Inside the Greenhouse is a monthly update on FCNL’s environmental advocacy and the climate crisis.
Wildfires Devastate Southern California, Los Angeles
Our hearts and prayers are with those in southern California who have lost their businesses, homes, and lives from the wildfires that continue to devastate the region.
While authorities continue to evaluate the full scale of the lives lost, injuries, and damage, we know that at least 25 people have lost their lives, 180,000 people have evacuated, and at least 12,000 structures have been damaged. The emotional and health costs are incalculable.
Beginning last week, wildfires broke out across the city and spread quickly due to winds which reached up to 90 mph. Recent dry conditions paired with shrub and tree growth from a wet season following the end of California’s drought, exacerbated the historically dangerous fire-prone conditions.
While the region is susceptible to wildfires, they are more common and worse because of climate change’s effects on warming, drier conditions, outdated forest management practices, and changing precipitation patterns.
We are holding those impacted, including members of our community, in the Light. Please consider donating here.
News and Updates
In its Last Days, Administration Releases Key Environmental Guidelines
As the Biden administration enters its last days in office, it released key guidelines for climate goals and banned offshore drilling along the U.S. coast.
Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)
President Joe Biden recently released a U.S. climate goal, or nationally determined contribution, of cutting greenhouse gas emissions 61-66% below 2005 levels by 2035
This is a strong step towards the goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. This goal is part of the U.S.’s commitments to United Nations’ Paris Climate Agreement, an international treaty aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. States, local governments, and the private sector can use this federal goal to set their own climate goals and actions.
Ban on offshore drilling along most of U.S. coast
This month, the Biden-Harris administration also announced a ban on drilling oil and gas in 625 million acres of ocean. This ban affects all new leases to oil and gas companies but does not change existing leases.
While President-elect Donald Trump has promised to reverse the ban, President Biden’s ban invokes the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. This allows the president to withdraw federal land from oil and gas leasing but forbids the president from removing previous bans.
National Adaptation Plan
The State Department released the U.S.’s national adaptation plan, which outlines strategies to help the people most impacted by the climate crisis adapt to it. As climate-induced disasters worsen, the plan can help direct state, district, and local resilience planning.
New Study Reveals Potential Costs of Removing Energy Tax Credits
A new study finds that removing clean energy tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) could result in $336 billion less in investments and 237 gigawatts less in clean energy.
The report by Aurora Energy Research, also finds that such removal could raise the average household power bill by 10%,and lead to 97,000 fewer energy sector jobs by 20240.
These numbers speak to the importance of these tax credits in lowering bills and investing in jobs and communities. As the 119th Congress begins, FCNL is committed to protecting energy tax credits that help save money for families and small businesses and build a climate-resilient future for all.
What We’re Reading: