The House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis just released a groundbreaking report on solving the climate crisis.
The report lays out an action plan for building a clean energy economy that supports workers, puts environmental justice at the forefront, and prepares us to meet the challenges of the climate crisis.
The Climate Crisis Action Plan sets an ambitious timeline for implementation, including reaching net-zero power sector emissions by 2040, 100% net-zero emissions economy-wide by no later than 2050, and achieving net-negative emissions during the second half of the century. It also recommends 100% sales of zero-emission vehicles by 2035 and calls for interim targets to assess progress and reduce pollution with the goal of environmental justice for ALL communities.
The comprehensive set of policy recommendations for Congress includes action to:
- Grow our economy by putting Americans back to work in clean energy jobs including the manufacturing of clean energy, clean vehicles, and zero-emission technologies.
- Protect our health by ensuring environmental justice for historically marginalized communities and developing a nationwide plan to prepare all Americans and industries for climate-related health risks.
- Support farmers and ranchers, alongside state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, to ensure homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure can withstand the impacts of climate change.
- Preserve land and oceans by limiting new leasing for fossil fuel extraction on public lands and protecting and restoring ocean and wetland ecosystems, forests, and grasslands.
SEEC members made up the majority of the Select Committee, including Rep. Donald McEachin, Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, Rep. Jared Huffman, Rep. Julia Brownley, Rep. Joe Neguse, Rep. Sean Casten, and Rep. Mike Levin, and were integral to the preparation of this report. And dozens of SEEC member bills were included in the plan, serving as critical building blocks for this comprehensive report.
A couple of the MANY examples of SEEC-led contributions to this report include Rep. Matt Cartwright’s Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act that would prepare our health system for the impact of climate change by implementing enhanced disease surveillance, research, communications, education, and training programs, and Rep. Deb Haaland’s Climate Stewardship Act. which would employ over 200,000 Americans to plant 15 billion trees, restore over two million acres of coastal wetlands, and invest in renewable energy for farmers and rural small businesses.
The path forward is clear. Now we need to secure and expand our pro-environment majority in the House to ensure we can pass these policies into law.