Climate Action

The Current Situation

The four years of the Biden administration have seen the strongest action on climate change to date of any US presidency, featuring $375B in federal funding for a green transition through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and surging investment in green energy technology, notably solar and wind electricity, and electric vehicles going mainstream.

The November 2024 election of Donald Trump presents a dire threat to necessary action on climate change. He has threatened to defund many of the provisions of the IRA, impose budget cuts on agencies with a stake in climate action (e.g. Department of the Interior, EPA) remove regulatory constraints on the fossil fuel industry, eradicate climate justice initiatives, and withdraw the US from participation in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, among other damaging actions. It is estimated that global carbon emissions could increase by 4 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (GtCO2e), compared to what they would have been under continuation of Biden-style policies.

Though the Trump victory is a monumental setback for the US as well as global climate action agenda, there are limits on how much damage the new administration can do. Some progress on green investment and policy appears to be locked in because it benefits not just people in blue states, but also people in red states. Second, there are forms of action on climate change that cannot be easily stymied, either because they are conducted in jurisdictions where Democratic Party legislators have a majority, or because they benefit red districts and therefore have bipartisan support.

An excellent article published by the World Resources Institute details how some climate action gains will not be surrendered, and how some forms of progress can be maintained. The article points out that:

  • When Trump threatened withdrawal from the Paris Agreement during his first terms in 2017, this inspired 4,000 mayors, governors, university presidents and business leaders to sign the We Are Still In declaration, which stimulated compliance with the US pledge under the terms of the Paris Agreement. Trump’s victory can restimulate this form of bottom-up action.

  • In the two years since the IRA was passed, 215 clean energy projects have been created in Republican districts, compared to 119 in Democratic ones, together with 330,000 jobs.

  • Almost half of the US’s leading companies have already made net-zero pledges and related transition plans and are reaping benefits from participation in the clean energy boom.

The US election coincided with the United Nations Climate Summit (COP 29) in Baku, Azerbaijan. The key achievement of the summit was to increase the annual funding transfer from richer countries with historic responsibility for carbon emissions, to poorer countries with little such responsibility but large financial needs for facing climate change. Though the annual funding amount was tripled from $100 billion to $300 billion, this is far below the $1.3 trillion that is required. The World Resources Institute provides an excellent recap of the COP 29 negotiations and agreements.

Though Trump’s electoral victory is a devastating blow to the national and world agendas for climate action, there are reasons for maintaining hope. Undoubtedly, the victory is inspiring countermeasures at the grassroots and local levels – as they did eight years ago – and this should serve as motivation for us all to do what we can to inform ourselves and do our part to work toward a more just and sustainable future.

The perils of the climate crisis confront us every day. While a warming climate is already upon us, our collective actions can prevent the escalating danger from floods, droughts, hurricanes, wildfires, heat waves and other calamities which we will certainly face if we don't act quickly and transformatively. Given the slow progress in implementing US national climate change legislation, it is all the more important to make advancements at the state, local, corporate and individual levels.

We call for Climate Justice - recognizing that we cannot successfully meet this crisis without directly challenging the many structures which create and uphold inequality and oppression in our nation and the larger world. Purchase the lawn sign shown in the photo below or our other Climate Action resources here.

Basic Information on Climate Change

  • NASA Global Climate Change
  • Union of Concerned Scientists
  • Online Course - Climate Change: From Learning to Action
     

    • Take Action on Climate Change

    Find a Climate Action Group in Your Community

    If you want to participate in the movement to contain climate change, find an organization working on the issue. Check out the links to 350.org and US Climate Action Network, below, which can assist you in getting involved with local, state, regional or national organizations.

    Important national initiatives in the US

    Climate Action Now lawnsign

     Check out Syracuse Cultural Workers' Climate Action resources here.

     

     

    Climate solutions require attention not just to fossil fuels, but also to land use, land use change, and forestry (LULUCF)

    Burning of fossil fuels accounts for the vast majority of greenhouse gas emissions. LULUCF accounts for about 10-15% of the total,  yet about 30% of the potential solution through (among other interventions) prevention of deforestation and regreening of landscapes. So it is important to pay attention not only to the work of organizations that specialize on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels, but also from LULUCF – for example:

    Fossil fuels

    Forests

    Indigenous Peoples

    Worldwide, Indigenous Peoples are key to protecting remaining forests and to natural climate solutions. It is important to pay attention to the work of climate organizations working for the rights of Indigenous Peoples, for example:

    Policy analysis and action

    Some organizations have a strong focus on policy analysis for climate action. Here are two such organizations:

    Focus on Climate Solutions

    In addition to supporting the work of organizations that counteract the release of greenhouse gases from fossil fuels and land use change (including forests), it is important to pay attention to the work of organizations that are pioneering the energy transition from dirty and unsustainable to clean and sustainable forms of energy.Among the leading such organizations are:

    Individual Actions

    What we do as individuals can add up to meaningful change, remind us of the urgency we face and demonstrate consistency between what we seek in public policy and how we live our lives.

    We welcome your feedback!

    We are aware that our list of organizations is incomplete. That is intentional. There are way too many to list them all and there is rapid flux. We wanted to spotlight those groups that appear to be doing high quality work. The list will be updated every three months. We welcome your feedback on how it can be improved. Reach out to us at andy@syracuseculturalworkers.com.