start quickly funding and implementing existing climate mitigation options mentioned in the report, climate risks can be reduced and mass death and suffering can be avoided.
As news spread about Bruce's life and death, many said they understood Bruce's despair: "If the world disregards the warnings from scientists about the actions needed to curb the world's warming, millions more people will die by fire."
Sign the petition in honor of Wynn Bruce's memory. The U.S. is a significant contributor to the climate crisis and lawmakers must implement the IPCC's suggestions!
(Photo taken from Wynn Bruce's Facebook page).
