Climate change is certainly the most urgent issue we face. But should it be formally declared an emergency?
There’s a real conversation over the label in the U.S. — and it could have a very real impact on what the president can do.
This has been a growing priority for environmental groups. Grist reported that in December, more than 380 of them sent a letter to Joe Biden’s transition team, urging him to issue an executive order mobilizing the National Emergencies Act.
And now, Rep. Earl Blumenauer and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the House and Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Senate, among others, just introduced The National Climate Emergency Act of 2021.
What could be the counter-impact? Changes across the energy economy are set to accelerate. If we don’t do it correctly, are we facing a “Yellow Vest” protest movement like those in France?
And finally, a new study shows that some cities are grossly under-reporting their carbon emissions. Do cities even have the resources to measure them properly?
Resources:
- Grist: AOC, Sanders, and Blumenauer Press Biden To Declare a ‘Climate Emergency’
- Vice: AOC and Bernie Are Teaming Up to Get Biden to Declare Climate Change a National Emergency
- Vox: “We Risk a Yellow Vest Movement”: Why the U.S. Clean Energy Transition Must Be Equitable
- New York Times: U.S. Cities Are Vastly Undercounting Emissions, Researchers Find
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