Response to Trump’s Release of Climate Report on Black Friday

November 26, 2018

Contact: daniela@nyrenews.org

After the release of the US Global Change Research Program’s Fourth National Climate Assessment report on the cost of climate change to the United States economy -- projected at hundreds of billions of dollars by end of century -- the NY Renews coalition of 140+ organizational members across New York released the following statement:

The Trump administration is doing all they can to downplay a report—authored by 13 federal agencies as well as over 300 climate scientists—that stresses the urgent need for immediate action to address climate change.

The Fourth National Climate Assessment foretells that climate change will cost the United States hundreds of billions of dollars by century’s end if we do not act to mitigate it. But this is not a future problem: climate impacts already cost New York more than $10 billion every year, including from coastal flooding, agricultural disruption, and higher electricity costs from heat-wave driven blackouts.

How long will average New Yorkers pay the price for a problem fueled by the greed of fossil fuel billionaires? Governor Cuomo and the State Legislature must stand up to Trump and protect New Yorkers by signing legislation to move NY to 100% renewable energy.

This year, with new leadership in the State Senate, New York has an opportunity to pass the Climate and Community Protection Act. This landmark legislation mandates an economy-wide shift to renewable energy, would create hundreds of thousands of good, green jobs, and targets investment in communities most vulnerable to climate change.

We can fight climate change and make sure no one is left behind. Governor Cuomo must work with the State Legislature to pass the Climate and Community Protection Act in 2019.

Selected excerpts from the report:

“Earth’s climate is now changing faster than at any point in the history of modern civilization, primarily as a result of human activities. The impacts of global climate change are already being felt in the United States and are projected to intensify in the future—but the severity of future impacts will depend largely on actions taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to the changes that will occur.

“Future climate change is expected to further disrupt many areas of life, exacerbating existing challenges to prosperity posed by aging and deteriorating infrastructure, stressed ecosystems, and economic inequality. Impacts within and across regions will not be distributed equally. People who are already vulnerable, including lower-income and other marginalized communities, have lower capacity to prepare for and cope with extreme weather and climate-related events and are expected to experience greater impacts.”