On June 30th, the US House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis released Solving the Climate Crisis: The Congressional Action Plan for a Clean Energy Economy and a Healthy, Resilient, and Just America. The report outlines policy recommendations for the federal government to address the risks posed by climate change in a way that advances justice and equity, benefits workers and the national economy, and protects public health.

The House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis was created by Speaker Pelosi at the outset of the 116th session of Congress to make science-based policy recommendations to the standing committees of jurisdiction on how to solve the climate crisis.

Here’s a glimpse at some of the themes addressed in the Committee’s recent report:

Investment and Economic Growth

A great deal of the plan addresses the need for investment in clean energy technology and infrastructure in order to propel our economy to thrive at net-zero emissions no later than 2050. Advancement of renewable energy generation coupled with more efficient transmission systems would support a transition to clean energy for households and businesses across the Nation. The report also calls for congressional action to support the launch of new economic sectors that would catalyze progress on different aspects of our climate goals. Expanding research on low-carbon building materials, for example, would address the often overlooked waste and carbon footprint of the construction industry.

Did you know that cement, a key ingredient in concrete, is responsible for approximately 8% of global carbon emissions? If cement were its own country, it would rank among the top 5 highest contributors of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.

By investing in the manufacturing of clean energy, electric vehicles, circular supply chains, and zero-emission technologies; the federal government can promote economic activity in a way that aligns with the urgent demands of the climate crisis.

This plan also calls for investments to elevate the electrification and transportation sectors. Advances in energy storage technology will be particularly important for the clean energy transition to be scaled across residential districts and economic sectors.

With investment and economic growth comes the opportunity for job creation! The recommendations laid out in this plan set the stage for the creation of high-quality, good-paying jobs that build local workforce capabilities, acknowledge and uplift vibrant regional economies, and strengthen workers’ rights to organize.

New Standards for Innovation

In addition to funneling federal dollars into the economic sectors that will propel the Nation forward in this transition, Congress can encourage innovation that aligns with climate action goals by setting new regulatory standards.

One well-known recent example are the Obama-era fuel economy standards which were established to push for production of vehicles that travel further on the same amount of fuel. This is also known as fuel efficiency, and it’s an excellent transitional mechanism for reducing the need for gasoline and decreasing air pollution associated with fuel combustion and transportation in general.

The plan sets forth recommendations for new standards for clean energy generation, energy efficiency, vehicle emissions, fuel carbon, infrastructure resilience, industry performance, labor and economic opportunities, and the pollution and leakage coming from the declining fossil fuel industry.

Justice and Equity

In setting forth a national net-zero emission goal, one of the most important aspects of measuring progress and maintaining accountability will be assessment of how costs and benefits are being distributed. This requires specific attention on interventions and impacts in historically marginalized communities of color and low-wealth communities. Many of the 12 pillars in this plan integrate the principles of environmental justice, in such a way that the health and knowledge of historically marginalized communities may be centered in federal climate and environmental policy.

The urgency for environmental justice is addressed through clean-up initiatives for remediation in communities that have been disproportionately exposed to pollution (also known as “EJ communities”). The report calls for prioritization of EJ communities in new federal spending, meaningful engagement with these individuals, and support of academic and government research on how the impacts of federal policies are affecting their neighborhoods.

Community Resilience

Another critical theme of the recommendations is the need for adaptation in currently and foreseeably vulnerable communities. Climate scientists have been warning of the human health and public safety risks associated with the increasing global mean surface temperatures and unpredictability of extreme weather events for over four decades. As such, there is no doubt that mitigation and innovation must be coupled with emergency preparedness and adaptation as priorities.

One of the many initiatives outlined in this report is the establishment of a National Climate Adaptation Program. This is intended to support state, local, tribal, and territorial governments in making sure their homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure can withstand the impacts of climate change. Risk management needs will range vastly: to bolster the structural integrity of industrial and manufacturing facilities, the resilience of our homes and local infrastructure, and the stability of agricultural systems fronted with climate-related hazards.

Notably, there is an entire pillar dedicated to making the agricultural industry a tool for climate action. Agriculture is arguably one of the most profoundly threatened systems that we rely on in the context of climate change. Recommendations in the report include the integration of adaptation and mitigation practices for new and otherwise disadvantaged farmers, incentives for them to implement efficiency and renewable energy technology on their lands, and expanded resources for the protection of farmland.

There are many important steps that have been and must continue to be taken in order to advance a global agenda for just climate action. I encourage you to learn more about climate action proposals from the local to the transnational level, including the US House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis’s report Solving the Climate Crisis: The Congressional Action Plan for a Clean Energy Economy and a Healthy, Resilient, and Just America.

Systemic injustices and corruption have become especially salient throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Public consciousness and civic action are soaring amidst record levels of unemployment, sensationalized video exposing the horrific realities of police brutality, and intensification of the climate crisis.

Scientists have come to an overwhelming consensus that climate change is caused by the emission of greenhouse gases from human activity, and high-level decision-makers across the globe are increasingly recognizing the climate crisis as a threat-multiplier. This term is intended to convey how the risks and hazards associated with climate change overlap with and exacerbate existing sociopolitical, economic, and human health issues.

Well stated by Rosemary DiCarlo, Head of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs for the United Nations (2018):

“The risks associated with climate-related disasters do not represent a scenario of some distant future. They are already a reality for millions of people around the globe – and they are not going away.”

Inherently oppressive policy mechanisms, such as redlining, have concentrated polluting infrastructure responsible for excessive emissions in Black, Latino, and Native American communities (1) (2) (3). While accelerating global warming and amplifying climate-related risks, pollution exposure increases racial and ethnic minority communities’ vulnerability to a number of developmental and chronic respiratory illnesses. Unsurprisingly, disproportionate exposure to pollution likewise contributes to the greater vulnerability of marginalized communities to contracting and dying from COVID-19.

A demonstrator addresses protesters in Harlem. [The Guardian/Flo Ngala]

Acknowledging the parallels between these intersecting crises, the Environment and Climate Change Subcommittee of the US House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a remote hearing on June 9, 2020 entitled Pollution and Pandemics: COVID-19’s Disproportionate Impact on Environmental Justice Communities.

Mustafa Santiago Ali, the Vice President of Environmental Justice, Climate, and Community Revitalization of the National Advocacy Center at the National Wildlife Federation was among the witnesses. In his testimony, Ali draws an unsettling parallel between deeply rooted systemic racism, the militarization of policing in the United States, and exposure to toxic air- and water-borne pollutants:

“Black communities are dealing with the systemic racism that has infected the policing in our communities that is literally choking us to death. The rolling back of environmental rules and regulations has us gasping for air due to the cumulative public health impacts from the burning of fossil fuels in our communities. Covid-19 continues to devastate black, brown and indigenous communities both in infections and deaths. When we say, “I Can’t Breathe” we literally can’t breathe.”

Jacqueline Patterson, Senior Director of the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program, also highlighted the intersections between the current crises and expressed the need for an integrated approach for recovery in her testimony.

Frontline communities across the nation are actively seeking and testing their own interventions to recover and adapt in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, economic downturn, systemic inequality, and climate change. Community-led approaches acknowledge and build upon the distinct capacities and strengths of their neighborhoods, organizations, businesses, government institutions, and individuals’ identities to address social needs.

Rising sea levels threaten the Louisiana coastline where offshore drilling occurs. [Getty/Drew Angerer]

Amid historic protests against the injustices that have long oppressed Black Americans, President Trump signed an executive order to eliminate regulations used by and for the protection of frontline communities fronted with potentially harmful, federally-funded development projects.

Among the most significant environmental laws in the United States, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) creates a pathways for citizens to partake in a thorough review process for federal actions. For example, state or local officials must complete an environmental review before federal funds may be allocated for any project they’d like to propose. Any American citizen can comment on the proposal and call attention to environmental impacts not previously accounted for by the responsible federal agency. It is required that this feedback be taken into account and acted upon before the project can receive approval for federal funding. This process enhances transparency, holds decision-makers more accountable to the American public, and sheds light upon alternatives with potential co-benefits not previously identified.

The NEPA review process is among a slate of environmental statutes and regulations weakened by President Trump’s recent executive order. This is significant—even more so in the context of the compounding crises burdening historically marginalized communities. NEPA is widely considered landmark legislation, representing a historic achievement in the face of development projects that generated detrimental consequences by exacerbating environmental injustices. Rather than being perceived as obstacles to recovery, thoughtful regulations merit consideration as instruments for ensuring that long-term value is derived from federally-funded projects.

As we navigate violently compounding crises, we must hold public officials accountable for the bigger-picture outcomes of their actions and demand that they prioritize the democratic participation of frontline communities.

In this graphic, projections indicate that we’ll have produced 26 billion tons of plastic waste by 2050. Primary waste refers to plastic becoming waste for the first time. So, that value doesn’t include waste from plastic that has been recycled. [G. Grullón, Science]

You may have already seen pictures in the news and throughout social media much like this decomposing albatross with a stomach full of plastic waste.

These incidents are often caused by the plastics we use and discard on land. Plastic litter is a more common problem in wealthy, industrialized countries like the US and UK. Although we have the systems and resources to manage large streams of collected waste, our access to limitless single-use products and the other conveniences have brought us out of touch with the value of the materials we discard and the immediate effects of tossing them as litter. Although our waste management systems are not flawless, following common sense standards for disposal is tremendously better than leaving trash behind in an unintended spot.

[Dan Clark, US Fish and Wildlife Service]

No matter how they find their way into the environment, macro-plastics can be easily mistaken by marine life for food.

The jellyfish-like movement of a drifting plastic bag may come to mind, but this problem isn’t limited to physical appearances. A recent study conducted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that sea turtles responded most similarly to the smell of “biofouled” plastics as to that of their own food. This finding suggests that the unavoidable accumulation of microbes, algae, plants and small animals on the surface of plastic marine debris makes it more enticing for turtles to eat our trash.

Scientists estimate that nearly all seabirds and over half of our oceans’ sea turtles have ingested plastic. This blocks their digestive tracts and diminishes their appetite, resulting in malnutrition and population decline.

Fragments of plastic bags found in a juvenile green turtle’s stomach.[Victoria Gonzalez Carman, Business Insider]

Macro-plastics cannot chemically degrade, but they do physically breakdown into microplastic bits that are difficult to see or filter out of the water. Those tiny bits contaminate our drinking water and accumulate in seafood when consumed by fish. Even more often than macro-plastics, these tiny bits of microplastics are unintentionally consumed by marine and freshwater species.

Once ingested, microplastics break down into even teenier nano-plastics that can penetrate cell membranes⁠. This causes severe inflammation, breakage and decay of tissues in the gastrointestinal tract, absorption of harmful chemical additives, and often a stimulus response to toxicity. According to one study on the effects of nano-plastics, exposed fish exhibited severely altered feeding and shoaling behavior and metabolic function.

How does this affect human health?

Researchers from the University of California Davis and University of Hasanuddin found plastic debris in the majority of fish species sampled during their studies, all of which were marketed for human consumption. Notably, different streams of waste affected the two regions: textile fibers were found in 67% of species living off of the West coast of the US while larger microplastic debris were found in 55% of the species tested from Indonesia.

If the issue goes beyond marine species, into our drinking water and uptake by plant nutrients, how can we protect our health and address this issue over the long-term?

Survey your day-to-day activities and gradually phase out the non-essential single-use plastic products. Reducing your individual plastic consumption and opting for reusable or biodegradable alternatives will set an example for your family, friends, peers, and coworkers that’ll create a ripple effect of positive impact. When we all become stronger advocates for responsible consumption, we start to create shifts in social norms that can affect producers’ activities.

Odds are, you already have loads of plastic products at home. Don’t just throw them away! Refill, reuse, and repurpose the items you’ve already purchased or received as packaging. You will maximize utility to continue enjoying the durability of plastics while reducing your demand on new products/materials.

Advocate for responsible disposal and management of plastic waste in your home, at school, at work, at businesses you frequent, and to your local government. Spread the “trash talk” by sharing your knowledge to support a waste-conscious culture. In the United States, most of us enjoy the privilege of not seeing where the items that we throw “away” end up. That means we are all that much more responsible for learning about how we can be more proactive in reducing the waste we create and holding large polluting corporations accountable for their impacts.

Support or engage in research on the environmental and biochemical effects of plastic production, plastic consumption and use, or plastic waste. Simply sharing the results of intriguing new studies on social media can help to spread word on important findings!

With the rapid spread of sensational images and heart-wrenching video clips capturing the physical impacts of marine debris, many of us have been faced with the reality that plastic is the least favorable material for environmental health. Social media and digital campaigns help these stories to spread rapidly, but conflicting messages about different materials may also create unproductive online debates.

What makes this conveniently durable, widespread material more harmful than alternatives? The answer lies in the process: the life cycle of plastics.

Plastics are a category of synthetic polymers. They were designed by chemists seeking a strong, lightweight, and flexible material for consumer products. Polymers abound in nature! Cellulose, the material that makes up the cell walls of plants, is a very common natural polymer.

Synthetic, man-made polymers may be derived from natural substances like cellulose, but more often they are made using the plentiful carbon atoms in fossil fuels (such as methane gas or petroleum). These inputs allow for especially long branching to occur during polymerization chemical reactions.

Since humans learned how to create and manipulate synthetic plastics nearly 150 years ago, they’ve become a more prominent part of our lives. Most consumer products are made using some type of plastic polymer and many are surrounded by plastic packaging.

Extraction

The first step in creating a plastic product is the extraction of crude oil or methane gas. There are two main methods for these large-scale operations: mining and drilling.

Mining is used to extract solid fossil fuels by digging, scraping, or otherwise exposing buried resources. This often results in huge volumes of excess rock and soil being dumped into adjacent valleys and streams, affecting marine life and water flow. Extraction sites are also often left with poor soil and damaged land that is more prone to mudslides, landslides, flashfloods, and toxic water pollution in adjacent communities.

One Harvard University study assessed the life cycle costs and public health effects of coal from 1997 to 2005. The researchers found a link to lung, cardiovascular, and kidney diseases (such as diabetes and hypertension) and an elevated occurrence of low birth rate and pre-term births associated with surface mining practices. The total estimated cost came out to $74.6 billion every year, equivalent to 4.36 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity produced.

Unconventional extraction methods such as natural gas hydraulic fracturing or ‘fracking’ have received a great deal of attention from advocates. Environmental effects of fracking include, but are not limited to, methane and toxic aerosol emissions, resource depletion, harmful wastewater contamination, and increased potential for oil spills and earthquakes. Importantly, all methods of fossil fuel extraction impose massive costs for fenceline communities that live, breathe, and work adjacent to these harmful industrial activities.

Refinement and Cracking

After fossil fuel extraction, the raw materials are shipped to a refinery. The goals of refinement are to derive the building blocks for plastic production: ethane from crude oil and propane from natural gas. At a cracking plant, ethane and propane are then chemically broken down into ethylene and propylene.

Processing and Manufacturing

Chemical modification of ethylene and polyethylene through catalyzed polymerization produces resins. Resins are the core ingredient used to produce the durable, flexible plastics we’ve all grown dependent upon. This chemical processing can be carried out in several different ways, leading to a variety of plastic products. That’s what those numbers on the bottom of many plastic products are used to indicate!

Resins are subject to high temperature and pressue, then cooled in order to make pre-production plastic pellets called ‘nurdles.’ These plastic nurdles are the input used by manufacturers to mold and form the plastic products we use.

For example, polyethylene plastics are used to make supermarket bags and water bottles. Meanwhile, polystyrene is best known in its brittle form marketed as Styrofoam, but the same chemical building blocks are used to create toy figurines and CD cases.

Differences in the end products of plastic production are partly due to use of chemical additives that may enhance or suppress chemical properties. When mismanaged or littered plastic waste accumulates in our oceans as marine debris, plastic additives pose notable eco-toxicological risks for marine species and humans.

Distribution and Consumption

Since 1950, approximately 9.2 billion tons of plastic have been produced— 40% of which comes from single-use products such as shopping bags, cutlery, and take-out-ware. Check out this National Geographic video to learn more!

Individuals have the power to change the prominence of plastic in the consumer products industry. By changing our purchasing priorities and seeking more plastic-free alternatives, we can urge companies to embrace more environmentally-favorable materials and create more durable, reusable products.

Waste Management

Given all the resources and energy used to produce each plastic product, it’s important that we responsibly use and dispose of any plastics we already own. We can re-use, re-purpose, and up-cycle the plastics we have to make the most of their use before discarding them. This can be as simple as storing batteries in an empty take-out container or using a frayed toothbrush to clean hard to reach crevices in your coffee maker or fish tank. Get creative!

In Miami-Dade and Broward County, hard plastic narrow-neck bottles may be recycled in municipal single-stream recycling bins. Plastic grocery bags, toothbrushes, clamshell containers, and food packaging are only recyclable through third-party entities such as Terracycle or your local grocery store. They are considered contamination in your curbside recycling bin.

When plastics are separated for recycling, they are transported to a materials recovery facility for sorting. Then, they are taken to a reclaiming plant where the material is flaked, washed, and formed into new resin nurdles for manufacturing.

Recycling may be the best way to dispose of plastics that can no longer be re-used, but it is important to understand that recycling is not a long-term solution for the plastic waste crisis. Recycling is logistically challenging, energy-intensive, and can be counterproductive by reinforcing plastic consumption. Plastics are also not infinitely recyclable. Each time the material is flaked and reprocessed into nurdles, it produces a lower quality plastic that will ultimately lose its ability to be recycled.

Problems presented by the entire life cycle of plastics must best addressed by a combination of (1) increased consumer education and motivated reduction in plastic purchases and (2) regulation of plastic producers and polluters to minimize the production of plastics and harmful effects of their industrial activities.

REUSABLES

Keep a water bottle, cutlery set, coffee cup, and tote bag handy to avoid the most common single-use plastics on-the-go. This shouldn’t require for you to buy anything new. Get creative to make use of items already lying around your home!

• reduce your landfill contribution
• save time and money
• conserve energy
• elevate your personal wellness

MENDING AND UP-CYCLING

Explore online tutorials and browse crafting guides for inspiration to mend and up-cycle items that you already own. This should prevent you from needing to purchase as many new items!

• reduce your landfill contribution
• conserve energy and resources
• save time and money

RECYCLING

Search for your local waste hauler’s recycling guidelines to make sure you’re properly sorting and disposing of your waste.

• reduce your landfill contribution
• conserve energy and resources

GARDENING

Grow your own produce in your windowsill or yard. Try to avoid synthetic fertilizers and pesticides!

• reduce carbon pollution
• save money
• elevate your personal wellness

PLANT-BASED EATING

Replace animal products in your diet with whole grains, beans, legumes, produce, nuts and seeds. Engage the whole family with meatless Mondays!

• save money
• conserve energy and resources
• elevate your personal wellness

COMPOSTING

To start small with household scraps, check out this excellent guide! You may also have access to a neighborhood program with local drop-off locations, such as back2earth in Miami. Other municipalities may have larger community composting programs!

• reduce your landfill contribution
• reduce carbon pollution
  

LAUNDRY

Opt for the cold wash setting to save energy, and hang dry clothes when possible.

• conserve energy
• reduce carbon pollution
• save money
• extend the life of your clothes and linens

WATER USAGE

Turn off the tap when not in use, and aim to reduce the length of your showers. Try using a couple of your favorite songs as an engaging timer! Challenge yourself to finish before the songs end.

• conserve energy and resources
• save money

GETTING AROUND

Incorporate low-carbon alternatives to driving in your commute schedule. Walking, bicycling, public transportation (bus, train, subway, metrorail) or carpooling are all great options!

• save time and money
• reduce carbon pollution
• elevate your personal wellness

COMMUNITY

Attend events organized by like-minded individuals or community organizations. Bonus: keep your perspective informed by starting conversations with others whose values and actions differ from your own!

• elevate your personal wellness

SHOP LOCAL

Support organizations and small businesses with values that align with your own— every purchase you make is an investment in those individuals and their work, so choose wisely!

• conserve energy and resources

Today, mention of a Green New Deal is most often referring to Senator Edward Markey and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s resolution. This bill calls for a 10-year mobilization for economic and environmental justice through climate policy. Although the concept of a Green New Deal and the threats posed by climate change have been known by scientists, politicians, and the general public for years, this is the most detailed policy proposal presented thus far.

The Green New Deal resolution was largely motivated by the insights published in the IPCC 2018 Special Report. It highlights the United States’ historic responsibility for a disproportionate amount of global greenhouse gas emissions and calls for intervention that remedies enduring legacies of injustice.

GET INFORMED

• Read the 14-page Green New Deal resolution! This is the best way avoid the bias of media misinformation and develop your own understanding of the vision and goals outlined.
• Watch this film, narrated by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and illustrated by Molly Crabapple, that outlines the history that inspired the Green New Deal and what our Country could look like if the goals set out by this resolution were fulfilled.
• Listen to co-author Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez breakdown her motives for drafting the Green New Deal and vision of mobilizing the American economy to solve the contemporary issues of climate change and socioeconomic injustice on this episode of “All In with Chris Hayes” on MSNBC.

START THE CONVERSATION

• Bringing environmental issues and solutions to the forefront of our understanding of human health, social justice, and economic inequality is essential to fulfillment of the Green New Deal. Share this blog post or another resource that resonates with you with your family or friends, on social media, or simply bring it up in conversation!
• Even though most of the general public is aware of the threats of the climate crisis, we don’t frequently discuss environmental policy solutions. This is a huge missed opportunity! We need everyone’s unique insights to contribute to making global climate action effective and beneficial for all people and places.
• Watch this episode of One Small Step by NowThis News featuring Katharine Wilkinson, the senior writer of Project Drawdown. This book has been called “the most comprehensive plan to ever reverse global warming.” You can also check out some of the eye-opening solutions in the book or on their website!

ORGANIZE IN YOUR COMMUNITY

• The Sunrise Movement rose to prominence in November of 2018 after newly elected Representative Ocasio-Cortez attended a Sunrise sit-in at (now Speaker of the House of Representatives) Nancy Pelosi’s office. Activists were occupying the office to call for the formation of a Congressional climate committee. Since then, this organization has organized town halls, sit-ins, student strikes, protests, and confronted political leaders across the aisle about their stance on climate issues. Their direct action and digital organizing campaigns have helped make climate change a central issue in the 2020 Democratic primary.
• Joining the climate movement through a local Sunrise Movement Hub is an excellent way to advance political support for the Green New Deal. But, it’s not the only option! There are many other pathways to build support for just climate action through grassroots organizations or your existing relationships. Bringing in your peers, colleagues, family, and friends to have conversations about economic and environmental justice can inspire their support for a Green New Deal.
• Local coalitions in California, Illinois, and Pittsburgh are already seeing positive results from state-level Green New Deal policies! Learn more here.

CAST YOUR VOTE

• Before you hit the polls for the 2020 election cycle, check your registration status here.
• Find out what bills and candidates will show up on your ballot in advance. With some simple research using online tools like Ballotpedia or Vote411, you can prepare for a more streamlined voting experience.
• The Sunrise Movement has released this resource for the public to evaluate the Democratic presidential candidates, their platforms, and their take on a Green New Deal leading up to the 2020 Presidential Election.