The year 2014 has been quite the year for climate action. From the EPA’s Clean Power Plan to a historic agreement reached with China, it is clear that the United States is making tangible progress in addressing climate change. Momentum has been growing, and will continue to build as we look ahead to 2015.
2014 has been quite the year for climate action. From the EPA’s Clean Power Plan to a historic agreement reached with China, it is clear that the United States is making tangible progress in addressing climate change. Momentum has been growing, and will continue to build as we look ahead to 2015.
Despite concerns over partisan gridlock, we have the opportunity to reach a critical turning point in how Congress addresses climate change, by speaking from the heart and working in a bipartisan fashion. I truly believe that 2015 is going to be pivotal for addressing climate disruption, and that in our work together, we will make a difference.
These are just some of the things that happened in 2014:
- On June 2nd, the EPA announced its Clean Power Plan, the strongest action ever taken by a U.S. president to address the root cause of climate disruption: human caused emissions of greenhouse gases. This plan seeks to achieve by 2030 a 30% reduction in national greenhouse gas emissions from existing electric power plants below 2005 levels. Read more about the Clean Power Plan, and see the comments that FCNL’s Jose Aguto delivered at the EPA Public Hearing on July 30th.
- On September 21st, 400,000 people gathered in New York City for thePeople’s Climate March to demonstrate their desire for strong, immediate climate action. The largest climate march in history, people from the diverse sectors of faith, environmental justice, indigenous peoples, students, physicians, grandparents, and many others joined together to raise their voices. Read the blog that I wrote about my experience at the march.
- On November 12th, China and the U.S. reached a historic climate change accord, which included a commitment from China – for the first time ever – to peak its carbon emissions by 2030. The U.S. pledged to emit 26 to 28% less carbon in 2025 than it did in 2005, and China agreed that 20% of its energy would come from clean sources by 2030. As the two largest greenhouse gas emitters in the world, this is a monumental step forward to achieving a global climate treaty.
- On November 18th, the Senate voted against a bill approving construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. The bill only received 59 of the needed 60 votes to pass. Read the letter opposing the pipeline that FCNL’s Diane Randall and 57 other heads of organizations sent to the Senate the day of the vote.
- By December, the Green Climate Fund – a UN fund designed to assist developing countries in adaptation and mitigation practices to counter climate change – met its initial goal of $10 billion, receiving pledges from 24 countries. The U.S. pledged $3 billion to the fund, and you can read FCNL’s comments about this pledge here.
What Congress Can Do
There were three strong bills in Congress that would have addressed climate change – all that have bipartisan support. While none of them passed this Congress, we expect them all to be reintroduced early in 2015. The bills are:
- Energy Efficiency and Industrial Competitiveness Act (S. 2262) – Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Rob Portman (R-OH): Overall, the bill would create more than 190,000 jobs, save families, governments and businesses nearly $100 billion, and remove about 650 million metric tons of CO2 from our atmosphere according to a study by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. The vast majority of the energy savings in this bill come from Section 101, which deals with building codes
- Super Pollutants Act of 2014 (S. 2911) – Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Susan Collins (R-ME): This bill will reduce short-lived climate pollutants, which are responsible for around 40% of global warming, making them the second-largest contributor after carbon dioxide. It focuses on reducing hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), black carbon, and methane.
- The PREPARE Act [Preparedness and Risk management for Extreme weather Patterns Assuring Resilience] (H.R. 5314) – Congressmen Matt Cartwright (D - PA, 17) and Tom Cole (R - OK, 4): This bill seeks to mitigate the possible damages of climate change by working with local, state and federal government to adopt resiliency, preparedness, and risk management plans, all with no cost to taxpayers. It creates an oversight and governance structure and a process that requires agencies to implement government-wide resiliency, preparedness and risk management priorities
A Bipartisan Issue
Finally, in September, a Republican in the House of Representatives agreed to introduce a resolution on climate change in early 2015 that discusses climate science and commits to legislative solutions. Thanks to an interfaith lobbying effort that was part of the Call to Conscience on Climate Disruption, the member agreed to make this resolution a priority for 2015.
FCNL will be supporting this effort to achieve official, bipartisan recognition of climate science in Congress through a climate resolution. Once this groundwork is laid, the framework within which Members of Congress view climate issues will shift. As the tenet of Alcoholics Anonymous states, a problem (climate disruption) must first be admitted (by Congress) before it can be solved.
What’s Next
As I think about all that has been accomplished in 2014, I am eager to face the challenges and excitement that 2015 will hold. From March 14-17, FCNL’s Spring Lobby Weekend will bring hundreds of young adults to DC to lobby for bipartisan action on climate change. Other FCNL supporters will participate in grassroots, interfaith delegations that ask their elected officials around the country “what is the legacy you wish to leave to your grandchildren on climate change?”
With your help, I know that we can shift the dialogue in Congress on climate disruption. We can provide our political leaders with the support they need to take action on climate. With your help, we can together seek an earth restored.
