There is unprecedented scientific consensus that climate change is real, present and caused by human activity. The International Panel on Climate Change warns that, without intervention, temperatures may increase more than 10°F by the end of this century. As the world grows hotter, water resources will become scarcer and more seasonal. Increasingly frequent heat waves will be accompanied by intense storms, dangerous floods and severe drought.

The time to act on these issues is now; for years we have “kicked the can” down the road and the problems have become more severe and more urgent. Our main energy source remains dirty fossil fuels, which drive climate change while threatening water resources and public health. Climate change itself also poses severe risks to public health and water resources.  We can and must act now to curb climate change and to create a clean energy future.

Solutions for a Clean Energy Future

The IPCC warns that we must decrease our greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050 in order to avoid the worst effects of climate change. We can reach this goal by developing a new energy economy and implementing effective and supportive policies. We must:

• Urge our policy makers to support aggressive action to reduce carbon emissions, along with energy conservation, efficiency.
• Dramatically reduce our reliance on fossil fuel-based energy sources and move towards clean, renewable energy sources like wind and solar for electricity generation.
• Increase efficiency and the use of alternative fuel sources in the transportation sector while increasing support for, and use of, public transportation.

Clean Water Action is part of the solution on the local, state and national levels. Some of the key issues we work on:

• Coal
• Nuclear Power
• Hydraulic Fracturing for oil and gas
• Curbing Climate Change through Clean Energy

Read our letter to Secretary of State John Kerry about addressing climate change.