The world’s oceans are in dire straits. A startling UN report confirms what we at CLF have been saying for years: Without drastic measures to halt climate-damaging emissions and protect our oceans, life in New England, and around the world, will be forever changed. If we act now, we can still protect our oceans and way of life for future generations. But we don’t have a moment to waste.
While the Commonwealth ranks first in the nation in energy efficiency, it could be doing more to save families and businesses money while cutting pollution.
“Once again the Trump Administration is pandering to big oil and gas at the expense of our health and our communities,” said Emily Green, CLF Staff Attorney. “This new rule attacks critical state standards that keep our air clean. As we run out of time to tackle the climate crisis, this policy moves the country in the wrong direction. It leads directly to a dirtier, more polluted future. No one, not even automakers, wants to hit reverse on these standards.”
“This report is yet another reminder that dithering by world leaders in the face of the climate crisis is becoming more costly and deadly by the minute,” said Bradley Campbell, President of CLF. “Neither the stroke of a Sharpie nor well-intentioned rhetoric can avert or obscure the irreversible damage already done to our oceans and our security. Only a quantum leap in climate leadership can limit the scale of the catastrophe and avoid utter betrayal of future generations.”
As I remember the lives lost in Puerto Rico to Hurricane María, I urge you to join the millions of people on strike today demanding climate action and climate justice. We have the solutions to solve the climate crisis, but we need our political leaders to take action – now.
Nearly 30% of climate-damaging emissions nationwide come from transportation. Switching to electric cars and powering them with clean energy like solar and wind will slash our emissions and help us avoid the worst effects of climate change.
“The clean car standards are the nation’s most robust program for reducing greenhouse gases in the country,” said Emily Green of the Conservation Law Foundation. “And the states should have the authority— in fact they do have the authority under the Clean Air Act — to protect their citizens from these emissions and from harmful impacts of climate chaos that these emissions cause.”
CLF’ers Elena Mihaly and Tom Irwin show that you don’t have to live in a major city, or even on a paved road, to benefit from driving an electric car.
It’s that time of year again—National Drive Electric Week! Every year, people across the nation celebrate the benefits of electric vehicles and showcase their cars during events throughout the country. From not shelling out money at the gas pump to not spewing pollution, there’s a lot to celebrate. Pollution from transportation, including the cars and trucks we drive every day, is the leading cause of climate-damaging emissions in New England. If we want to tackle the climate crisis, we have to fight for cleaner cars and a cleaner transportation system overall.
In a move that will harm Americans’ health, economy, and climate, the Trump administration rolled out its proposed replacement to the Obama-era Clean Power Plan in June. The landmark Clean Power Plan was set to cut emissions from dirty coal plants—slashing pollution and combatting the looming climate crisis. CLF is fighting back against this shameless gift to the dying fossil fuel industry.
