FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 22, 2021
Contact:
Seth Palmer, NP Strategy
919.653.7816
seth@npstrategy.com
Georgia Elected Officials Join Climate and Public Health Advocates to Say It’s Time to Address Extreme Weather and Invest in Clean Energy
(ATLANTA) – Today, Georgia Representative Sam Park joined climate advocates from across Georgia for a press conference calling on Congress to address the increasingly frequent and severe extreme weather events harming Georgia by supporting the ambitious climate and clean energy investments included in the Build Back Better Act (BBBA). Georgia Conservation Voters sponsored this event as part of a $10 million grassroots campaign organized by the Climate Action Campaign throughout August and September in 12 states to demand ambitious investments in clean energy, environmental justice, and climate solutions.
“United as Americans, we are capable of overcoming any challenge we face including this climate crisis,” said Representative Sam Park, GA HD-101. “Now is the time to go big, to be bold, and ensure passage of the Build Back Better Act for the sake of our nation and future generations.”
Speakers thanked Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock for previously supporting bold climate investments and urged him to continue leading on clean energy growth by supporting the BBBA, which will make investments to cut pollution, create jobs, address environmental injustice, and tackle the climate crisis.
“There has never been a more critical moment in history when it comes to addressing climate change, especially the effects caused by extreme weather,” said Brionté McCorkle, Executive Director of the GA Conservation Voters. “We need our federal leaders to keep pushing for bold investments to protect people, build more healthy and resilient communities, and to combat climate change. I urge Congress to pass the Build Back Better Act today.”
Nearly one in three Americans live in a county hit by an extreme weather event in the past three months. Climate change is making extreme weather events like wildfires and heatwaves in Georgia more dangerous. By 2050, the typical number of heatwave days in Georgia is projected to increase from 20 to nearly 90 days a year. Georgia is one of the worst-hit states for wildfires in the Southeast, and climate change is expected to cause growing losses to Georgia infrastructure and property.
“The average low night-time temperature in Atlanta has increased by 4.2°F from that of the 1960s,” said Dr. David Greenland, Citizen’s Climate Lobby. “In Columbus, GA, the number of days each year above 95 degrees has more than doubled since 1970, and these “danger days” of extreme heat create a direct threat to health and productivity. As far as our climate future is concerned, Climate Scientist Michael Mann tells us that we are walking into a minefield, and the further we go, the greater the risk, so now is the time to change!”
These climate investments are popular. 71% of the public supports making the investments in climate, justice, and jobs that President Joe Biden originally promised, including building new renewable energy projects, reducing pollution, and improving energy efficiency in homes, schools, and childcare centers.
A recording of the press conference can be found HERE.
###