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.

On Tuesday, February 11^th, US Senator Tom Udall and US Representative Alan Lowenthal introduced unprecedented federal legislation to address the plastic pollution crisis.

“The plastic pollution crisis is past the tipping point: our communities, our waterways, and even our bodies are at risk. We are already bearing the cleanup costs of mountains of plastic waste, and it will only get worse for future generations. We have a responsibility to act now before the overwhelming public health, environmental, climate and economic effects of plastic pollution reach the point of no return. Our solutions are not only possible—they are practical and are already being implemented in cities and states across the country, including in my home state of New Mexico. But we need a comprehensive, national strategy to tackle this tidal wave of pollution before it is too late. We must drive the innovation necessary to break free from this unnecessary, toxic waste stream that is also accelerating the destruction of our planet via climate change. This bill calls on all of us, from companies to communities, to address this crisis head-on so that we can create a plastic pollution free world.” – US Senator Tom Udall

In short, the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2020 offers a common-sense, comprehensive systems-based approach to address the plastic pollution crisis. It has tremendous potential to launch our nation’s resources in the right direction— increasing accountability, responsibility, and management efficacy.

Here’s an overview of its key provisions:

Mandating Producer Responsibility

Each time we dispose of packaging materials—whether plastic, paper, glass, or metal—the waste management burden trickles down to local and state governments. In effect, there is a strong disconnect between the design, production, and waste management phases associated with any given product.

The Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act sets forth requirements for producer responsibility including the development, implementation, and administration of necessary collection and reprocessing programs. This includes co-ops between producers, cleanup efforts through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and investment in recycling and composting infrastructure.

Requiring Nationwide Container Refunds

Incentives are a powerful force for motivating changes in individual and corporate practices. With that in mind, this bill proposes a requirement for customers to be eligible for a 10 cent refund in return for used beverage containers. If unclaimed, the refunds would go back to beverage producers to supplement their investments in collection and recycling infrastructure.

Source Reduction

The bill also sets important benchmarks for changes in production and consumption: “Beginning in January 2022, some of the most common single-use plastic products that pollute our environment, cannot be recycled, and have readily available alternatives will be source reduced and phased out from sale and distribution.”

This will include prohibitions on plastic carryout bags, some food and drink containers, and expanded polystyrene products (also known as Styrofoam).

Additionally, the bill calls for federally-funded studies and literature analysis on plastic tobacco filters, electronic cigarette parts, and derelict fishing gear to guide federal agencies in enacting pollution mitigation policies.

Carryout Bag Fee

What’s more effective than incentives? Disincentives— that’s right! This boils down to a principle of behavioral economics called loss aversion: people dislike losses more than they enjoy benefits.

As a disincentive for consumers to use fewer plastic bags, the bill proposes a fee on carryout bags. The money generated by this fee would be used to fund access to reusable bags, local cleanup efforts, and improved recycling infrastructure. Alternatively, a business could retain the fee if they implement an incentive program that credits customers who opt for bringing their own reusable bags.

Minimum Recycled Content Requirement

With a new wave of investment and research being devoted to recycling infrastructure across the nation, this bill intends to support a growth in the supply of recycled plastic. The minimum recycled content requirement would mandate for beverage containers, such as plastic bottles, to be produced with a certain percentage of recycled content. This threshold would be set to increase overtime so that producers are constantly being encouraged to use less virgin plastic.

The EPA would also be required to implement recycled content minimums for other products, but this is dependent on assessment of technological feasibility by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Recycling and Composting

Conflicting and out-right misleading labels on packaging have made responsible waste management frustratingly inconsistent and demoralizing for most well-meaning consumers. To address this issue, the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act calls for the EPA to develop standardized recycling and composting labels for both products and receptacles to encourage proper sorting and disposal.

Encouraging Domestic Responsibility

Every minute, it is estimated that the equivalent of 60 doubledecker busloads of plastic waste are burned or dumped in developing countries. Current rates of mismanagement due to exploitative trade policies pose serious health, safety, and environmental risks beyond our borders. Poorly managed waste serves as a breeding ground for vector-borne diseases, contributes to global climate change, and has even been found to increase rates of violence in urban areas. Conservative estimates attribute over one-million annual deaths to the adverse health effects of these practices.

The Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act addresses the export of plastic waste, scraps, and pairings to non-OECD countries.

Protecting Existing Action

One of the reasons that this bill is a significant achievement for plastic waste reduction advocates is its unmatched scope. We have never seen a body of federal legislation proposed to directly address the plastic pollution crisis; any existing progress has been the result of market-based changes or efforts from lower levels of government. This Act has the potential to elevate accountability and sustainability in product design, manufacturing, distribution, and waste management in much more comprehensive way.

“We are running out of time to deal with this crisis of our own creation, and this legislation is a bold first step on the path to implementing lasting solutions.”  – US Senator Tom Udall

Although we have not seen any federal action on these issues, state and local governments have already enacted legislation to address the plastic pollution crisis within the bounds of their reach. Many of these local officials have been motivated by a more intimate understanding of the threats posed by single-use plastics on local economies in coastal communities, poor health outcomes for vulnerable populations exposed to their eco-toxic effects, and the substantial contribution of the plastic life cycle to heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions. Importantly, this bill protects state and local governments’ previous actions. It also supports their enactment of more stringent standards, requirements, and product bans as deemed appropriate.

Pause New Plastic

Finally, the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act provides time for federal agencies to “investigate the cumulative impacts of new and expanded plastic-producing facilities on the air, water, climate, and communities before issuing new permits to increase plastic production.”

To address the impacts of existing producers, this legislation would call for the EPA to update regulations for the elimination of plastic pollution from industrial facilities. It would also encourage updates to the Clean Air and Clean Water Act emission and discharge standards to ensure that plastic-producing facilities integrate the latest technology for pollution prevention.

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.