Transcript:
The Trump administration is rolling back policies and programs designed to reduce climate-warming pollution and protect vulnerable communities from the impacts of climate change.
Chi: “We’re seeing this big vacuum and actually, like, counterproductive action from the federal government.”
But Sylvia Chi of Just Solutions, a national climate justice group, says states can still help protect people.
For example, states can pass laws that limit industrial development in areas overburdened by fossil fuel pollution or that accelerate the transition to clean energy.
Chi: “Like renewable portfolio standards, clean energy standards – those are things that states can still pursue and can get more ambitious about.”
Some states have also passed climate superfund laws. These laws require fossil fuel companies to contribute to a fund that helps the state adapt to extreme weather and other climate impacts.
Chi: “To hold polluters accountable for the climate pollution that they’ve caused and the effects on those states.”
Chi says depending on the state, some solutions will be more politically possible than others. But there are many ways for states to take action to reduce climate pollution and protect people from the harms caused by the burning of fossil fuels.
Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media
