The bipartisan infrastructure bill Largely On roads and bridges, crossing Congress, Americans don’t know whether our elected officials will “Faithful performance of office duties” And use the budget reconciliation process to solve an issue that is clearly not a priority in the 2021 Act: climate change.
You don’t have to stay away from the front door to experience the countless tendrils of man-made (man-made) global warming. For several months, the western United States has been in the throes of large-scale climate-related droughts, with unprecedented heat waves and disastrous wildfires during this period.headline News “Affected by climate change, the’extraordinary drought’ indicates that the West will be even drier in the future” and “Portland hit an all-time high of 116 degrees, setting a new record for the third consecutive day” By the summer of 2021, they will become ubiquitous. Even those of us who are on the verge of the worst impact in the West have to face waves of pungent and unhealthy wildfire smoke.
In the Midwest and the East, the form of climate influence is quite different, and we have already seen Heavy rainfall And increase accordingly Dangerous flood.
“Although climate change has caused more violent fires and floods, this seems contradictory, but it is not the case. Although warming will dry out the soil and exacerbate drought, warm air contains more moisture, so when it rains, there is more moisture. As a result, climate change has created greater extremes at both ends of the spectrum,” climate scientists wrote. Michael Mann.
It is important to remember that climate change affects all of us, no matter who we are or where we live. On a personal level, one of our co-authors experienced 15 inches of rain in 24 hours, causing flooding to inundate Wisconsin homes and destroy electrical appliances, wedding photos, baby photos, and irreplaceable artwork. Another was forced to stay indoors for several weeks at a time to escape the extreme heat and toxic wildfire smoke in Montana. One-third of the people had to pack their valuables and their dogs, and escape the nearby fires that had swept through other houses in Kansas.
Although Americans are distributed in a variety of landscapes, we are all affected by rising temperatures, stronger storms, and changing precipitation patterns. This leads us directly to a general question: how should we deal with an increasingly dangerous and chaotic climate?
Since the bipartisan infrastructure bill– Infrastructure Investment and Employment Act -Moving forward There are not many climate actions, We have no choice but to focus on the upcoming settlement.This Senate Before leaving Washington for the August adjournment, efforts will be made to advance the settlement bill. Before the mid-term elections, we must not miss what is likely to be our last opportunity to promote clean energy and solve climate problems. This is absolutely vital.
As the Senate finally began to focus on climate change after decades of failure, certain key provisions of the president Joe Bidenof U.S. Employment Program It deserves its full attention:
A sort of Clean Energy Standard——Or what President Biden said “Energy Efficiency and Clean Electricity Standards”-Will ensure that public utilities quickly shift to cleaner forms of energy. The result will be a significant reduction in carbon dioxide emissions and, in many cases, lower public electricity bills.
Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images
Traffic is unique The biggest source The US Congress should focus on encouraging the immediate shift to electric vehicles, while at the same time providing funding for a reliable network of electric vehicle charging stations, and promoting the electrification of public transportation systems, including electric buses.
Clean, renewable energy It is an important part of a healthy and prosperous future. The settlement bill should invest in a substantial expansion of wind, solar and geothermal energy.
Our farmers and ranchers have the ability to use renewable agriculture and effective protection measures to reduce emissions and Sequester carbon dioxide. It is time to support their efforts with the necessary expertise and funds.
After years of inaction, we have finally reached the point where strong substantive climate legislation becomes a reality. The decisions our senators make today will have a huge impact on our society, our economy, our landscapes and waters, and most importantly, our children and grandchildren. During 2021, we have witnessed the terrible effects of rapid warming of the planet, and we have a moral responsibility on our ability to solve the problem of man-made climate change.
As we stand on the precipice of an uncertain future, as increasingly dire predictions come true before our eyes, Congress has the opportunity to respond to threats and protect our families and the economy. It is time to take climate action on a scale equal to the challenge. Based on the fires and floods we have seen in the past few months, any less is unreasonable.
Dorothy Barnett is an executive director Climate + Energy Project.
Melissa Gavin is the CEO of the company RE-AMP network.
Todd Tanner is Protect the Eagles.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author.
