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TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE MUST BE JOB ONE  
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Susan Bass
April 19, 2025
The Progressive
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_ This Earth Day, on April 22, you can exercise your power. The
wellbeing of our planet and its people is at stake. _

The “Glass Fire” burns homes and wildland in the Skyhawk
Community in Santa Rosa, California, September 27-28, 2020., Jerry
Dodrill

 

Amid the historic and sweeping cuts to federal agencies and programs
being carried out by the Trump Administration, one truth has been
overlooked: If we’re serious about cutting waste and protecting
public funds, we must confront climate change head-on.

2024 was a disaster for the planet and its people. According to NASA,
it was the warmest
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year since temperatures began being recorded in 1880. In the United
States alone there were twenty-seven climate and weather events
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that resulted in at least a billion dollars in damages—second only
to 2023, with twenty-eight such events. 

These events—wildfires, floods, tornadoes, and hurricanes—are
becoming the norm, and they’re financially devastating. 

In January, tens of thousands of acres and more than 16,000 structures
burned
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in southern California. Last month, more than 150 tornadoes tore
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southeastern United States, and, this month, historic floods
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submerged parts of the Midwest and South.

In the parts of the United States at higher risk for climate-related
extreme weather events, insurance claims are increasing
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in cost and frequency. Not surprisingly, these high-risk areas are
also now seeing the highest increase in cancellations for failure to
pay premiums and nonrenewals by the insurance companies. Without
insurance, homeowners may not be able to rebuild when disaster
strikes.

And climate change isn’t the only escalating crisis. The world is
also drowning in plastic. On September 5, 2024—Plastic Overshoot
Day
[[link removed](https%3A/www.e-a.earth/insights/plastic-overshoot-day-report-2024/]—the
world exceeded its capacity to manage plastic waste. An estimated 220
million tons of plastic are projected to be produced this year alone,
and 66 percent of people live in areas where plastic waste exceeds
waste management capacity.

Meanwhile, new research shows just how dangerous plastics are to human
health. Microplastics have been found in human brains, and the World
Wildlife Fund estimates
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that we may be ingesting up to five grams of plastic each week—the
weight of a credit card. Plastics are now linked
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to cancer, endocrine disruption, impaired fertility, and cognitive
development issues. Wildlife, too, is suffering from entanglement,
starvation, and habitat loss.

Here’s the hopeful part: We already have the tools and the power to
change this. EARTHDAY.ORG [[link removed]], the network created
by [[link removed]] the original organizers of the
first Earth Day in 1970, is still leading the charge with our
campaign, “Our Power, Our Planet.” The goal is to help
individuals, cities, and communities act on the environmental
challenges of today.

The economic upside of environmental action is massive. New solutions
to our current environmental crisis rest in the hands of the people.
This Earth Day [[link removed]], on April
22, you can exercise your power. Demonstrate to our leaders in
government and business that we are still here, we are a witness to
their actions, and we will hold them accountable to do right by our
planet and its people. 

As consumers, we can choose plastic-free products and demand a
reduction and transition in the use of plastics from businesses, while
at the same time pressuring government leaders to reduce plastic
production globally to end the use of toxic ingredients and to improve
waste management systems.

We have the collective power not only to protect our planet but also
to improve lives and livelihoods. The link between greenhouse gas
emissions and climate change is now scientifically indisputable
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International Renewable Energy Agency, 90 percent of global
electricity can and should
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come from renewable sources by 2050. The transition also promises
cleaner air, up to thirty million new jobs
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and stronger energy independence.

Transitioning to clean energy, reducing plastic waste, and increasing
resilience to extreme weather are among the most fiscally responsible
actions governments can take. This Earth Day, we must recognize that
efficiency isn’t just about cutting—it’s about investing in
solutions that protect people and our infrastructure. True government
efficiency means reducing risk in order to cut costs—not paying
billions each year to clean up after preventable disasters.

_This column was produced for __Progressive Perspectives_
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_magazine, and distributed by Tribune News Service._

Susan Bass is senior vice president of programs and operations for
EARTHDAY.ORG.

* Earth Day
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* Climate Change
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