Why we need climate action now

The document asserts that the US Supreme Court's decision in West Virginia v. EPA limits the EPA's authority to mandate shifts in fuel sources for power generation, thereby hindering the US goal to halve emissions by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. It warns that this ruling damages US global credibility and may threaten other regulations like CAFE rules and SEC climate risk disclosures. The author calls for Congress to expand tax credits for clean energy and electric vehicles, and for the business community and subnational governments to accelerate emission reductions to avoid catastrophic warming exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius.

• The US Supreme Court ruling in West Virginia v. EPA restricts the EPA's ability to issue rules that shift power generation to different fuel sources without a specific mandate from Congress, which threatens the US goals of halving emissions by 2030 and achieving net zero by 2050.
• The court's decision may lead to the limitation of other environmental regulations, specifically the SEC's climate risk disclosure requirements for public corporations and the CAFE rules regarding vehicle gas mileage standards.
• The document highlights the urgent need for action based on IPCC assessments showing the planet has warmed over 1.1 degrees Celsius, risking a breach of the 1.5-degree threshold and potentially exceeding three degrees of warming.
• To address the climate crisis, the author recommends that Congress expand investment and production tax credits for clean energy, extend tax credits for electric vehicle purchases, and provide support for home energy efficiency.
• Economic impacts of climate change are increasing, as evidenced by twenty separate natural disaster events in 2021 that each cost over one billion dollars.

APA

Mitchell, M. (2022). Why we need climate action now. WWF International. https://www.worldwildlife.org/news/stories/why-we-need-climate-action-now/

Chicago

Mitchell, Marcene. Why we need climate action now. WWF International, 2022. https://www.worldwildlife.org/news/stories/why-we-need-climate-action-now/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Mitchell |first1=Marcene |title=Why we need climate action now |publisher=WWF International |date=14 July 2022 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/news/stories/why-we-need-climate-action-now/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{mitchell2022why, author = {Mitchell, Marcene}, title = {{Why we need climate action now}}, publisher = {WWF International}, year = {2022}, month = jul, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/news/stories/why-we-need-climate-action-now/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }