The sustainability nonprofit organization Ceres welcomes a congressional resolution introduced by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) today that responds to public outcry around the Trump administration’s inaction on climate change and begins to develop a comprehensive and equitable set of solutions to tackle the problem.
“The Green New Deal resolution — while still a blueprint — is the first ambitious proposal that we have seen from Congress that takes into account the scope and scale of the global climate challenge, and acknowledges its economic, social, and equity implications,” said Ceres CEO and President Mindy Lubber. “The resolution will help to inform and shape the conversation around climate solutions that promote jobs and economic prosperity, while providing a foundation for lawmakers to build and raise their ambition on action.”
The proposal, which reflects the urgency of the recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to limit global temperature rise to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, includes achieving domestic net-zero emissions within 10 years.
“We expect that the ideas contained within the Green New Deal resolution will re-energize not only policymakers in Washington, and states and cities around the country, but also the investors and companies with whom we work, to find common ground on solutions to the greatest challenge of our time,” Lubber added. “Ceres has long advocated for a comprehensive bipartisan solution to climate change that includes market-based policies, such as a price on carbon pollution, and effective and efficient regulations.”
The resolution comes after the President promoted fossil fuels in his State of the Union address to the nation on Tuesday, while ignoring the climate problem, or even a mention of it, in his remarks. Following the address, Governors Charlie Baker of Massachusetts and Roy Cooper of North Carolina went to Capitol Hill to make the economic case for urgent action. They participated in two congressional hearings focused on the environmental and economic impacts of climate change, and the urgent need for action to mitigate the impacts—showing that momentum for climate action is building among U.S. House lawmakers and across states.
Lubber added, “While we applaud the leadership of House lawmakers and look forward to an ongoing discussion of the specific elements within the Green New Deal proposal, we will continue our work to highlight the economic and business case for climate action, focusing on increasing bipartisan ambition toward solutions that build a more sustainable and equitable low-carbon economy and planet.”
Ceres is a sustainability nonprofit organization working with the most influential investors and companies to build leadership and drive solutions throughout the economy. For more information, visit www.ceres.org and follow @CeresNews.