Together we will do what must be done to avert climate catastrophe and build the world that we need. And that means getting us off of fossil fuels.
The No Coal No Gas campaign formed in 2019 as a regional coalition of affinity groups, partner organizations, and individual humans. We are a direct action campaign dedicated to ending the burning of fossil fuels in New England.
Climate change and air pollution from the continued burning of fossil fuels affect everyone - but the first and worst impacts are born by people in the Global South, poor folks, Black and Indigenous communities, and People of Color. Climate change is a justice issue that demands our immediate action.
Our Campaign Goals are:
1. Build unity and community
We will build a strong and resilient community of climate dissidents, bonded by love and trust. We seek to help each other weather the storms of this world while creating the world we want to live in.
2. Show what is possible
All too often, conversations around climate action are constrained by the concept of “political feasibility,” instead of being guided by moral necessity. We commit to taking moral action to do what must be done and hope to show that collective resistance and a just transition are both necessary and possible.
3. Shut down all fossil fuel peaker plants in new england
Peaker plants are facilities that only run occasionally, at peak times - meaning the hottest summer days and coldest winter ones, when the region is using its highest amount of energy. Shutting down these peaker plants and reducing our peak load overall will free up ratepayer dollars to hasten a clean energy transition.
Check out our campaign introduction video from 2019
No Coal
The world is facing a climate crisis. Droughts, fires, hurricanes, and heat waves harm us here in the Northeast, and around the world. As the largest historical emitter, the United States has a moral and legal responsibility to cut emissions sooner than the rest of the world. Individual efforts to reduce our personal carbon emissions are not enough. Just 100 companies are responsible for 70% of emissions worldwide. We cannot let massive corporations continue to destroy our climate.
We do not need coal in New England. There is enough energy capacity surplus in the region to handle forecasted maximum loads - even during extreme heat waves and cold snaps - without using coal. Merrimack Station - the last coal plant in the region - has announced that no more coal will be burned at their facilities past 2028, but the coal plant is still operating outside of allowable pollution limits and should not be allowed to turn on in the present day.
Coal pollutes the air, water, and environment in, around, and downstream of Merrimack Station. Click the button below to watch a four-part mini series about the health impacts of coal:
No Gas
Gas is not a clean alternative to coal and oil. Burning “natural” (fracked methane) gas causes climate change. Methane, the primary component of “natural” gas traps heat at 80 times the rate of carbon dioxide. We have the renewable energy solutions that we need today. A University of New Hampshire study showed that no new gas infrastructure is needed to meet our energy demands.
Many of the peaker plants in New England run on gas - and are turned on only on the hottest and the coldest days of the year.
A JUST TRANSITION FOR ALL
We must have a just transition to clean, renewable energy that ultimately benefits the communities impacted by pollution - and that means no false solutions. Carbon capture, biofuels, nuclear, and hydrogen are not replacements for coal or gas. They are also harmful to our environment and our communities in a myriad of ways.
We have the technology we need to transition away from fossil fuels to a more just energy system. Battery storage, solar, wind, and geothermal, coupled with energy efficiency, demand response, and other community-oriented solutions are enough to get us the energy we need.
