CWA Calls on President Biden to Declare a National Climate Emergency

Changes to our planet’s climate are already having drastic effects on the lives of working people. Extreme weather events are occurring with greater frequency and intensity, putting our homes, our jobs, our health and our lives at risk. Corporations and the ultra-wealthy are blocking meaningful legislation to address the problem, using the profits they are making from our labor to insulate themselves from the impacts of climate change while leaving the rest of us on our own to face the consequences.

With each passing day, the crisis gets worse and more difficult to solve. We are calling on President Biden to declare a national climate emergency so he can use Congressionally authorized emergency powers to adequately respond to this extraordinary threat.

CWA members face extreme weather conditions on the job every day, leaving them susceptible to health issues from heat and cold waves, severe weather events, and other disruptions magnified by the climate crisis. All CWA members belong to communities which have been and will continue to be negatively impacted by the personal and economic consequences of the climate crisis and the resulting severe weather events such as flooding, wildfires and droughts.

Our union has been actively engaged in fighting for legislation to address this dangerous situation for many years, and passed a resolution at our most recent convention reiterating our commitment. Earlier this year, we helped secure a transformative victory to create union green energy jobs and dramatically reduce carbon emissions through the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, but there is still more to be done. CWA members do essential work in the wake of climate-driven extreme weather. Significant numbers of CWA members already are employed in the “Green Economy” and we are also working on the frontlines of the policy and advocacy fights at environmental justice and conservation organizations, including the Sunrise Movement, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the National Audubon Society. We know that it is possible to address the climate crisis while transforming our economy to create millions of family supporting union jobs.

This is a true emergency. President Biden can and must take bold action for the good of working people everywhere and declare a national climate emergency.

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