Ahead of Governor Josh Shapiro’s Saturday keynote speech to the New Hampshire Democratic Party Convention, climate and community activists from his home state have taken out a full-page advertisement demanding he listen to their concerns and take swift and decisive climate action.

The ad, which is running in the Bedford Bulletin newspaper, calls on Governor Shapiro to attend a climate convergence in Harrisburg on October 2nd, which will feature first-hand stories from those directly impacted by drilling. 

The Better Path Coalition ad states: 

“Governor Shapiro, people across Pennsylvania have been sharing the stories of their suffering at the hands of the fossil fuel industry. And they’ve been sharing their concerns about what the future holds as the climate crisis caused by the same industry intensifies. If you had heard the people’s voices, you would be taking swift, decisive climate action. You would not be supporting the industry’s false climate solutions, but would be calling them out for what they are and rejecting them. It is clear that ours are not the voices that have captured your attention. That needs to change. And the change starts at the People’s Hearing on Climate Change in the PA Capitol’s East Wing on October 2.”

An accompanying invitation to the People’s Hearing has been signed by dozens of statewide organizations and over 3,600 individuals.

“Governor Shapiro’s positions on known climate killers like fracking, blue hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage are incongruous with those of a leader who has listened to the people he represents. The same industry that is responsible for the climate crisis has been harming people across the Commonwealth for generations. We want him to hear the voices of the harmed and those who fear for future generations when they testify downstairs from his office on Monday,” said Karen Feridun, Co-founder, Better Path Coalition and a PA Climate Convergence organizer.

“As attorney general, Governor Shapiro frequently stood with the communities harmed by the fracking industry. But we need to know where he stands right now – silence is no longer an option,” said Food & Water Watch Pennsylvania State Director Megan McDonough. “Pennsylvanians who have suffered at the hands of this industry are heading to Harrisburg to share their stories and demand action. Governor Shapiro needs to be there – and he needs to do something to rein in this industry right now.”