What's up with climate action in the US?

What if these pieces of legislation don’t succeed?

2.7

1.8

100

BILLION

people threatened by deadly heat waves

FEET

potential sea level rise

coral reefs at risk of bleaching

PERCENT

Climate change is an undeniable crisis across the globe, with impacts affecting people and nature here and now. Limiting global warming to 1.5°C (2.7°F) is crucial if we want to avoid the worst consequences.

Why 1.5°C?

Since the industrial revolution, the average global temperature has been rising as a result of human activity. That rise has led to more extreme weather disasters and is pushing ecosystems closer to collapse. If that average temperature increases by more than 1.5°C, the consequences will be significantly worse. 1.5°C is our best shot at containing the climate crisis.

Are we on track?

No. The average global temperature has already increased by 1.1°C, and we’re far off track from achieving our goal of limiting warming to 1.5°C. In fact, even with all current national climate actions and decarbonization pledges, we’d still see a 2.1°C increase.

Climate action is not only important but imperative if we want to protect and preserve our planet.

Myself, my friends, and my community were directly impacted by climate change via an extreme weather event in September, 2017. I know it will continue to profoundly affect me for the rest of my life. I was living in the Florida Keys when Hurricane Irma, category 5, destroyed the island. I lost my home, most of my personal belongings, and was laid off from my job. It took me about a year to realize that I would be considered a climate refugee.

During hurricane Harvey my school became a temporary shelter and I had many acquaintances who lost everything and had to rely on the facilities offered by my school for days on end.

Many people think of climate change as something happening to the polar bears in the Arctic. I want others to realize that it’s not just affecting one people or place. In reality, it’s happening everywhere – from Puerto Rico to New Orleans and California.

What has the US been doing about it?

Hover over a year to learn more

2022

2019

2017

2015

The Global Youth Climate Strike takes place.

The People's Climate March takes place around the world.

The Paris Agreement is adopted, creating a framework for reducing carbon emissions.

President Biden has made transformative climate action a priority for his Administration, pledging to drastically cut US carbon emissions and greatly ramp up US investments in climate solutions, both at home and globally. Unfortunately, those goals have stalled or fallen short in Congress. The Build Back Better Act, introduced in Congress last Fall, passed in the House of Representatives but has not yet garnered the necessary support in the Senate. If its provisions became law, the Act would be the most robust piece of climate legislation the US has ever enacted. And while the final Fiscal Year 2022 funding bill passed by Congress saw some significant increases for global climate and conservation programs, it did not go nearly far enough to meet our international pledges.

Now what?

Right now, Congress is working on the annual spending bills for Fiscal Year 2023, and deciding how much funding to dedicate to climate programs in the US and internationally. In his proposed budget, the President has requested ambitious increases in such funding. Congress needs to rise to the occasion and ramp up investments in these programs. This will help us meet carbon reduction targets while also supporting efforts of developing countries to protect their tropical forests and build their climate resilience.

Without legislation, we’ll have to cobble together climate solutions through other measures like executive actions and smaller bills. That would take much longer–and be much easier to block or reverse by those who oppose climate action.

Sarah O., DC

Apsara M., TX

Lyssa M., MA

Gabriel S., AK

March: Congress finally passes an FY22 funding bill, but it falls short on funding for climate finance.

2022

2021

September: The Build Back Better Act is introduced in Congress. President Biden pledges $11.4 billion per year in climate finance.

President Biden rejoins the Paris Agreement and announces ambitious decarbonization targets for the US.

2021

2017

President Trump withdraws the US from the Paris Agreement.

In the absence of federal leadership, states, cities, Native Nations, businesses and universities step up on climate action.

April-May: Discussions are expected to restart around the budget reconciliation process.

Over the years, the US has supported international conservation and climate programs through agencies such as USAID, the State Department, Treasury, USFWS and NOAA, as well as the Global Environmental Facility. We urge them to continue and significantly increase this support in FY23 in order to address the intertwined crises we are facing from climate change and nature loss.

Congress also needs to provide dedicated funding to the Green Climate Fund – something it has yet to do despite an initial US pledge of $3 billion. The fund's programs help developing countries deal with climate change.

We need to make this moment count.

Together we can still change the trajectory of the climate crisis and build a future that protects people, wildlife, and wild places.

Congress has resumed conversations regarding a potential budget reconciliation bill. The details of what will ultimately be included are still being worked out, but such a bill presents a critical opportunity to build a more just, equitable, and clean energy economy for the United States, including through historic climate investments. The reconciliation bill is currently our best shot at passing robust climate legislation.

Budget Reconciliation Process

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*by year 2100

Budget Appropriations Process

Why 1.5°C?

Are we on track?

The reconciliation process allows for budget-related measures to pass by a simple majority vote which makes it an effective means of passing major climate investments in a closely-divided Congress.

Reconciliation could deliver emission reductions by providing investments and incentives for: clean energy and electric vehicles climate-smart agriculture consumer rebates for electrifying home appliances nature-based solutions. These measures would reduce carbon emissions and build the resilience of American communities to climate change.

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