Sign the petition to President Biden: Declare climate an emergency under the National Emergencies Act

Millions of acres burn, Southern cities freeze over, tornados blow our walls away, and floods ravage our towns. Climate change is here, the signs are palpable, and it’s getting worse every day. In 2021 alone there were 20 weather events, killing 688 people and costing us over $1 billion for each event. In the long run, the price of climate inaction is much greater than that of legislation designed to prevent further disasters.  

Federal regulators warned in an annual report that climate change is an “emerging threat” to the U.S. financial system. The costs associated with increased numbers of hurricanes, wildfires, and floods fueled by global warming will begin to hemorrhage our economy. We must act now to prevent these weather events while we still have the chance.

Combating climate change benefits us all. By moving to alternative energy, we will create better jobs, cleaner water, healthier foods, fresher air, and better traffic safety.

But we're up against powerful interests. Fossil fuel companies spend millions lobbying Congress and shuffling blame for climate change from producers to consumers with deceptive advertising. They manipulate language to downplay their role to undermine climate litigation, regulation, and activism. Big Oil is determined to protect profits, even if they burn the planet down in the process.

We need tools in our arsenal that are powerful enough to fight those forces. One of those tools could be declaring climate an emergency under the National Emergencies Act. That would give the Biden administration the ability to reinstate the crude oil export ban, redirect disaster relief funds toward distributed renewable energy construction in frontline communities, and marshal companies to fast-track renewable transportation and clean power generation. All while creating millions of high-quality union jobs.

Climate change is already an emergency, it’s time for the Biden administration to make it official.

Sign the petition to President Biden: Declare climate an emergency under the National Emergencies Act