EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — On the heels of President Joe Biden’s national economic address in Pittsburgh, a powerful coalition of climate, environmental and public health advocates, 10 million strong, launched the #ACTNow campaign in Wisconsin and 11 other states across the nation.
ACT Now campaign organizers say that, now that we have taken the first step to provide the tools for us to recover from the pandemic through passage of the American Rescue Plan, it’s time to turn to creating a plan that puts people to work, tackles the climate crisis and rebuilds our economy now. They say they want to engage Wisconsinites and others around the country in charting a path toward rebuilding our economy to get this nation back on its feet, while doing so smartly and with an eye toward a just and cleaner future that promises:
- New economic opportunity and jobs for all;
- Equitable access to those opportunities, particularly in communities that have long borne the brunt of the impacts from a dirty economy; and
- Solutions to the climate crisis facing us and future generations by creating a clean economy that can protect us and grow our economy.
“In Wisconsin, the impacts of climate change are all too visible,” said Morgan Folger with Wisconsin Environment. “Extreme flooding has devastated homes and ravaged our farms. We need a plan to tackle the climate crisis that recognizes the need to zero out carbon emissions and help preserve a livable planet for generations to come.”
Targeted investments in clean energy infrastructure have the ability to reduce pollution, fix bridges and roadways, jumpstart the electric vehicle economy, build out equitable housing and public transportation for all communities, improve public health, while providing millions of good-paying union jobs for American workers, and improving the quality of life for all Americans, particularly in the marginalized communities that have borne the brunt of unsustainable development, pollution, and climate disasters.
“This plan will help our communities become healthier and more resilient, while rebuilding our economy,” said Jeremy Gragert, Wisconsin Outreach Consultant for the National Wildlife Federation. “Restoring and conserving America’s natural areas, waterways and wildlife heritage for future generations is a key part of this plan as well, supported by the President’s visionary Civilian Climate Corps.”
In Wisconsin, the National Wildlife Federation, Wisconsin Environment, and Wisconsin Green Muslims are leading the ACT Now Campaign, encouraging Senators Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson, and the state’s delegation to the U.S. House, to support President Biden’s call to tackle the climate crisis, make our infrastructure cleaner and more resilient, and drive growth for our state and national economies, in the form of his American Jobs Plan.
