Climate Change Solutions - November 23, 2021

View this newsletter online Subscribe Review EESI Hello and welcome to Climate Change Solutions! Last week, the House passed the Build Back Better Act (H.R. 5376). Climate and environmental provisions account for $555 billion of the $2.2 trillion spending package—the largest spending category in the bill. The Build Back Better Act now awaits consideration by the Senate. International climate negotiations at the U.N. summit in Glasgow (COP26) ended November 12, and an incredible number of announcements, reports, pledges, and declarations were made over its two weeks. Want to catch up on all of it? Head over to Headlines and check out our three new COP26 trackers! This issue also features an article on the intersection of faith and clean energy in Hawaii and another on two recent House hearings on drought in the Colorado River Basin and actions to help conserve water there. The next article in our Federal Resilience Programs series is now up, covering the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information! And check out the latest episode of The Climate Conversation podcast, which explores the NAACP Equitable Solar Policy Principles with NAACP Field Organizer Denise Abdul-Rahman. Looking ahead to December, we have a three-part briefing series all about cutting waste! RSVP here. Have a climate solution? Send tips to Solutions editor Amber Todoroff! Headlines Tracking COP26                         Announcements Tracker               Reports Tracker                      Congress Tracker Over the two weeks of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change conference (COP26), in Glasgow, Scotland, there were hundreds of announcements, declarations, pledges, and reports made. EESI tracked them in a daily newsletter, Glasgow Dispatch: What Congress Needs to Know About COP26. The above trackers are compilations of key announcements and reports released during COP26, as well as the list of Congressional members who attended the conference. All photos courtesy of the UNFCCC Flickr page.   Increasing Clean Energy Justice and Resilience for Faith Communities Through Solar Energy [5 min. read] EESI convened a virtual event in May about solar energy and faith-based institutions in Hawaii. The event brought together groups from the islands and the mainland to discuss installing solar panels on faith-based institution property. [click for more]   Experts Discuss How to Combat Drought in the Colorado River Basin [3 min. read] The Colorado River Basin is facing a historic drought that threatens the water security of those who rely on the river. In two recent House Natural Resources Committee hearings, experts discussed federal and local actions that can help communities conserve water. [click for more]   Series: Federal Programs Advancing Climate Resilience   NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information [3 min. read] The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) is one of the largest archives of environmental data in the world. NCEI’s mission is to provide data to support NOAA’s projects and inform decision-making across the government, academia, and private sectors. [click for more]   On the Hill Between November 8 and November 19, multiple bills were introduced in Congress regarding wildlife protection and natural science research. H.R.5948 would further research in Antarctica, H.R.5957 would introduce protections for marine mammals, and H.R.5958 would increase penalties for oil spills. Several bills were also introduced on topics like disaster recovery and measuring greenhouse gas emissions. S.2923, which passed the Senate, aims to reform the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fishery Resource Disaster Relief program so that fisheries affected by disasters can more quickly access aid. Other notable bills introduced include S.3264, which would establish long-distance bike trails on federal lands, and H.R.6050, which would require the Environmental Protection Agency to collect emissions data from aircraft. On November 15, President Biden signed the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, H.R.3684, into law. On November 19, the House passed the Build Back Better Act (H.R.5376) and sent it to the Senate. See EESI's full environment and energy legislative trackers for November 8-12 and November 15-19. EESI News, Briefings, and Fact Sheets     Briefings—Recap of COP26: Key Outcomes and What Comes Next The final briefing of our COP series was held on November 18. Speakers discussed the key outcomes of COP26 and provided context and nuance to the headlines coming out of the meeting. Watch the recording and download presentations here. Catch up on all of the briefings in our COP series:   Creating Policies, Coalitions, and Actions for Global Sustainable Development: A Conversation with Sir Robert Watson and Christiana Figueres Momentum on Climate Adaptation The Role of International Climate Finance The Negotiations: What's on the Table   Intern Reflections: My Career in International Clean Energy Development Began at EESI [2 min. read] Former EESI intern Yi Xu shares how her policy internship in 2014 helped launch her career in the energy sector with the Energy Global Practice of the World Bank. [click for more]   New Podcast Episode! Exploring the NAACP Equitable Solar Policy Principles [28 min. listen] Dan and EESI Senior Associate Miguel Yañez-Barnuevo spoke with Denise Abdul-Rahman, a field organizer for the NAACP's Environmental Climate Justice Program, about her organization's Equitable Solar Policy Principles. They discussed the formation of these principles, how they can be applied, and how they can be used to spur an equitable transition to clean energy. [click for more]     Did you sign up for our daily COP26 newsletter, Glasgow Dispatch? Send us feedback! If you signed up for our daily newsletter, Glasgow Dispatch - What Congress Needs to Know About COP26, we would love to hear from you! Please fill out this short, anonymous survey to provide feedback on the newsletter and tell us how we can improve for COP27. Fill out the survey here.     EESI Around Town   EESI Executive Director Daniel Bresette and Jonathan Herz were quoted in a piece from E&E News about CBO scores and climate (subscription only).   EESI Senior Policy Fellow Jonathan Herz was also quoted in a piece in The Climate 202 newsletter from The Washington Post about how the Congressional Budget Office takes climate into account when creating cost estimates for legislation.   The BBC cited EESI's 2019 fossil fuel subsidies fact sheet in a piece about fossil fuels and COP26. Upcoming Events   Briefing Series: Reduce and Reuse How to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Building Materials, Plastics, and Food Join us for a briefing series on the upstream climate impacts building materials, plastics, and food. There will be three briefings in the series from December 8 - 10!   Building Materials: From Production to Reuse Wednesday, December 8 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm The built environment uses an immense amount of carbon-intensive materials such as concrete and steel. Switching building materials to lower-carbon alternatives can reduce the climate impacts of the built environment, but first, systems must be put in place to assess and reduce the carbon intensity of materials. Panelists will discuss ways to reduce emissions and material waste in the built environment from construction and deconstruction.   The Climate Consequences of Plastics Thursday, December 9 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Plastic production is expected to account for an increasing portion of global oil consumption and its resulting greenhouse gas emissions as plastics become more ubiquitous worldwide. Panelists will discuss findings from Beyond Plastics’ new report, The New Coal: Plastics and Climate Change; how emissions associated with plastic production affect communities across the country; and potential policy solutions.   Reducing Emissions by Reducing Food Waste Friday, December 10 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm While composting is a solution for downstream food waste management, upstream reduction of food waste and food waste diversion can be the first steps to reduce emissions and resources unnecessarily used across the sector. Panelists will discuss some strategies available to policymakers that could bolster food waste reduction and diversion efforts. Thank You to EESI Team Members for Their Contributions to Climate Change Solutions: Emma Johnson - Layout, Design, and Content Editor Amaury Laporte - Communications Director As well as all EESI Staff, Interns, and Fellows who write and review content!   Environmental and Energy Study Institute  Daniel Bresette, Executive Director   EESI is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 1984 by a bipartisan Congressional caucus to provide timely information and develop innovative policy solutions that set us on a cleaner, more secure and sustainable energy path.   www.eesi.org                 CFC #10627