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How Americans are addressing the climate crisis [1]

['Noelani Kirschner']

Date: 2023-12-04 05:04:00+00:00

The U.S. government, businesses and everyday Americans are addressing the climate crisis and improving the environment.

“Communities across America are taking more action than ever to reduce climate risks,” President Biden said November 14, announcing release of the Fifth National Climate Assessment. “We can’t be complacent. We have to keep going.”

The assessment by 300 climate experts highlights steps Americans are taking to address the climate crisis, which is already affecting all regions of the country.

Progress includes an estimated 17% decline in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 to 2021, according to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions in Arlington, Virginia.

While emissions spiked during the economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. emissions showed signs of continuing their long-term downward trajectory in 2023.

Power plant greenhouse gas emissions fell 4.5% in the first five months of 2023.

U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide, the most common greenhouse gas, are projected to fall 3% in 2023.

Wind and solar generated more electricity than coal in the first five months of 2023, a first.

Declining emissions come as the costs of wind and solar have dropped — by 70% and 90% respectively — over the past decade, and as the U.S. population and economy have grown.

The continued declines in emissions put the United States on track to meet its goal under the Paris Agreement of achieving a net-zero emissions economy by 2050.

My Administration has released the Fifth National Climate Assessment in our history. It makes clear that climate change is impacting all regions of our nation – but that communities are taking more action than ever to reduce climate risks. We have to keep that action going. pic.twitter.com/s14GbkWe1T — President Biden (@POTUS) November 14, 2023

U.S. consumers are also choosing more sustainable options. In 2022, homeowners bought 4.3 million heat pumps, which do not produce direct emissions, surpassing sales of gas-powered furnaces for the first time. And in the third quarter of 2023, electric vehicle sales jumped by nearly 50% over the same period in 2022, accounting for 7.9% of car sales.

The U.S. government continues to invest in climate resilience and environmental protection. In November 2023, the Biden administration announced $6 billion in investments to improve America’s electric grid, reduce flood risks, support conservation and advance environmental justice.

Since 2021, the Biden administration has protected more than 21 million acres of public lands and waters, preventing species loss and deforestation, which contributes to climate change. Protected lands include the Tongass National Forest in southeastern Alaska, which stores an estimated 8% of the carbon in all mainland U.S. forests combined.

“Conserving ecosystems in their natural state is the single most effective action for addressing nature deprivation, climate disaster, and the massive ongoing loss of species happening nationwide and globally,” Mark Magaña, founding president and chief executive officer of GreenLatinos, based in Washington, said in a White House statement.

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[1] Url: https://share.america.gov/how-americans-are-addressing-climate-crisis/

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