Progressive lawmakers and activists are again pleading with President Joe Biden to declare a climate emergency, citing the thick blanket of smoke from Canadian wildfires that now surrounds the US Capitol and swathes of the East Coast.
“As much of the Northeast and our nation’s capital experience the sweltering conditions that have become commonplace in the West, we are faced with another stark reminder that the climate crisis is here.” said Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon. “We should treat it like it’s an emergency.” Those sentiments were echoed by Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, who urged Biden on Twitter to “declare a climate emergency.”
Scientists say human-caused global warming is making wildfires more likely and more destructive.
An emergency declaration by President Joe Biden would unlock broad executive powers, including blocking crude oil exports and imposing other limits on fossil fuels. Biden considered the measure, which would also allow him to shift funds to boost clean energy construction, last summer when it appeared his massive climate bill would fail in the Senate. Ultimately, it was decided against.
But with more than 100 million people under air quality alerts Thursday as toxic smoke from record wildfires pours across the eastern United States, threatening flights and prompting people to mask or stay put inside, progressives renew their call for Biden to gather broad powers to fight global warming.
Bernie Sanders@BernieSanders
I hope my colleagues in Washington are taking a deep breath and finally waking up to the reality that if we don’t act boldly to address climate change, we won’t be leaving much of the planet for future generations. pic.twitter.com/zVj0pbUZFe
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See original tweet.
Climate change is playing an “outsized role” in wildfires being experienced across the continent, Jeffery Rupert, director of the Interior Department’s Bureau of Wildfires, told a Senate panel on Thursday . Drier and warmer weather results in lower humidity and often leads to extreme conditions that can produce megafires, he said.
“New York City looks like it’s on fire, children are choking on dirty air, and AQI is a serious health threat equivalent to breathing in cigarette smoke,” said Varshini Prakash, executive director of the activist group Sunrise Movement, in a statement. “We are in a climate emergency and it is absurd that our government is not acting like this.”
To contact the author of this story:
Ari Natter in Washington at anatter5@bloomberg.net
