Inside the Greenhouse is a monthly update on FCNL’s environmental advocacy and the emerging climate issues that impact our work.
Administration Invests in Green Climate Fund
On April 20, the Biden administration announced a $1 billion investment into the Green Climate Fund. The Green Climate Fund is one of the United Nations’ primary mechanisms for assisting developing countries in adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change. This pledge is a step towards the administration’s goal of keeping global temperatures from rising more than 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial levels.
The administration also requested that Congress commit $500 million over five years to restore the Amazon rainforest and help Brazil end deforestation by 2030. These announcements are noteworthy steps, but they fall far short of our 2021 commitment to provide $11.4 billion annually for foreign climate aid by 2024.
Congress should honor the administration’s commitment and ensure that the Global South can adapt to severe weather, bolster agricultural activities, and conserve ecosystems.
Congress should honor the administration’s commitment and ensure that the Global South can adapt to severe weather, bolster agricultural activities, and conserve ecosystems.
Biden Signs Executive Order to Tackle Environmental Injustice
On April 21, President Biden signed an executive order to revitalize the U.S. government’s commitment to environmental justice.
Broadly, the order acknowledges racism as a core driver of environmental injustice, and seeks to reconcile those harms and chart a path toward a more equitable future.
Specifically, it orders federal agencies to actively address and prevent disproportionate negative environmental impacts on marginalized communities. It also asks agencies to improve policy-making processes by engaging with impacted groups. To fulfill these commitments, the administration founded the Office of Environmental Justice within the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
Congress should match the administration’s renewed commitment to environmental justice by passing the recently-reintroduced A. Donald McEachin Environmental Justice for All Act (H.R. 1702/S. 919).
News and Updates
Green New Deal Reintroduced
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) and Sen. Ed Markey (MA) reintroduced the Green New Deal Resolution on April 20. This expansive legislation contains provisions to lower energy costs, address economic and racial inequities, and create green jobs. The legislation is unlikely to pass in this session of Congress, but the Green New Deal remains a driver for positive climate policymaking—both the Inflation Reduction Act (P.L. No. 117-169) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (P.L. No. 117-58) included provisions informed by the resolution.
New Attempt at Permitting Reform
On April 27, Reps. Sean Casten (IL-06) and Mike Levin (CA-49) unveiled their plan to reform the lengthy processes needed to advance energy infrastructure projects. The Clean Electricity and Transmission Acceleration Act would help accelerate the deployment of clean energy and electricity projects needed to address the climate crisis.
Call to Climate Action with former Rep. Inglis
On April 27, FCNL hosted a Call to Conscience session with the former Rep. Bob Inglis (SC-04). He shared how faith has motivated him to work on climate policy. Rep. Inglis also discussed his work at RepublicEn, a non-profit dedicated to educating conservatives about free market solutions to address climate change. Watch the recording here, and register for the next Call to Conscience on May 11 at 3:00 p.m. EDT.
What We’ve Been Reading
- Interior Secretary Deb Haaland: We need to uplift indigenous knowledge in climate policy making
- The Climate Funders Justice Pledge raise $120 million to tackle environmental injustices
- Climate change made drought in Eastern Africa 100 times more likely than in the preindustrial era
- Farmers in Malawi use innovation to combat climate change and bolster agricultural productivity
