Chair Castor Statement On Latest IPCC Report On Climate Mitigation

WASHINGTON – Chair Kathy Castor of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis released the following statement on Monday, in response to the latest report prepared by Working Group III of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on the mitigation of climate change:
 
“We are falling behind. And unless we ramp up our work, entire generations will face the consequences of inaction on climate change,” said Chair Castor. “That's the urgent message pouring out of the latest IPCC report, which confirms the harmful and permanent consequences of our failure to limit the rise of global temperatures. It reminds us that reducing methane pollution is a crucial near-term necessity. And it highlights the need to help communities adapt to climate impacts.

“Tackling the climate crisis makes economic sense too. Every dollar we spend on mitigation and adaptation can save up to $7 in the future. And resilience investments can reduce the damages and costs faced by small businesses and neighborhoods when disasters hit. Tackling the climate crisis will also drive down the cost of energy, reducing our dependence on expensive fossil fuels. Clean technologies will put money back in the pockets of Americans, as more families make their homes energy efficient and avoid high prices at the pump. In fact, the average household would save up to $500 a year on utility bills through House-passed clean energy investments.

“Our work is urgent. Lives are at stake. And we cannot afford to keep falling behind. It's time to drive down costs for Americans and invest in resilient communities.”

Background:

• Op-ed by Chair Castor: To Address the Climate Crisis, Focus on More Than Carbon Dioxide (The New York Times; Aug. 2021)
• In June of 2020, the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis Democrats released the majority staff report Solving the Climate Crisis: The Congressional Action Plan for a Clean Energy Economy and a Healthy, Resilient, and Just America. This report provides a roadmap for Congress—a Climate Crisis Action Plan—to build a prosperous, clean energy economy that values workers, advances environmental justice, and is prepared to meet the challenges of the climate crisis.
• House Democrats have already passed more than 400 of the recommendations in the Climate Crisis Action Plan, and have successfully worked to turn over 200 of them into law.