Mothers Fight for Climate Safety, Clean Air, & Environmental Justice
Moms’ efforts over more than a decade helped secure an outstanding series of wins in 2024, protecting families from air pollution, climate-destabilizing emissions, and toxic chemicals.
Our membership’s strong advocacy—including intense engagement in numerous EPA public hearings in 2023, during which we provided over 300 individual testimonies—enabled significant progress in 2024. After more than 9,500 Moms members signed our petition urging the Biden administration to finalize clean air and climate protections as quickly as possible, the administration delivered key protections against pollution from oil and gas methane, chemical manufacturing, sources of soot (particle pollution), transportation, and power plants, including mercury and air toxics.
In the second half of 2024, our advocacy focused on protecting communities from dangerous petrochemical industry pollution and misinformation, championing critical climate investments, helping families and communities equitably adapt to the ever-intensifying threat of extreme weather, and getting out the vote. With election results in, Moms will focus on supporting clean air and climate progress champions and holding the line on our wins.
We supported the development of two new congressional resolutions centering children’s well-being in a changing climate: the Resolution on Children and Extreme Weather and the first-of-its-kind Protecting Latina Maternal and Infant Health Resolution introduced during Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month.
Our advocacy was both impactful and highly visible: Moms was featured in over 3,800 media pieces in outlets across the country, including the Associated Press, CBS News, National Public Radio, Time, and People en Español. More than 259,000 unique visitors came to our website to sign petitions, read compelling stories that contextualize our work, and take a deeper dive on our issues with our fact sheets and other resources.
The support of members like you enables Moms to deliver key protections for cleaner air, a more stable climate, and healthier communities, while also driving a just transition to a more renewable and sustainable energy system. We are grateful for your commitment to ensuring the health of all communities, and we are pleased to share highlights of our progress in 2024 that you helped make possible.
2024 BY THE NUMBERS
- Our members sent more than 152,900 messages to the White House, EPA, Congress, and state and local officials about clean air and climate protections.
- We had more than 100 meetings with elected officialsat all levels of government and more than 300 in-person and virtual events in communities across the country.
- We appeared in 3,856 articles, broadcasts, op-eds, and letters to the editor, in outlets large and small—sharing stories that inspire, educate, and drive action.
- Our fact sheets and resources were read by 55,700 people.
- For the first time in our history, we supported the introduction of 2 congressional resolutionsrelated to climate and health with support from 44 members of Congress.
CELEBRATING UNPRECENDENTED REGULATORY WINS
In 2024, we celebrated a suite of finalized EPA rulemakings, including:
Oil and gas methane protections: EPA’s methane rule, finalized in late 2023, will sharply slash climate-heating methane emissions and volatile organic compounds, such as benzene, that can harm health and contribute to ground-level ozone pollution. EPA estimates that its rule will help prevent nearly 100,000 cases of asthma and dramatically reduce dangerous pollutants from oil and gas operations. This win is due in no small part to the dedicated members of Moms Clean Air Force, who submitted more than 49,000 public comments and provided a hundred virtual testimonies as the rule was being considered in 2023.
Since the methane rule’s adoption, Moms from Colorado, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania have traveled to Washington to speak with members of Congress and EPA officials about the Federal Implementation Plan. In November, our Pennsylvania field organizer gave public comment before the Citizens Advisory Council to Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection about the need for early adoption of a State Implementation Plan.
Updated standards for soot pollution: In February 2024, EPA updated the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for fine particle pollution, also known as PM 2.5 or soot, for the first time in over a decade. The updated NAAQS strengthen the health-based air quality standard for soot, lowering the average annual limit from 12 micrograms per cubic meter to nine. Clean Air Kid Leena, a fifth grader from Virginia Beach, introduced EPA Administrator Michael Regan at the rule signing ceremony.
In an article in Forbes, Moms’ Dominique Browning noted that the new rule—which will prevent asthma attacks, avoid other health harms, and save lives—is a “significant step forward.”
Clean car standards: Vehicle exhaust contributes to climate change and is linked to negative health outcomes, such as asthma and cardiovascular harm. In February 2024, Moms from Arizona, Montana, and New Mexico shared personal stories with the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and urged the finalization of strong clean cars standards. Moms’ Nevada field organizer then joined State Senator Dina Neal and other leaders in her state to call on EPA to finalize strong tailpipe pollution standards for passenger vehicles.
We were pleased to join hundreds of elected officials and advocates in March to celebrate the announcement of stronger EPA tailpipe pollution rules for passenger vehicles, which will phase in additional reductions of air pollutants from model years 2027–32 light- and medium-duty vehicles.
Clean truck standards: In January 2024, Moms from Colorado, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania met with OMB to push for the strongest possible standards for heavy-duty vehicles. In March, EPA finalized greenhouse gas pollution standards for heavy-duty vehicles, such as freight trucks and buses, for model years 2027–32.
Univision Arizona interviewed our Southwest field organizer about the benefits of EPA’s new tailpipe pollution protections, and she also spoke alongside State Representative Keith Seaman and public health advocates in Tucson in celebration of the clean truck standards.
Chemical manufacturing rule: Since April 2023, Moms has encouraged EPA to adopt new air pollution standards for more than 200 U.S. manufacturing facilities that produce hazardous chemicals used to make plastics, paints, synthetic fabrics, pesticides, vinyl flooring, and other products. In March 2024, Moms from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia met with OMB, and a month later, we joined EPA Administrator Regan and environmental justice leaders for the signing of a consequential final chemical manufacturing rule. The new protections are poised to benefit historically marginalized communities living near some of the most dangerous petrochemical facilities in the nation.
Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS): Moms have been advocating for stronger mercury protections for over a decade. As Moms from Montana told NBC, “Montanans have been paying the price of this pollution in their health care bills and in their utility bills.” A month after Moms from Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, and Pennsylvania met with OMB to advocate for the strongest possible mercury protections, EPA tightened the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards. The new protections will dramatically reduce mercury and other dangerous emissions (such as nickel, arsenic, and lead) from dirty lignite coal plants and ensure accountability by requiring continuous emissions monitoring. Moms in Pennsylvania and Montana praised the new standards in op-eds.
Power plant standards: Carbon pollution from power plants is the second largest source of climate pollution in the country and was previously unregulated. After Moms sent nearly 9,000 comments to EPA, the agency finalized standards in April 2024 limiting the amount of carbon pollution that existing coal-fired and new gas-fired power plants can emit. We joined EPA Administrator Regan at Howard University to celebrate the signing of a suite of new rules targeting pollution from fossil fuel power plants, an important step for children’s health.
LEGISLATIVE AND REGULATORY CAMPAIGNS FOR CHANGE
Once the last of these important EPA rules was finalized in April 2024, we kept up our momentum with several legislative and regulatory campaigns focused on protecting communities from plastics industry pollution, pipeline emissions, and NOx pollution; helping school districts transition to clean electric school buses; and championing federal climate investments.
Petrochemical and plastics pollution: For nearly 40 years, the plastics industry has promoted recycling as the antidote to single-use plastic trash. In truth, plastics recycling is a polluting and problematic process. In 2023, the EPA Office of Land and Emergency Management released a Draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution that relied heavily on recycling as a solution. In response, Moms drafted a 50-page critique and, with Break Free From Plastic, gathered 119 organizations to sign on. EPA leadership responded to the letter, asking us to chair a January 2024 meeting on the national plastics pollution strategy.
In addition to our work at the federal level, Moms is committed to curbing petrochemical buildout and challenging industry efforts to evade community-protecting pollution controls on the ground in the Ohio River Valley region. In West Virginia, we’re working closely with Earthjustice and the community to counter regulatory loopholes sought by the proposed Empire Diversified facility—loopholes that would incentivize the construction of plastic-burning facilities and enable them to operate without pollution controls, allowing the emission of dangerous toxic chemicals into communities. This is concerning because it could be precedent-setting for other facilities in the U.S.
Thanks to our efforts, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection put the permits on hold awaiting clarification from EPA on Empire Diversified’s request. We are pushing to make sure EPA is aware of this loophole and asked them to enforce the federal standards.
In Pennsylvania, our Ohio River Valley field organizer facilitated meetings between Erie community members and the offices of Senators Casey and Fetterman to share concerns about a proposed plastics-to-fuel incineration facility, engaging our membership to oppose Department of Energy funding for this false solution and earning local media attention. In November, our Pennsylvania and Ohio River Valley field organizers also participated in a press conference with State Senator Katie Muth, the Environmental Health Project, and Clean Air Council, calling on state leaders to safeguard Pennsylvanians from the impacts of a fossil fuel and plastic industry buildout.
In addition to providing influential technical and policy expertise, our team continues to educate and engage our membership on the health risks of plastic and petrochemical pollution, from the harms of toxic chemicals to the plastic industry’s enormous climate impact. In the second half of the year, we released a new fact sheet on solid waste incineration. Our membership petitions on the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act, Protecting Communities From Plastics Act, and the Global Plastics Treaty garnered tens of thousands of signatures in 2024, and during the back-to-school season, we secured multiple media hits about reducing single-use plastics when packing school lunches (Boston Globe, Martha Stewart, WRAL News). Additionally, our Senior Analyst for Petrochemicals was invited to author an article on “The Environmental and Health Impacts of Plastics” in the American Bar Association Human Rights magazine’s double issue on Environmental, Energy, and Climate Justice.
“Advanced recycling,” a.k.a. burning plastic: Moms is a respected leader in fighting the plastic lobby’s misleading, dangerous narrative about plastics recycling. We have been actively countering the American Chemistry Council’s (ACC) congressional campaign to promote so-called “advanced recycling” or “chemical recycling”—a highly polluting process that’s essentially plastic waste incineration—and exempt it from regulatory oversight under the Clean Air Act. The toxic chemicals released during plastics incineration pollute the air and fall into our soil, dangerously contaminating the food chain.
In September, legislation was introduced in Congress that would give the plastics industry a free pass to pollute our air and water under the guise of “advanced recycling.” In response, Moms released a press statement; worked with partners to produce a letter to the House of Representatives about the plastics greenwashing bill signed by more than 70 organizations (including Beyond Plastics, Sierra Club, and NRDC); petitioned our membership; emailed nearly 200 House staffers directly about the bill; and met with over 20 congressional offices urging them not to support this harmful legislation. Thankfully, there was not an appetite to move this legislation forward, and we achieved our goal of keeping Democrats from signing on in support.
We expect the legislation to be reintroduced in the 119th Congress, and we will continue to educate congressional offices and our membership about “advanced recycling” through petitions targeting our lawmakers. As the plastics industry plans a buildout of “advanced recycling” plastics burning facilities across the country, it is important to ensure that legislation is not passed that would enable facilities to sidestep pollution controls that will help protect health and slow the rate of our changing climate.
On the regulatory and judiciary fronts, in August, we submitted comments to the IRS on the Inflation Reduction Act’s proposed Clean Electricity tax credits opposing their use for “advanced recycling” facilities or other fossil-fueled technologies. Moms provided technical input to Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) for an amicus brief filed to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, challenging EPA’s approval of Chevron’s production of cancer-causing fuels made from a plastics-burning process called pyrolysis. After sustained pressure over the last 18 months, EPA took action and issued a motion to withdraw and reconsider its approval of Chevron’s plan. However, we remain concerned that EPA has not vacated its decision altogether.
Moms’ sought-after expertise has been critical to numerous other efforts on the ground to protect communities from the toxic chemicals in “advanced recycling” plastic burning pollution. Our work with partners to express concerns about Freepoint EcoSystems’ permit for plastics incineration in Eloy, Arizona—a heavily polluted town where 90% of community members are people of color struggling against economic marginalization—represents a breakthrough in opposition to these polluting facilities, as it is the first time that a state agency has raised our concerns about permitting under Section 129 of the Clean Air Act directly with the EPA Office of Air and Radiation.
One of our Colorado partners, EcoCycle, used Moms’ fact sheet on “chemical recycling” as the basis of a bill they wrote to ban plastics incineration and plastics-to-fuel processes. While the ban did not pass, the Colorado legislature passed SB24-150 in May to prohibit state funding of plastic-to-fuel facilities. Unfortunately, Governor Polis did not sign the legislation, but Moms continues to urge him to act on “advanced recycling.” Moms are calling for Colorado incinerator laws to be strengthened as well.
Since 2023, Moms have worked alongside the local community to push back on a proposed “advanced recycling” plastics burning plant in Point Township, Pennsylvania. After a groundswell of public outcry, the Encina Development Group abandoned construction plans for what would have been the largest petrochemical recycling plant in the United States. In response, Moms issued a press statement and an article to announce the good news.
Vinyl chloride: In the summer of 2023, Moms and partner organizations launched a five-year campaign to usher vinyl chloride through EPA’s TSCA risk evaluation process. Our goal is to achieve a ban on this widely used, explosive, and flammable carcinogen.
In March 2024, Moms submitted written comments on vinyl chloride as well as 22,327 membership comments on vinyl chloride prioritization under TSCA. Four months later, EPA proposed designating vinyl chloride a high-priority chemical under TSCA, a critical step toward what we hope will be an eventual ban of this dangerous chemical.
In October, we submitted a comment letter to EPA voicing our robust support for EPA’s TSCA high-priority designation of vinyl chloride and sharing concerns about gaps in the agency’s proposed risk evaluation and use of methodologies inconsistent with the best available science. We also submitted 3,000 petition signatures and participated in multiple EPA meetings on vinyl chloride, focusing on the need for protections for vulnerable subpopulations, including babies and emergency workers.
We were pleased that on December 18 EPA announced it will formally designate five known or probable carcinogens as high-priority substances (HPS), including vinyl chloride.
Pipeline pollution: In early 2024, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) proposed a draft Advanced Leak Detection and Repair Rule for pipelines and infrastructure that would protect our climate and the health and safety of communities. Moms from Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Georgia gave testimony during the public comment period. We also ran a high-performing online ad campaign that garnered nearly 19,000 impressions in Politico magazine, urging Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to finalize the rule by the beginning of January 2025.
Power plant NOx pollution: Nitrogen oxide (NOx) is dangerous for children’s developing lungs and contributes to health-harming ozone pollution. In November 2024, Moms met with OMB about NOx standards for new natural gas plants, requesting a rulemaking that prioritizes strong protections for the health of children and communities. That same month, EPA proposed a rule that would strengthen NOx emission standards for new gas-fired power plants for the first time since 2006.
Moms will continue to push for strong NOx standards for power plants in 2025 by raising public awareness through articles and petitions and actively participating in the comment period. Finalization of the rule is expected in November 2025.
Electric school bus fleets: Moms Clean Air Force continues to support the implementation of EPA’s Clean School Bus Program (CSBP), working to ensure that the $5 billion dollars of federal funding for electric buses gets to the communities and schools that need it most—including by serving as a conduit linking school districts to congressional offices and regional EPA offices. The latest round of EPA awards brings the total number of clean school buses awarded, ordered, delivered, or operating in school districts across the country to more than 12,500.
Moms were on hand in January 2024 when EPA Administrator Regan and Senator Raphael Warnock (GA) announced $1 billion in grant funding for electric school buses, and we are celebrating the 45 electric school buses awarded to Pittsburgh Public Schools, the $16.5 million investment in electric school buses for Fairfax County Public Schools, and the 47 new electric school buses replacing old diesel buses in Phoenix, Arizona. As these buses begin to hit the road, they will reduce the amount of health-harming exhaust spewing into our communities.
In August, our team participated in a series of events to celebrate the positive impact of electric buses, including hosting an electric school bus at Florida State Representative Susan Valdes’ 19th annual Back to School Health Fair; hosting a press event to celebrate 20 electric school buses in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with Senator Martin Heinrich and Albuquerque Public Schools Superintendent Gabriella Blakey; and speaking at a press event for electric school buses in Pennsylvania with Representative Chris Deluzio.
At the opening of the fourth round of CSBP funding application period in September, 15 Moms organizers in 13 states (AZ, CO, IA, MI, MT, FL, NV, NM, NC, OH, PA, WV, WI) conducted outreach to school superintendents, school board members, school district administrators, and other government officials to encourage them to apply for the program. EPA anticipates awarding $965 million in this rebate period to fund new zero-emissions and clean school buses. We shared our fact sheets about the health and economic benefits of electric buses and facilitated connections between school districts and companies that would apply to the program on behalf of school districts free of charge as well as government agencies that provide free technical planning and support.
Moms organizers in North Carolina and Wisconsin held informational webinars for school districts featuring EPA staff, representatives from Highland Electric Fleets—an organization that helps school districts secure federal funding for electric buses—and superintendents who currently have electric school buses from the CSBP program. And on our website, a new electric school bus series highlights wins in districts where Moms made a difference in communities like Pellston, Michigan, Havre, Montana, and Clarkdale, Arizona.
Federal climate investments: August 2024 was the second anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and Moms showed up at events around the country to promote IRA climate investments and other critical clean air wins. Our field organizers across the country met with legislative offices to thank them for supporting climate investments and raised public awareness about the benefits of the IRA programs.
In Wisconsin, our field organizer spoke at a press event celebrating IRA funding for local air quality monitors. In Arizona, EcoMadres Southwest field organizer delivered remarks at the Route Zero Clean Trucks press event in Flagstaff alongside State Representative Mae Peshlakai and public health advocates. They gathered to celebrate EPA’s new federal clean truck standards and to urge continued federal support and investment in a healthy future for Flagstaff and beyond. And in Nevada, EcoMadres’ Nevada field organizer participated in a convening of Latino climate leaders hosted by Climate Power En Acción, sharing our local efforts to ensure communities most affected by air pollution and climate change are benefitting from federal climate funding from IRA.
SHINING A LIGHT ON CLIMATE AND PUBLIC HEALTH
Building a livable future for children: In February 2024, Moms Clean Air Force hosted a high-profile inaugural event on “Climate Disruption, Air Pollution, and Young People’s Health,” which was livestreamed to an audience of more than 8,500 by Parents magazine. Speakers—including EPA Administrator Regan, White House Council of Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory, Chelsea Clinton, researchers, doctors, policymakers, mental health experts, and environmental justice advocates—highlighted the impacts of air pollution and climate change on young people’s physical and mental health. Topics ranged from the dangers of plastics and petrochemical pollution to the harms of extreme heat.
Moms envisions a thriving future for all children and communities—and we know that adapting to escalating weather extremes is increasingly critical to building this future. In 2024, we worked closely with the office of Rep. Jennifer McClellan (VA-4) on a resolution—which we expect to become a bill in 2025—advocating that congressionally funded adaptation measures consider children’s unique vulnerabilities to extreme weather. Speaking at our July Play-In for Climate Action, Rep. McClellan officially introduced this House Resolution 1375. Also present at the Play-In was Senator Jeff Merkley (OR), who spoke on the need to cut pollution from the creation of plastic.
In the summer and fall of 2024, our team also spoke at multiple events on extreme heat. In partnership with Extreme Weather Survivors—a nationwide community of people directly harmed by climate-fueled natural disasters—Moms participated in a webinar series on extreme heat and parenting. Our Public Health Manager discussed heat’s impact on parents’ mental health and EcoMadres’ Nevada field organizer discussed how parents can advocate for a healthier future for our kids. Our Arizona field organizer hosted and spoke at a virtual town hall on extreme heat with Rep. Greg Stanton (AZ-4) as well as an Arizona roundtable on extreme heat.
Moms also showed up at Climate Week in New York. A highlight of the week was The Atlantic’s panel discussion “Building a Sustainable Future,” where Dominique Browning reminded us that when she co-founded Moms, her goal was to harness “that power of love for the people we care for… into political and regulatory and policy action.” EcoMadres took the stage at the Climate Displaced Leaders Summit, sharing our progress in ensuring equity for working families who face air pollution and climate disruption.
Climate change and mental health: Moms provides thought leadership on the impact of climate change on families’ mental health, and we are pushing for meaningful policy change. In October, Moms led a sign-on letter to the Surgeon General in response to the Parents Under Pressure advisory, asking that climate change be included in policy addressing the parental mental health crisis.
We updated the suite of climate and mental health resources available on our website, adding a section of Spanish-language resources and a section on mental health and climate disasters. Moms and EcoMadres spoke at a variety of mental health-focused engagements, including webinars on climate change and parents’ mental health and helping young people with climate and mental health, as well as a panel discussion at the Center for American Progress 2024 Summit on Education that addressed mental health impacts of climate change for students.
Our team authored an op-ed published in the Miami Herald on the impact of extreme weather on parenting. We were also featured in an article in the Tampa Bay Times on the mental health impacts of hurricanes.
We are on the cutting edge of climate and mental health research. In the fall of 2024, we were asked to support recruitment for a pilot research study at George Mason University on a text message-based intervention for climate distress, and our Public Health Manager is a part of a team of facilitators for a pilot research study on climate cafes. In December, we delivered a poster presentation on climate change and parents’ mental health at the American Geophysical Union conference in Washington, DC.
EXPANDING THE POWER OF MOMS
Fighting for “justice in every breath” is central to our mission. Moms’ work spotlights the connections between a healthy climate and health equity, emphasizing climate change’s impacts on children and families in historically disinvested communities and communities of color. For example, in February 2024, Moms joined Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12), the Green New Deal Network, and climate, racial justice, and organized labor advocates at a rally calling on President Biden and the Pennsylvania state government to make more ambitious investments to keep our communities healthy.
Environmental justice and community health equity: We work with health care providers, advocacy groups, and community leaders—and partner with organizations such as Austin Public Health, Young, Gifted & Green, and March of Dimes—to emphasize the intersection of environmental justice and maternal and infant health, address health disparities in Black and Brown maternal care, and promote the critical importance of clean air initiatives. Our goal is for science-based information to serve as the foundation for policies that reduce pollution, improve health outcomes in affected communities, and equip the public, lawmakers, and regulatory agencies to take an active role in promoting environmental justice and health equity.
Moms spoke at events in 2024 including the American Health Law Association program “Addressing Disparities in Women’s Maternal Health Care”; the National Tribal Forum for Air Quality; and the March of Dimes’ Mom and Baby Action Network Summit on Black Maternal and Infant Health. In September, our team delivered a panel presentation at the Black Maternal Health Conference discussing the impacts of climate change, air pollution, and extreme heat on Black maternal and infant health.
We also participated in the White House Minority Health Forum, the White House Summit for Sustainable and Healthy K-12 School Buildings and Grounds, US News and World Report’s event on “The State of Equity in America,” the Association of American Medical College’s Center for Health Justice Multi Sector Partner Group, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s “Voyage to Justice,” the White House Summit on Environmental Justice in Action, and the Black Maternal Health Caucus Stakeholder Summit in Illinois.
In the fall of 2024, we released a new fact sheet on Air Pollution, Extreme Heat, and Black Maternal Health. We also launched a new Tribal air petition for Indigenous People’s Day. Given that Tribal governments can’t directly petition the U.S. government, Moms worked closely with the National Tribal Air Association to develop the petition’s ask—a request to Congress to increase federal funding for Tribal air quality programs under the Clean Air Act.
EcoMadres: Our EcoMadres team calls attention to the impacts of climate change and air pollution on Latino families and communities. In March 2024, moms and kids enjoyed Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego reading Señorita Mariposa at a story hour event that educated residents on clean energy benefits, air pollution reduction strategies, and the pivotal role of federal funding to support clean air initiatives and environmental justice. At an April EcoCharla, Rep. Nanette Barragán (CA-44) shared how Inflation Reduction Act climate investments show up in local communities and what “justice in every breath” means to her.
Also in April, Rep. Maxwell Frost (FL-10) introduced Moms’ Associate Vice President and EcoMadres’ Director at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s Issue Summit panel on “Latinos en La Lucha: Climate Challenges and Green Opportunities.” EcoMadres participated in the White House’s Roundtable on Latino Economic Empowerment Through Climate Action, where community members and White House cabinet members discussed Latinos’ significant contributions to the emerging green economy, and in a conversation led by Reps. Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44) and Darren Soto (FL-9) at the June Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ Infrastructure Implementation Policy Roundtable.
In May 2024, EcoMadres celebrated culture, community building, and action planning at the GreenLatinos’ Annual Summit in Puerto Rico. On a panel about “Climate Disaster Preparedness: Lessons Learned,” EcoMadres described the barriers and challenges Latino communities face when preparing for climate disruption, how we can help build communities’ climate resilience, and how centering community voices is crucial to the creation of short- and long-term solutions that address their needs.
Extreme heat, exacerbated by climate change, is linked to severe pregnancy complications like preterm birth and pregnancy loss. Latinas are disproportionately affected by these risks compared to non-Hispanic white women. Recognizing this alarming inequity, EcoMadres proudly stood with Rep. Barragán during Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month as she introduced a first-of-its-kind congressional resolution acknowledging the dangers posed by extreme heat and air pollution to Latina mothers and their children. The resolution calls for urgent, equitable interventions to address these unique vulnerabilities. We also introduced a new resource on this topic: Air Pollution, Extreme Heat, and Latina Maternal Health.
To continue the conversation and advocacy, in October 2024, EcoMadres hosted our inaugural summit in Arizona on Extreme Weather Impacts on Latina Maternal and Children’s Health. The summit featured health professionals, government officials, and environmental justice advocates examining the challenges and solutions in addressing extreme weather’s impact on maternal health and children, including federal climate investments to improve the health and futures of Latino families. Our Southwest field organizer spoke to ABC 15 Arizona and 12 News from the event, which was also covered by Hoodline and twice by Conecta Arizona (here and here).
GETTING OUT THE VOTE
In a profoundly consequential election season, our team worked hard to ensure that Moms nationwide were empowered to vote. Before the September vice presidential debate, we engaged over 1,500+ Moms members who urged CBS News to ask a climate question—and got our answers from the candidates in the first 15 minutes. In September and October, our organizers held 39 postcard parties and sent over 1,600 postcards to Moms members in 15 states, sharing the top three reasons why we were voting. Moms organizers also handed out fact sheets in English and Spanish highlighting all of the key climate actions taken from 2021 to 2024 by Congress and the Biden administration.
We made strides in mobilizing Latinos to ensure their voices were heard at the polls. EcoMadres spoke about the importance of civic engagement for Latinos at American University, postcard parties, and the 2024 Congressional Hispanic Leadership Conference. SonTierra, a project of Artes Latinas and EcoMadres, performed at a community Día de los Muertos celebration, where music and activism intertwined to encourage the community to get out the vote. And in October, our EcoMadres field organizer in Nevada was featured in an ABC News segment on voting campaigns targeting climate-worried Latinas.
Though many of the election results did not turn out as we had hoped, we are grateful that climate champions with whom Moms has strong relationships were reelected in several of our key states, including Senators Ruben Gallego in Arizona, Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin, and Jacky Rosen in Nevada. Our team remains more committed than ever to our mission to equitably protect children and communities from air pollution and climate change.
MEDIA COVERAGE AND ORIGINAL STORIES
Sharing our messages through the media enables Moms to amplify the importance of clean air and a healthy climate for our children. This year, Moms and EcoMadres were mentioned or featured in more than 3,800 stories in media outlets across the country, including The 19th, Good Morning America, La Opinión, SheKnows, Forbes, Michigan Public Radio, and the Arizona Republic.
We also publish our own high-quality content on our website, which features multiple regular article series (Extreme Living, Power of Moms, Mom Detective, Mental Health & Climate Change, What’s in the Air, The Climate Questionnaire, and My Climate Job) and impactful stories about the real-life impacts of climate change, such as this story about an Arizona Moms member who lost her husband to heat stroke. We’ve published reported series to demystify topics such as indoor air quality, the problems with plastics recycling, and best practices for transitioning school bus fleets to electric. In 2024, we produced 23 new fact sheets in English and Spanish on topics ranging from air pollution’s impacts on pregnancy to mercury poisoning to orphaned wells.
We also updated our website’s state pages—a key source of information for our membership, partner organizations, and even regulatory agencies—to prioritize immediate action opportunities, make contact information for organizers more visible, and improve overall ease of navigation.
Moms has a strong presence on social media. We have nearly 500,000 followers across our social media accounts, including Facebook, X, Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn, and Bluesky. In 2024, we reached nearly 4.9 million users and made 7.2 million impressions through our posts.
LOOKING AHEAD
Under the second Trump administration, our commitment to working in a productive, nonpartisan—or as we call it, mompartisan—way to equitably protect children’s health from air pollution, extreme weather, and our changing climate will continue. We have identified a range of critical, bipartisan issues where we see opportunities to continue making progress moving forward, including orphan wells, maternal infant health, centering children in climate adaptation efforts (e.g., preparing for extreme weather), and addressing mental health related to air pollution and extreme weather events while highlighting the disproportionate impact on children in historically disinvested communities.
Moms can help counter attempts to dismantle the progress of the last four years by holding elected officials and government agencies publicly accountable for protecting our children from air pollution that impacts health and heats our planet. We will publicly call out bad decisions or votes while uplifting those who vote in favor of public health.
We recognize that our state and local work will be more important than ever for movement on Moms’ issues. We will continue working on State Implementation Plans for the federal EPA methane rule and, through our Moms & Mayors program, work to expand community solar, electric school buses, and electric vehicle infrastructure and halt the buildout of “advanced recycling” plastics burning facilities. Finally, Moms will work hard toward electing clean air and climate champions in the midterm elections through our Get Out the Vote efforts.
