Friend, Today, President Biden becomes the Climate President. "A cry for survival comes from the planet itself, a cry that can't be any more desperate or any more clear," Biden said in his inaugural address. Through Executive Orders on January 20th and more today, he is showing that immense value of national action on what he described as “the battle to save our planet by getting the climate under control." The breadth of his actions and strength of the climate team he is assembling is inspiring. Over the four years of the Trump administration, major climate policies were dismantled and nearly 100 environmental rules governing clean air, water, wildlife and toxic chemicals were reversed, revoked, or rolled back. Biden is cleaning up the wreckage, acting to redress environmental injustices, and presenting a vision of clean energy and good jobs. The new orders establish new commissions to address the concerns of communities that are disproportionately people of color or low-income families that live near pollution sources. Biden, his Administration, and Congress do not have the power to reverse the impending climate catastrophes. The US commitment to the Paris Climate Accords could never be met by the Federal government alone. State and local government, businesses, individuals, and families must act, too. That’s where the Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions (FACS), thousands of local climate groups, and millions of individuals fill a critical role. Here in Northern Virginia, FACS helps people of faith develop local solutions to the climate crisis. We empower and unite neighbors of all faiths to achieve real climate solutions, right now. As Board Chair of the Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions, I am grateful that we have a Climate President. We have a lot to do, all of us. We look forward to working alongside you. In peace, Eric Goplerud
Chair, Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions
P.S. If you haven't already, please respond to our action alert urging the VA House Speaker to support automatically updating building codes and watch for additional action alerts in the upcoming weeks. |
