Statement from Global Citizen re: the Inflation Reduction Act

(New York | August 13, 2022)

“Congress’ passage of the Inflation Reduction Act is a huge win for our planet and the most impactful piece of climate action the U.S. has taken to date. This legislation is essential to the global effort to confront climate change. Unchecked, climate change will push up to 130 million more people into poverty over the next 10 years. But with this bill, the U.S. will get closer to reaching its climate goals of reducing emissions by 50-52 percent by 2030.

Climate change is the biggest existential threat to humanity and especially those living in extreme poverty. We believe it’s unfair to expect the Global South to shift to renewable, clean energy without support from the wealthiest countries, who have industrialized and profited using fossil fuels over the past 150 years.

Global Citizen has been advocating for provisions in this bill for many years, and action to combat climate change is one of our organization’s top policy priorities. Over the past two years, Global Citizens across the world have taken over 1 million climate actions. They have emailed and tweeted their members of Congress, signed petitions, and protested in support of the planet – because we know that in order to eradicate extreme poverty, we must have a viable planet to live on.

While this is a major victory for climate action, it is not enough. With extreme heat, flooding and fire gripping communities in the U.S. and worldwide, President Biden must designate a climate emergency. This designation will enable him to use every tool possible to keep our planet survivable and usher in a sustainable future for all.

We commend Congress for passing this bill. We are grateful that Leader Schumer and Speaker Pelosi stuck with it— and passed a bill that will mitigate the effects of climate change. This is a step in the right direction, but we have a lot more work to do. Millions of lives and the future of our planet are at stake.”

– Michael Sheldrick, Co-Founder & Chief Policy, Impact and Government Affairs Officer, Global Citizen