Climate Change
Key Concerns:
Rising temperatures aren’t just numbers on a chart; they’re triggering extreme weather events that are destroying homes and taking lives. Coastal communities where families have lived for generations are watching the sea swallow their land, foot by foot, year by year.
The public health crisis is already here. More people are dying from heat-related illnesses. Air quality is declining. Disease patterns are shifting.
And the economic toll? It’s staggering. Every year we delay action, the cost of inaction multiplies. We’re talking about trillions in damages, disrupted supply chains, and lost productivity.
The United States, the nation that put humans on the moon, that invented the internet, that has led the world in innovation for a century… we’re falling behind in the race that matters most.
China is dominating solar panel production. Europe is leading in wind energy. We’re letting other nations claim the jobs, the industries, and the leadership of the clean energy future.
As a word leader, that’s not who we are. And it’s not who we have to be.
Introduction:
We’re living through the defining challenge of our generation. Climate change isn’t a distant threat anymore; it’s here. It’s in the wildfires consuming our forests, the hurricanes flooding our cities, and the heat waves breaking records every summer.
But here’s the truth that should give us hope: We have the solutions. We have the technology. What we need now is the will to act, and that starts with you.
Project RAD offers the following programs to address this critical issue.
📘Achieve Net-Zero Emissions by 2050
🎯 Objective:
Transition the U.S. economy to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions through clean energy investment and sector-wide transformation.
✅ Key Actions:
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Establish a Federal Net-Zero Mandate: Codify a national goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, with interim benchmarks for 2030 and 2040.
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Expand Clean Energy Tax Credits: Permanently extend and simplify incentives for wind, solar, geothermal, hydrogen, and battery storage.
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Cap and Reduce Carbon Emissions: Implement a national carbon fee or cap-and-trade system that gradually lowers emissions while funding clean energy.
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Modernize the Power Grid: Invest in a nationwide smart grid to handle renewable integration, storage, and demand management.
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Phase Out Fossil Fuel Subsidies: Redirect subsidies toward renewable energy and retraining for fossil fuel workers.
📘 Decarbonize Transportation and Industry
🎯 Objective:
Transition the highest-emitting sectors to clean technologies and efficient practices.
✅ Key Actions:
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Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Standard: Require all new light-duty vehicles sold by 2035 to be electric or zero-emission.
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Build National EV Infrastructure: Install millions of fast-charging stations and modernize roadways for electrified transportation.
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Clean Aviation and Shipping Initiatives: Support R&D for sustainable aviation fuel and electric or hydrogen-based maritime systems.
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Green Industrial Strategy: Decarbonize steel, cement, and chemical production through incentives and carbon capture technologies.
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Buy Clean Federal Procurement: Require the federal government to prioritize low-carbon materials in infrastructure and defense contracts.
📘 Build Climate Resilience and Environmental Justice
🎯 Objective:
Protect vulnerable communities and ecosystems while ensuring a just transition.
✅ Key Actions:
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Create a National Climate Resilience Corps: Train and deploy workers to rebuild infrastructure, restore wetlands, and respond to disasters.
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Invest in Climate-Resilient Infrastructure: Upgrade bridges, water systems, and buildings to withstand floods, wildfires, and extreme heat.
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50% of Climate Funds to Disadvantaged Areas: Ensure that half of all federal climate investment benefits frontline and low-income communities.
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Environmental Justice Legislation: Enforce protections against pollution in historically marginalized areas and hold polluters accountable.
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Rural Climate Transition Program: Support farmers and rural economies with incentives for regenerative agriculture, wind and solar leasing, and methane capture.
📘 Lead International Climate Cooperation
🎯 Objective:
Reclaim U.S. leadership in global climate efforts through diplomacy, finance, and innovation.
✅ Key Actions:
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Recommit to the Paris Agreement and Beyond: Lead efforts to strengthen global pledges and accountability mechanisms.
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Create a Green Marshall Plan: Fund clean infrastructure in developing countries via the World Bank and Green Climate Fund.
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Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism: Impose tariffs on high-carbon imports to protect U.S. industries and encourage global decarbonization.
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Climate Diplomacy Corps: Expand the State Department’s climate division and place climate officers in every U.S. embassy.
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Climate Security Strategy: Integrate climate threats into national security planning, including military readiness and global instability risks.
📘 Mobilize Innovation, Workforce, and Public Engagement
🎯 Objective:
Drive climate action through American innovation, job creation, and civic participation.
✅ Key Actions:
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Quadruple Federal Climate R&D Funding: Invest in breakthroughs in energy storage, carbon removal, nuclear fusion, and smart agriculture.
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National Green Jobs Initiative: Launch a federal program to train workers in renewable energy, retrofitting, disaster response, and clean manufacturing.
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Youth Climate Service Corps: Offers service opportunities for young Americans in conservation, clean energy deployment, and community preparedness.
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Climate Education Standards: Support climate science and sustainability education in public schools and higher education.
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Public-Private Climate Partnerships: Create incentives for companies to adopt science-based targets and report climate risks transparently.
TAKE ACTION – Contact Congress
(How to contact Congress) click here
Congressional Committees That Oversee Climate Change
🔹 Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW)
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Primary Senate committee on climate change.
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Jurisdiction includes:
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Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
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Clean Air Act regulations
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Infrastructure and climate adaptation
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Air, water, and waste policies related to climate
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🔹 Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
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Oversees:
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Energy production and innovation (including renewables and fossil fuels)
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Public lands and forest management
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Department of Energy (DOE) climate initiatives
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🔹 Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
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Jurisdiction includes:
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Climate science and research (NOAA, NASA)
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Climate-related transportation policies
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Oceanic and atmospheric conditions
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🔹 Senate Committee on Budget and Senate Committee on Appropriations
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Influence climate policy through:
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Funding for clean energy, disaster relief, and climate programs
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Budget reconciliation (e.g., Inflation Reduction Act)
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🔹 House Committee on Energy and Commerce
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Primary committee for climate change legislation.
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Jurisdiction includes:
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Greenhouse gas emissions
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Clean energy and technology
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EPA regulations (Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act)
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Public health impacts of climate change
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Relevant Subcommittees:
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Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials
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Energy, Climate, and Grid Security
🔹 House Committee on Natural Resources
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Jurisdiction includes:
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Public lands and natural resource management
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Renewable energy development on federal lands
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Forest and wildfire management (related to climate resilience)
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🔹 House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
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Oversees:
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Climate science research (e.g., NOAA, NASA, NSF)
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Technology innovation for climate mitigation and adaptation
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Federal climate data programs
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🔹 House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
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Jurisdiction over:
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Climate resilience of infrastructure (roads, bridges, transit)
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FEMA and disaster response
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Water infrastructure and sea-level rise
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🔹 House Committee on Oversight and Reform
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Investigates:
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Federal agency responses to climate change
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Corporate environmental practices and emissions
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