Dear John, 

Yesterday, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a landmark report on how climate conditions have changed and what we can expect for the future (1).

But we didn’t need to read the report to know what’s happening, or what we need to do.

We know that wildfires, exacerbated by climate change, have devastated the West Coast, burning down entire towns, and leaving nothing but scorched earth in their wake. In 2020, wildfires burned 10.1 million acres of land in the United States (2). 

We know that hurricanes and tropical storms, made stronger by rising sea levels and warming oceans, have wreaked havoc in the east, flooding homes, and leaving people stranded on rooftops.
 

We know that extreme heat, caused by changing weather patterns, has baked the western half of our country. This June, a heat dome sent over a thousand people in the Pacific Northwest to the hospital for heat-related illnesses (3).

We know that we need to act now to stop climate change before it’s too late. We can start by investing in climate solutions that meaningfully center those most impacted. By investing in climate, we can transform our economy, ending our reliance on fossil fuels while creating new jobs in the clean energy sector. We can decarbonize and set an example for the rest of the world. All people and communities have the right to breathe clean air, live free of dangerous toxic pollution, access healthy food, and share the benefits of a prosperous and vibrant clean economy.

Wondering how you can help? All it takes is a few clicks; ask your legislators to invest in climate solutions today.

We’re counting on you.

Best, 

Lotanna Obodozie
Advocacy Associate
Generation Progress

Citations:

(1) https://www.npr.org/2021/07/26/1019433734/climate-scientists-meet-as-floods-fires-droughts-and-heat-waves-batter-countries 

(2) https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/IF10244.pdf

(3) https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/zahrahirji/northwest-heatwave-washington-oregon