The Clean Air Act. The Clean Water Act. The Endangered Species Act. The National Environmental Policy Act. These laws, all enacted during the Nixon Administration, have reduced pollution, improved public health, revitalized communities, and protected endangered species and public lands. Some of the 20th century’s most far-reaching environmental wins in the U.S. were a direct result of foresighted government policies.

Here in the 21st century, government action is no less critical to reducing carbon emissions, strengthening climate resilience, and creating a more inclusive economy. Good policies alone don’t fix things — we need people to continually enforce, implement, and when necessary defend them — but they are a foundation of large-scale change.

Governments have an extensive climate action tool box that includes some carrots (build the good) and some sticks (stop the bad). Tackling climate change will take the efforts of governments at every level, in every country, but we’ll focus our examples on the U.S. After all, we’re responsible for 15% of all global emissions, second only to China.

In recent years, with the absence of action on climate change by the federal government and the Congress, the mantle of leadership has shifted to the states. As of this writing (November 9, 2020), it seems likely that Congress will remain divided, and the ambitious initiatives that president-elect Joe Biden proposed in his climate plan will not make their way into legislation in the next two years. Still, a president can do a lot: rejoin the Paris Agreement, reinstate environmental protections, and enact stricter gas mileage standards, for example. State and local governments likewise can take far-reaching action. Among the policy actions we need from our decision makers are:

Halt permits and subsidies for fossil fuel exploration and extraction. Globally, the emissions potential of currently developed oil and gas fields and coal mines already will take us beyond the 1.5 degree threshold. Nonetheless, fossil fuel companies are planning to invest trillions in new extraction projects, buoyed in the U.S. by ~$20B in federal subsidies each year thanks to aggressive lobbying. That’s about the same amount of funding as for federal Child Care and Head Start programs, combined.

Invest in renewable energy and decarbonization. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, countries around the world are facing what some economists call a make-or-break moment for climate change. Some are considering “green stimulus” measures in their recovery plans.

We’ve seen it happen. In response to the 2008 “great recession”, the Obama administration invested $90 billion in clean energy as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The investments played a significant role in scaling up renewable energy generation and improving energy efficiency while creating jobs. They also demonstrated local capacity to draw down and direct public investments at scale.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to influence whether federal funding will prop up a failing fossil fuel economy or put a down payment on a climate resilient, just, prosperous economy.”

ANNIE LEONARD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GREENPEACE USA

Set standards for renewable energy production. Renewable portfolio standards are an area where states take the lead, and none more successfully than California. In 2018 California’s SB100 law set a target of 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2045. This was not a bolt from the blue: the state has been walking the path towards clean energy since its landmark AB32 law (the Global Warming Solutions Act) in 2006, and California currently gets 52 percent of all electricity from clean energy sources. Our state also showed the world that emissions reduction and economic growth can occur side-by-side: California’s economy grew by almost 16 percent from 2006 to 2016, a rate faster than the rest of the country.

Maintain aggressive standards for vehicle emissions and efficiency. In 2018, transportation accounted for the largest portion (28%) of total U.S. emissions. As we move towards electrifying our cars and trucks, strong federal emissions and fuel economy standards have the potential to save gigatons of CO₂ annually. This is another area where states can do a lot even without federal action: in September 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an Executive Order phasing out new fossil-fuel vehicles by 2035. 

Support adaptation. No matter how fast we reduce emissions, we’ll still have climate impacts. This is a space where local governments can play a strong role: for example, by revising zoning laws to discourage building in areas at high risk for flooding, addressing concrete heat traps and home weatherization in low-income communities, and learning lessons from Hurricane Katrina in preparing for climate refugees.

Meaningfully engage impacted communities in design and decision-making. When governments bring authentic community input into climate planning, legislative processes, and permitting decisions, we get more equitable outcomes. One case in point: Oakland’s new Equitable Action Climate Plan, which involved input from 2,100+ Oaklanders.

We elect our policymakers in the hopes that they have the best interests of us, their constituents, at heart. But they are subject to other interests — especially when it comes to fossil fuels — that use money and misinformation to stop progress on climate solutions. Philanthropy can help counter those voices and lift up evidence-based decision making by supporting:

• Advocacy to build support for policies and programs that accelerate the switch from fossil fuels to renewables, electrify our economy, fix land use, and does it equitably.

• Organizing to demand action from elected leaders, amplify the voices of communities impacted by climate change, and participate in legislative and other government processes. (More on this in our People Power section.)

• Educating policymakers and providing “ballast” for climate action: for example, translating science or polling data into compelling rationales and helping draft legislation.

• Mobilizing voters. The voting public (including in swing states where fossil fuels are strong) increasingly prioritizes dealing with climate change — but that hasn’t necessarily translated to public policy, especially at the federal level. Mobilizing voters to elect climate-friendly politicians is critical. In the words of Virginia Lacy from Energy Innovation: “The most important individual climate action people can take right now is registering people to vote.”