What is the climate emergency?

The planet is heating up. So are calls for climate action.

Last Wednesday, June 20, United States President Joe Biden posted a tweet addressing the climate emergency. In the same message, Biden singled out a lack of climate action from Congress. Amid news about historic heatwaves and other environmental disasters, Biden’s announcement has drawn media attention. With further details from the Biden administration pending, here are some key facts to know about the climate emergency.

Understanding the climate emergency

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the term “climate emergency” refers to the world’s current climate change situation. Human activities such as burning fossil fuels contribute to an increased concentration of greenhouse gasses in Earth’s atmosphere. As the concentration rises, so does the world’s average global temperature. Over the past decade, the impact of rising temperatures can be seen through environmental disasters like the recent U.K. heatwave.

While scientists have raised climate concerns for years, a cultural shift may be driving the renewed political discussion about climate action. As activists like Greta Thunberg, groups like the Sunrise Movement, and films like “Don’t Look Up” make headlines, people are urging their representatives to make real changes for the environment. 

Calls for climate action

Recently, the call for climate action gained over 100 influential allies. In a letter reported on by The Lever, Common Dreams, and Vice, 165 government staffers called on Biden to prioritize climate policy.

“Every day that you do not act, the climate crisis spirals further out of control,” the letter states. “The coming days represent our best opportunity to address the climate crisis and save countless lives with robust climate justice policy. Even if Democrats control both chambers and the White House again in four years, inaction in this moment will cause an era of record temperatures, extreme drought, sea level rise, and other deadly climate disasters. We do not have years to waste. We have little more than a week.”

The letter outlines a “multi-pronged approach” to addressing the climate crisis. A formal climate emergency declaration from Biden tops the letter’s list of necessary actions. Further interventions include ending fossil fuel extraction on federal lands and restarting stalled Senate climate policy negotiations.

“President Biden, you have an exigent responsibility to reduce suffering all over the world, and the power and skills to do so, but time is running out,” staffers wrote. “You are the President of the United States of America at a pivotal moment in the history of the world. All that we ask is that you do everything in your power. We’ve done our part. We implore you to do yours.”