Climate Action Post EPA Supreme Court Ruling
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At the end of June, the U.S. Supreme Court dealt a crippling blow to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that rattled the climate movement and sent shivers down the spines of environmentalists worldwide. The profound and fundamental change needed to protect our planet from climate change is going to make many people, especially those who benefit from the planet’s destruction, uncomfortable. Change is hard for everyone. As a part of this movement, we already know that we will be met with adversity, cynicism, and other roadblocks. This fight will not be won in a single fell swoop, but with millions of tiny wins made by and advocated for by people like you. That is why I encourage you to take a breath and reflect on what has happened and what this latest development means. However, I also encourage you not to lose hope and to keep moving forward. That is why even when in the face of terrible news like this, we still end our weekly newsletter calling out climate wins.
Below is a further debrief on what happened to the EPA and what you can do to help keep the ball moving for climate action.
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What Does The Supreme Court Ruling on the EPA Mean for Climate Action?
So what happened exactly?
The case of West Virginia v. The Environmental Protection Agency came before the Supreme Court addressing the question of ”whether the EPA can use any means to regulate planet warming-pollution from power plants”. The ruling, which answered this question in the negative, stripped executive branches of government of important regulatory authority over greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector. Moving forward, the EPA will now need preapproval from Congress in order to establish a cap and trade program or to accommodate or require generation shifting. The EPA can no longer adopt rules that are transformational to the economy unless authorized by Congress. This means that Congress and individual states will now carry the weight of enacting emission regulations, thus stalling efforts to take quick action against climate change.
What can the EPA still do?
The EPA can still regulate individual, existing power plants. It can also focus on regulations around air and water pollution as opposed to power plant emissions specifically.
How big of a bummer is this?
This ruling profoundly impacts the EPA’s capacity to divert fossil fuels used in power plants to cleaner sources. This hinders the impact they can make on a broader scale. Overall, this ruling kills holistic regulatory attempts to reduce emissions. Because curbing greenhouse gas emissions is essential to mitigating the worst effects of climate change, this ruling deals a huge blow to efforts to combat climate change.
On the bright side, renewable energy sources are becoming much cheaper, and obtaining them is also becoming more cost-effective. We're currently seeing emission reductions without regulation from EPA.
What can Congress do?
In response to this ruling, Congress can pass a law that empowers the EPA to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Maintaining and expanding the pro-climate majority during midterms elections this November is paramount to making this happen.
What can states do?
To help curb greenhouse gas emissions in individual states, the state can pass 100% clean energy targets that phase out fossil fuel generation. They can also empower their public utility commissions to regulate emissions.
What can we do?
The White House can’t seem to pass climate legislation. Congress is continuously gridlocked with no signs of relief and now the Supreme Court has severely restricted the federal agency whose sole purpose is to protect the environment. Where does that leave we, the people? There is no giving up in the fight against climate change, or more accurately against fossil fuel interests. There is only forward. So here are our next best steps from a political, and regulatory perspective in the US.
Remember the majority of Americans say the government should be doing more about climate change.
Reach out to Congress urging your reps to pass a comprehensive climate policy and that authorizes the EPA. Take the action in our next section.
Focus on city and state governments. Urge your local reps to pass a 100% clean energy target. This map from Sierra Club can help you identify where your town is in this process. Also, urge them to reach out to your congressional delegation on the national level.
Get involved in elections, local or otherwise. Volunteer for environmental candidates. Help bring out environmental voters with the Environmental Voter Project. Finally, support and vote for environmentalists by following Lead Locally.
At work, encourage your C-Suite to contact Congress and speak to the economic consequences of inaction.
Get your family and friends involved. Share this edition of Save Our Happy Place to get the conversation started.
Take Action Now
Tell Congress to pass a real climate bill for America.
What? Send a message to your representatives urging them to deliver on a legislative agenda for clean energy and climate action that will cut energy bills, fight climate change, and create millions of good green jobs.
Why? The Supreme Court has failed the nation, undoing decades of precedent and severely limiting EPA’s ability to cut carbon emissions and fight climate change. Now Congress must act to pass a real climate bill this summer before the mid-term elections.
How? Click link to send message. (Est. 1 min)
Curious How American Climate Policy Effects the Rest of the World?
Check out this piece by our friend Adetokunbo Abiola of Adetokunbo Sees to learn how the ruling affects Africa.
Some Rays of Sunshine
Headlines We’re Happy to See
Officially extinct butterfly ‘making a comeback’ in the UK. - Read More
California passes USA’s most robust plastic pollution bill. - Read More
Sweden has developed a new recycling method that could eliminate the climate impact of plastic. - Read More
Delhi Airport becomes India’s first to run solely on Hydro & solar power. - Read More
I love the EPA part. In the end, it says we can take our destiny in our hands. We shouldn't allow official decisions to dampen us. We should fight and fight. A very positive attitude.