This week, two major climate reports set off alarm bells for all who care about children.
The Fifth National Climate Assessment and the 2023 Lancet Countdown Report paint a harrowing picture of our present and our future. They outline the danger of climate threats like extreme heat, intense storms, and worsening food insecurity in stark detail and confirm that the burden of these impacts will be disproportionately borne by those already living with the consequences of systemic racism and health inequity.
But the reports also inspire hope. Both tell us that solutions are at hand, and we have the power to create a healthier, safer tomorrow by taking bold climate action now. In a statement, our Senior Policy Analyst Elizabeth Bechard says: “These reports are deeply painful to read. Yet they are also strikingly clear that we are not powerless: as we raise children in the liminal space between what has been and what can still be, every action we take to reduce climate heating matters. Every increment of fossil fuel pollution avoided means less suffering for families and children, both those alive today and those yet to be born.”
Elizabeth highlights that, while the US has made historic climate investments in the last few years, our leaders need to do more. The reports are clear—we must rapidly reduce fossil fuel pollution in order to secure the healthy future our children deserve.
Elizabeth writes: “As the National Climate Assessment states, ‘the degree to which climate change will continue to worsen is largely in human hands.’ So as Moms, we will continue to use our hands and our voices to advocate for climate action that meets the urgency and possibility of this moment.”
The time to act is now. Start here.
TELL PRESIDENT BIDEN & EPA: MOVE QUICKLY TO FINALIZE STRONG POLLUTION PROTECTIONS