WASHINGTON — The Green Party of the United States EcoAction Committee has joined hundreds of other climate groups in urging President-elect Biden to take bold executive action on day one of his administration to treat climate change as a national emergency.
Green Party of the United States
www.gp.org
For Immediate Release:
November 27, 2020
Contact:
Mark Dunlea, Green Party EcoAction Committee, dunleamark@aol.com, 518-860-3725
Michael O’Neil, Green Party Communications Manager, media@gp.org, 202-804-2758
Holly Hart, Co-chair, Media Committee, media@gp.org, 202-804-2758
EcoAction has endorsed the calls of ClimatePresident.org and the Frontline Climate Justice Executive Action Platform for immediate Executive Action by Biden. The Green Party initiated a call for a Green New Deal in 2010, combining a ten-year timeline for ending greenhouse gas emissions with a comprehensive bill of economic rights to ensure a Just Transition away from reliance on fossil fuels. The Greens want the Green New Deal to be a focal point of any COVID-19 economic stimulus package, as other countries have done. The Green Party has used its role in coalition governments in Europe to drive their more aggressive climate policies.
“The IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) has warned the world has a decade left for unprecedented global efforts to avoid climate collapse by rapidly slashing emissions and transitioning to renewable energy and conservation. The timeline is probably overly optimistic in view of the rapid acceleration of extreme weather and global warming. Biden must focus on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, which means a halt to any new fossil fuel infrastructure such as pipelines and gas power plants, a ban on fracking, and requiring buildings to use renewable heat rather than gas,” said Mark Dunlea, a New York representative on the Green Party EcoAction Committee.
The Green Party has long called for a halt for all subsidies for fossil fuels and nuclear power, including a robust carbon tax to hold polluters accountable for the damage they have caused.
The growing calls by climate groups for immediate Executive Action by the Biden administration mirrors proposals made more than a year ago by the Green Party presidential candidate Howie Hawkins. The Greens support the call for Biden to bar any fossil fuel executives, lobbyists or individuals funded by the industry from his administration, such as US House Representative Cedric Richmond and the potential Biden appointee Ernest Muniz. The Greens oppose Biden’s plans to expand nuclear power and invest hundreds of billions of dollars in carbon capture technology which is designed to allow the continued burning of fossil fuels.
“Energy conservation and efficiency remain the most cost-effective ways to transition to a clean economy. We also need to replace the capitalist marketplace, with its focus on maximum profits rather than the common good, with an ecosocialist approach that promotes public / community ownership and democratic control of our energy system. Our energy policies must embrace the concept of environmental justice, starting with dedicating a significant portion of climate funds to compensating disadvantaged communities at home and abroad for the damage we have caused by driving climate change,” added Denise Bush, a New Jersey representative on the Green Party EcoAction Committee.
Green Party of the United States
www.gp.org
202-804-2758