Addressing Climate Change: A Look at Federal Policy and Legislation in the U.S.

Climate change is a pressing issue that affects us all, and recent scientific reports have confirmed that 2023 was the warmest year on record. The impacts of climate change are evident worldwide, with rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and loss of ice in glaciers. In response to this crisis, the Biden Administration has taken significant steps to address climate change through a series of executive orders and federal legislation.

The key greenhouse gases emitted by human activities, including carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, are major contributors to global warming. The U.S. is the second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, but ranks first in per capita emissions. The United Nations has called on national governments to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition to renewable energy sources.

The Biden Administration has issued several executive orders aimed at tackling the climate crisis, including measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote clean energy, and enhance climate resilience. The recent Inflation Reduction Act provides significant funding to combat climate change and reduce carbon emissions. Additionally, the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 has amended the National Environmental Policy Act to address environmental impacts of proposed actions.

With ambitious goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50-52 percent below 2005 levels by 2030, the U.S. government has set out a series of initiatives across multiple sectors to achieve this target. The next installment of this series will delve into federal agencies’ actions to implement federal policy, followed by a focus on legislative and regulatory actions at the state level, and local initiatives in Colorado.

Climate change is a complex and urgent issue that requires collective action at all levels of government and society. Stay tuned for the next installment of this series to learn more about the efforts to combat climate change in Colorado and beyond.