How a ‘Climate Emergency’ Could Harness Wartime Powers

<p>This week: climate change is certainly the most urgent issue we face. But should it be formally declared an emergency?&nbsp;</p><p>There’s a real conversation over the label in the US -- and it could have a very real impact on what the president can do.</p><p>This has been a growing priority for environmental groups. Grist reported that in December, more than 380 of them sent a<a href="https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/biden-urged-sign-climate-emergency-executive-order-2020-12-16/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> letter</a> to Joe Biden’s transition team, urging him to issue an<a href="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/s3-wagtail.biolgicaldiversity.org/documents/50_Critical_Environmental_Reforms_to_Transform_the_Federal_Government.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> executive order</a> mobilizing the National Emergencies Act.&nbsp;</p><p>And now, Rep. Earl Blumenauer and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the House and Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Senate among others just introduced <a href="https://blumenauer.house.gov/sites/blumenauer.house.gov/files/BLUMEN_011_FINAL.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The National Climate Emergency Act of 2021,</a>&nbsp;</p><p>Then: what could be the counter-impact? Changes across the energy economy are set to accelerate. If we don’t do it correctly, are we facing a “Yellow Vest” protest movement like we saw recently in France?</p><p>And last: a new study shows that some cities are grossly under-reporting their carbon emissions. Do cities even have the resources to measure them properly?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Resources:</p><ul><li><a href="https://grist.org/politics/in-a-new-bill-sanders-and-aoc-press-biden-to-declare-a-climate-emergency/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Grist</a>: AOC, Sanders, and Blumenauer press Biden to declare a ‘climate emergency’</li><li><a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/93wmq5/aoc-bernie-sanders-get-biden-climate-change-national-emergency" rel="noopener noreferrer" targe