Five to Mobilize: Action Steps for 23 Federal Agencies to Fight the Climate Crisis
Every agency must be a climate agency.
President-elect Biden campaigned and won on unprecedented climate ambition. Now, every federal agency must be a climate agency — and over the coming weeks, Evergreen will lay out five concrete steps each agency can take to deliver on Biden’s climate mandate. The Five to Mobilize campaign provides lawmakers, advocates and incoming federal staff with a clear path for climate action.
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The Federal Reserve
As President Biden nears an announcement of his nominee for the next Chair of the Federal Reserve, Evergreen Action is pushing the Fed to take action to address climate risk and protect the financial security of every American. Read the five action steps now.
General Services Administration
The federal government is the single largest consumer of energy in the country, which is why strong climate leadership from GSA will have tremendous downstream effects across the country. Read the five action steps now.
Small Business Administration
Joe Biden’s SBA will put small businesses at the heart of a thriving clean energy economy. Under Isabel Guzman’s experienced leadership, the SBA should lead the way with record investments to support innovative clean energy small businesses. Read the five action steps now.
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The climate crisis is devastating more communities than ever. FEMA has always been the frontline of the federal reaction to climate change; now Biden must enlist FEMA in an all-of-government mobilization. Read the five action steps now.
Securities and Exchange Commission
Reducing the risk of a climate-fueled recession starts with clear disclosure to the public about climate risk. The new SEC Chair must drive transparency and accountability, as part of an all-of-government effort to defeat climate change and protect our economic system. Read the five action steps now.
The Department of Commerce
America can’t fight the 21st century’s greatest threat, climate change, with 20th century economic policies. The Department of Commerce will be critical for making the U.S. a leader in the global clean energy economy with millions of good-paying union jobs. Read the five action steps now.
The Department of Labor
The Department of Labor must lead in an all-of-government climate mobilization by creating millions of good paying union jobs putting people to work creating more sustainable communities. Read the five action steps now.
The Department of Justice
President-elect Biden’s newly announced DOJ must act quickly to revitalize our democracy and prosecute those who threaten it. As Attorney General, Merrick Garland must re-enshrine justice in the Department of Justice — from upholding the rule of law to environmental justice. Read the five action steps now.
The Department of Education
As Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona can restore science to the U.S. Department of Education and lead the way on clean energy and equity in America’s schools. Read the five action steps now.
The Environmental Protection Agency
It will not be enough for us to just turn back the clock to 2016. The EPA has much damage to undo, but it also has an unprecedented opportunity to defeat the climate crisis and create millions of good-paying jobs in the process. Read the five action steps now.
The Department of the Interior
Under Rep. Deb Haaland’s leadership, DOI must restore basic protections for America’s public lands and end methane pollution and contamination of public lands. Read the five action steps now.
The White House Council on Environmental Quality
The Biden administration’s ability to deliver on its climate mandate is dependent on a strong CEQ. The new CEQ chair must use its authority to mobilize every federal agency to defeat the climate crisis and build a just, inclusive clean energy economy. Read the five action steps now.
The White House Climate Office
Realizing Biden’s bold climate mandate will require an all-of-government effort led directly by the White House. The announcement of a domestic climate lead shows that he is serious about fulfilling that mandate. Read the five action steps now.
The Department of Energy
The DOE must utilize its financing authorities and technology program offices, important regulatory powers, and the unparalleled research capabilities of the National Labs to rapidly shift us to a clean energy economy. Read the five action steps now.
The Department of Transportation
The Department of Transportation is critical to America’s climate policy. It oversees the single largest source of pollution in the U.S. economy. Transportation has always been an agency with climate effects — now it must become a climate agency. Read the five action steps now.
U.S. Trade Representative
The U.S. Trade Representative is not as well known as the Treasury, Defense, or EPA, but under a Biden administration it must become a powerful tool for global climate justice. Read the five action steps now.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development
The path to an all-out climate mobilization lies through the buildings sector–which accounts for one-third of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. The Department of Housing and Urban Development will be critical for decarbonizing the buildings sector. Read the five action steps now.
The Department of Agriculture
The USDA has the potential to revitalize rural communities while rapidly decarbonizing the agriculture and forestry sector. It must fund sustainable farming techniques, support small farmers and build resilience to climate disruption. Read the five action steps now.
The Department of Defense
The climate crisis is the single biggest threat to global security and world peace in the 21st century. The Department of Defense must rapidly decarbonize our military infrastructure and establish U.S. leadership in a global climate mobilization. Read the five action steps now.
The Department of Health and Human Services
The next administration will take office in the midst of two public health crises: COVID-19 and climate change. Biden’s Department of Health and Human Services must be the first to proactively address climate change as a public health issue. Read the five action steps now.
The Office of Management and Budget
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is one of — if not the most — impactful tool in the federal government’s arsenal to decarbonize our economy, jump-start job creating investment, and achieve affirmative environmental justice. Read the five action steps now.
The Treasury Department
The Treasury Department has the power to disentangle our financial system from fossil fuel investments, make substantive green investments, and stabilize our financial system. It will play a crucial role in a national mobilization to defeat the climate crisis. Read the five action steps now.
The State Department
Climate change is a foreign policy issue. Climate change is a national security issue. The State Department will play a crucial role in the all-out national mobilization we need to defeat the climate crisis and to build a just and thriving clean energy economy. Read the five action steps now.
