PENNSYLVANIA — October 1-7, 2023, is Climate Week in Pennsylvania, and the bicameral Pennsylvania Legislative Climate Caucus has announced a schedule of events taking place during the week, as well as information about resources and legislation related to climate action in Pennsylvania and throughout the United States.
This year’s Climate Week theme, “Empower Local Climate Action,” reflects the importance of addressing the costs and effects of the climate crisis in rural, urban, and suburban communities across the Commonwealth. Climate Caucus members in the House and Senate have introduced more than 50 pieces of climate-related legislation this session, including several bills that would empower and support climate action at the residential, municipal, and regional level.
Climate Caucus co-chairs state Rep. Danielle Friel Otten, D-Chester, and state Sen. Carolyn Comitta, D-Chester, shared their thoughts on the importance of empowering local climate action and the work that the Climate Caucus is doing during Climate Week and every week.
“The impacts of the climate crisis are felt first and foremost at the local level, as municipalities struggle to cope with the costs and challenges associated with stormwater, flooding, extreme weather events, and excessive heat,” Otten said. “We as state legislators have a responsibility to do everything in our power to support local communities and ensure that our municipalities and our commonwealth are well-positioned to take advantage of federal Inflation Reduction Act funds to combat the climate crisis.”
“Climate change is here, and this year Climate Week is an important and welcome reminder of the need to think globally and act locally in addressing the impacts of this ongoing crisis. Extreme weather, storms, flooding, and air and water pollution all impact our public health and safety, infrastructure, and economy at the local and regional levels,” Comitta said. “The legislature must act now to empower local communities in addressing climate impacts, including supporting the transition from emissions, investing in the clean energy economy, and building climate-resilient infrastructure.”
“With corporate polluters and special-interest groups working hand-in-hand to block meaningful environmental legislation, communities across Pennsylvania have had to bear the burdens and the costs of pollution and climate change,” Otten said. “This Climate Week, we’re focusing on how we in the legislature can and must provide communities across the commonwealth with the resources they need to advance local climate action.”
The Legislative Climate Caucus convenes to research, evaluate, discuss, and raise awareness about legislation, appropriations and related matters in ways that affirm evidence-based, peer-reviewed science, the acceptance that climate change is real and human-made, the importance of environmental justice, and the necessity for a renewable energy future. Further, the Climate Caucus operates to uphold the charge of environmental stewardship as laid bare in Article I, Section 27 of the Pennsylvania Constitution.
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