Laws & Legislation
Laws and legislation, at the federal level, relating to climate change.
House Bill 21-1266
"All people have the right to breathe clean air, drink clean water,
participate freely in decisions that affect their environments, live free of dangerous levels of toxic pollution, experience equal protection provided by environmental policies, and share the benefits of a prosperous and vibrant pollution-free economy."
Executive Order 12898
These documents address "federal actions to address environmental justice in minority populations and low-income populations.
Each Federal agency shall make achieving environmental justice part of its mission by identifying and addressing, as appropriate, disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects of its programs, policies, and activities on minority populations and low-income populations.
H.R. 2021
Environmental justice communities have been made more vulnerable to the effects of climate change due to a combination of factors, particularly the legacy of segregation and historically racist zoning codes, and often have the least resources to respond, making it a necessity for environmental justice communities to be meaningfully engaged as partners and stakeholders in government decision making as the United States builds its climate resilience.
Environmental Justice Act 2021
One of the many purposes of this act is "to require Federal agencies to address and eliminate the disproportionate environmental and human health impacts on populations of color, communities of color, indigenous communities, and low-income communities."
City & State
See what is being done locally to combat climate change through action plans and analyses.
Boulder's Climate Action Plan
"In 2002, the Boulder City Council passed a resolution committing the city to achieve the targets established by the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement adopted in 1997. Our goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012."
Denver 80 X 50 Climate Action Plan
"Denver has a long history of trailblazing when it comes to climate change. When the city released its 2015 Climate Action Plan, we set a bold new climate goal in line with the recommendations of the scientific community to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050 from a 2005 baseline. The 80x50 Climate Action Plan is the result of almost two years of technical analysis, stakeholder engagement, and community outreach."
Progress on State-Led Climate Action
"Even as the federal government readies to pivot back to an active leadership role domestically and internationally on climate, state action remains as important as ever to secure emission reductions both in the near term and over the next decade to give us a fighting chance of avoiding the worst impacts of climate change on our communities, economies, and ecosystems."