Washington, DC — Today, the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis a 12-pillar congressional action plan with hundreds of policy recommendations for fighting climate change [1]. If adopted in full, these recommendations would achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
After analyzing the full report, Greenpeace USA has given the proposal a “B-” grade with 61.5 out of a possible 100 points.
Greenpeace USA Climate Campaigner Charlie Jiang said:
“For years, too many politicians who claimed to care about our future have done little more than restate that they believe climate change is real. Finally, that is beginning to change. This comprehensive agenda from the House Special Committee on the Climate Crisis is a welcome development. We appreciate the Committee’s important acknowledgment that we cannot tackle the climate crisis without centering racial and economic justice and protecting workers. We urge all members of Congress to listen to voters when we say we want bold, concrete action to address the climate emergency.
“As our country looks to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, end systemic racism, and confront the climate crisis, the choices we make today will shape the path forward for millions of people for years to come. If we use this moment to divest from systems of exploitation and extraction — like police and fossil fuels — and invest in the health and well-being of our communities, we have the chance to navigate out of multiple crises at once. The Select Committee’s proposed policies will not be enough to stop fossil fuel CEOs from extracting oil and gas at the expense of frontline communities. We must demand action commensurate with the scale of the challenge.
“Our politicians have a lot of catching up to do when it comes to championing climate justice. But for Democrats, the policies proposed in this report — along with the DNC Climate Crisis Council platform recommendations released last week — mark a bold and much-needed new stance. Republicans, meanwhile, still have no plan. Worse, they continue to traffic in denial and misinformation. Their delay and inaction have deadly consequences, and we must not let Trump, Mitch McConnell and their allies stand in the way of progress yet again. It’s time to demand real leadership from Washington, and to usher in a world beyond fossil fuels in which everyone can thrive.”
To evaluate the policies proposed by the House Special Committee on the Climate Crisis, Greenpeace used the same methodology applied to presidential candidates’ climate platforms for the Greenpeace Climate 2020 scorecard [2]. Greenpeace sent its own detailed recommendations to the Committee in November 2019 [3].
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Notes:
[1] The full report “Solving the Climate Crisis: The Congressional Action Plan for a Clean Energy Economy and a Healthy and Just America” is available here: https://climatecrisis.house.
[2] This methodology is based on two broad criteria. First, lawmakers must end the fossil fuel era by enacting policies to halt oil, gas, and coal expansion, phase out existing production, and center fossil fuel workers and climate-impacted communities in the transition to a renewable energy economy. Second, our elected officials must advance a Green New Deal, including mobilizing towards 100 percent renewable energy for all, creating millions of family-sustaining, union jobs, and securing a better future for communities that have borne the brunt of fossil fuel industry exploitation.
[3] Grounded in the latest climate science, economic modeling, and principles for racial, economic, and environmental justice, Greenpeace’s recommendations laid a path for Congress to secure a managed phaseout of fossil fuel production and empower historically disadvantaged workers and communities in transition under a Green New Deal: https://www.greenpeace.org/
To maintain independence, Greenpeace USA does not endorse or oppose any political party, candidate, or elected official. We work to hold all candidates for office to the standard that science says is necessary to avert climate crisis, which means supporting a Green New Deal and ending fossil fuels.
Contact: Ryan Schleeter, Senior Communications Specialist, Greenpeace USA: +1 (415) 342-2386, [email protected]
