Congress must act on rising climate crisis costs

While Washington dithering and dancing around the issue last year, Climate action is urgently required, severe drought, storms or floods. Nationally, 688 people were killed by weather and climate catastrophes that caused $145 billion of damage.According to a new report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, (NOAA), it is.

These disasters directly impacted More than 40 percent of the total populationFrom the Great Plains States to the hills of Kentucky; and from the Pacific Northwest to Mexico Gulf of Mexico.Already In the five years since 2005, $742.1 billion has been claimed in damagesMore than 4,500 people have died in climate-related disasters across the country.  

These figures are as staggering as they sound, but they only reflect catastrophic disasters that each cause $1 billion worth of damage. They don’t include ongoing losses from widening deserts and rising seas or consequences like species collapse that can’t be easily monetized. They don’t cover every drought, every storm, every wildfire or heatwave. 

Nor do these numbers account for the astronomical health costs  — more than $800 billion a year — the nation is already paying due to climate change and the toxic pollution from our reliance on the dirty fossil fuels that are driving the climate crisis. 

As the climate crisis worsens, (last year brought us an alarming increase in temperature), The hottest U.S. Summer on Record) climate and weather disasters will grow more devastating, threatening to Overcome our ability to respond.

Every day we failTo act on climate, we are adding to these costs and risks — and passing them along to our children. In economic terms, we’re borrowing from the future to sustain the fuels of the past. We’re burying our children alive beneath a mountain of environmental debt from which they may never recover.

It is no surprise that this is the case. Two-thirds (33%) of the country Wants the federal government to act. This is becoming more frequent. Support transcends party lines. Extreme weather disasters, it turns out, don’t check the voter registration roles before striking.

It’s time to confront these growing costs and the existential peril they present. Fortunately, it’s not too late to act — but it’s far too late to dither.

The science is clear We must reduce carbon pollution, methane emissions and other greenhouse gases by half by 2030 — across the United States and around the world — to avert the most dangerous, and costly, consequences of climate change. 

President BidenJoe BidenMadame Tussauds presents new Harris and Biden figures US raises concerns over Russian troop movements to Belarus Putin outwits Biden’s diplomats by testing a model for invading Ukraine Continue readingWe have a plan to help us do our part. The Build Back Better Act, which is the strongest climate action in American history, is the centerpiece. Passed the House in November, it’s now before the Senate. We can’t afford for the Senate to fail us. It’s time to pass the bill.

The Create a Better Act calls for strategic investment to fight the climate crisis and its soaring costs. It will create jobs across the country. It will create a more equal society and strengthen the economy. 

The bill includes a record amount of $550 billion in national investments over ten years to accelerate the shift away the coal, oil, and gas that are fueling the climate crisis to cleaner, smarter ways to provide power for our future.

It begins with cleaning up cars, trucks, power plants and other vehicles that collectively account for approximately two-thirds of the nation’s carbon footprint. 

The bill extends and expands tax credits to make electric cars — new and used — more affordable, especially for middle-income and lower-income drivers. This, along with other new initiatives, will make electric cars more affordable for all. federal clean car standards finalized in December, will help the industry reach 100-percent pollution-free car sales by 2035. 

It is possible to reduce carbon pollution by replacing coal-fired electricity generation and generating clean, renewable power from wind and sun. Modernizing our transmission grid, storage, and distribution systems is also a cost-effective way to do this. 

The Build Back better Act offers powerful tax incentives to encourage wind and solar power growth. Credits that can reduce the cost for installing rooftop solar power systems by nearly one-third of the price are just a few examples. It will encourage families to invest in home weatherization and energy efficient appliances. The average household can save $500 per year on average, in utility bills. The legislation also provides incentives to ensure benefits reach low income communities that are at the frontlines for climate hazard or harm as well as regions that have lost power stations, coal mines, and other fossil fuel facilities. 

The Build Back better Act is the foundation for a larger national strategy. Cut greenhouse gases by 50 to 52 per cent by 2030. To get there, we’ll also need ambitious new carbon pollution standards at the national, state and local levels. Every federal agency must participate in the climate fixThe solution, not the problem. And we’ll need to drive further progress through research and innovation.

It is becoming increasingly obvious that climate costs are rising. We simply can’t afford to kick the climate can down the road any longer. It’s time to stand up to a crisis that’s costing us more each day we delay. It’s time for the Senate to pass the Build Back Better Act.

Manish Bapna is the president and CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group with more than 3 million supporters nationwide