Time to buckle down and make progress for the environment

Over the last few weeks, living in Los Angeles has been chaotic to say the least. Starting January 7th, wildfires fueled by extreme winds and unusually dry conditions broke out at an unprecedented scale throughout L.A., devastating neighborhoods in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena and choking the region with toxic smoke for weeks on end. And the evidence is clear: climate change was a contributor to what are now the most destructive wildfires in L.A. history.

To make matters worse, in the wake of this urgent reminder of climate change’s increasingly severe impacts, a dismantling of national climate and environmental policies is now underway. A flurry of executive orders issued by President Trump began the process of exiting the Paris Agreement, rolling back progress on clean cars and electric appliances, and pausing federal support for renewable energy projects. 

Reasons for hope

Despite ample reason for doom and gloom in these trying times, I choose to reject despair and reaffirm my commitment to building a stronger environmental movement. The good news: the solutions we need to address climate change, like renewable energy, are popular. 85% of Californians believe politicians should be doing more to encourage solar adoption. 78% of Californians favor allowing offshore wind power off our coasts. In 2023 alone, nearly 400,000 Californians claimed more than $1.6 billion in tax credits for installing solar or making other energy efficiency improvements on their homes– important individual actions that really do add up.

Another reason for hope: renewables are on the rise, and not just in blue states. While 40% of California’s electricity sales in 2023 came from renewable sources, red states like Iowa, South Dakota, and Kansas actually led the way with 78%, 70%, and 67%, respectively. Clean, renewable energy makes sense environmentally and economically.

Simply put, people care about the environment. They care about having clean water, clean air, and healthy communities. The environment has historically been a nonpartisan issue: President Teddy Roosevelt substantially grew the National Park System and President Richard Nixon signed the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Air Act, and established the Environmental Protection Agency. This historic perspective, and current polling, gives us a strong starting point in these times when proactive environmental action is more necessary than ever.

So, it’s time to buckle down and work together to make progress for the environment. That could mean pushing for state-level leadership or calling on corporations to become more environmentally friendly. Or that could mean individual-level action, leading local change or committing to doing what you can to cut pollution and waste. There are ample opportunities to make a difference and every action holds impact. The more we can bring people together and tap into America’s longstanding passion for protecting our natural world, the stronger the environmental movement will be for the long haul.