Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) joined with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) just introduced a new bill that would hold President Biden accountable to his climate promises.
The National Climate Emergency Act of 2021 demands Biden declare a national climate emergency and makes sure he mobilizes every resource available to halt, reverse, mitigate, and prepare for this crisis.
“Scientists and experts are clear, this is a climate emergency and we need to take action. Last Congress, I worked with Oregon environmental activists to draft a climate emergency resolution that captured the urgency of this moment. President Biden has done an outstanding job of prioritizing climate in the first days of his administration, but after years of practiced ignorance from [former President Donald] Trump and congressional Republicans, an even larger mobilization is needed,” says Blumenauer.
While there has been progress made in tackling this crisis, these three lawmakers say now is the time to “meet the moment. We are out of time and excuses.”
As reported by EcoWatch, the National Climate Emergency Act recognizes that 2010 to 2019 was the hottest decade on record, atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other pollutants have soared since pre-industrial times and are increasing at an alarming rate, and global temperature rise “is already having dangerous impacts on human populations and the environment.”
“Our country is in crisis and, to address it, we will have to mobilize our social and economic resources on a massive scale. If we want to want to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past — if we want to ensure that our nation has an equitable economic recovery and prevent yet another life-altering crisis — then we have to start by calling this moment what it is, a national emergency,” says Ocasio-Cortez.
This bill would require the president to deliver a report within one year of the bill’s enactment, and continue the practice annually, detailing the executive branch’s actions to address the climate emergency and ensure a habitable planet for future generations, according to EcoWatch.
Alongside Blumenauer, Ocasio-Cortez, and Sanders, many advocacy groups have also pushed for this legislation.
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