Three Important Climate Solutions

As the west coast heads into another week enveloped in wildfire smoke and a record five tropical cyclones simultaneously build strength in the Atlantic, we are thinking a lot about how the outdoor community can most forcefully advance climate solutions. We all deserve—and need—clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, and a healthy environment.

Climate change is the most pressing environmental issue of our time, and it will take work on a global scale to solve. Public lands and waters are a crucial part of climate resilience, and Americans who love outdoor recreation can make a difference in supporting these solutions.

Here are three important climate solutions that the outdoor recreation community can help move forward.

Land Conservation and 30x30

30 by 30 is an initiative that proposes conserving 30% of our lands and waters by 2030 as a way to protect biodiversity and climate. As the climate changes, we must protect our remaining wild spaces. Protected land can capture carbon and mitigate the worst effects of climate change, and we need more protected land to combat the added stress on natural environments and their inhabitants. The U.S. is already a global leader in land conservation, so we are well-positioned to protect more landscapes. Earlier this year, a handful of lawmakers led by Senator Udall (D-NM) and Senator Bennet (D-CO) introduced a resolution that the U.S. should establish a national goal of conserving at least 30% of the land and oceans of the United States by 2030.

Make Public Lands Carbon Neutral

Another key step to combat climate change is to make public lands and waters carbon neutral. To reduce the rate of climate change, the world needs to drastically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. Because we all own our country’s public lands and waters collectively, it is entirely appropriate and within our capability to make the decision as a society that we will no longer allow these areas to contribute to the climate crisis. The American Public Lands and Waters Climate Solution Act (H.R. 5435), introduced by Rep. Grijalva (D-AZ), would direct land management agencies to manage public lands and waters to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. This bill would require land management agencies to meet pollution reduction targets and increase royalties on oil and gas development to help communities transition away from extraction.

Invest in Renewable Energy

Renewable energy is the country’s energy future. One piece of legislation—the Public Lands Renewable Energy Development Act (PLREDA)—would help make sure renewable energy development happens in a thoughtful way. PLREDA would help facilitate responsible development of renewable energy resources on public lands, taking into account other important values like conservation recreation, and ensuring that the benefits of development accrue to local communities.

The changes required to address the climate crisis will touch on virtually every sphere of our economy. The impacts of climate change will affect all of us, but disproportionately affect poor and marginalized communities (source). As a community that values and understands our public lands and waters, it’s our belief that we have something unique to contribute in helping to advance those changes that touch on public lands management. These three efforts will be just a part of a multi-pronged approach to combating climate change, but can be a meaningful contribution, and the support of the outdoor recreation community will be critical for moving these efforts forward. You can make a difference by writing your lawmakers and encouraging them to support climate solutions, using the tool below:

Read our policy letters on each of these three initiatives by clicking on each letter below: