Reduce emissions in line with the Paris Agreement goals.

• Protect and build on the Inflation Reduction Act.

• Deploy clean energy (e.g., solar, batteries, wind) systems and publicly support the integration of clean energy sources into the electric grid.

• Implement climate-smart agriculture, reduce pollution, and promote land conservation and biodiversity.

• Ensure sufficient staffing and funding of governmental agencies and corporate teams that help protect our environment, improve public health, and reduce the harmful impacts of climate change.

• Work with local, national, and international stakeholders to achieve a sustainable future for present and future generations.

Create a more equitable and sustainable economy.

• Shift economic goals from prioritizing infinite growth to emphasizing long-term resilience and well-being.

• Reduce the impacts of climate change on the communities that are impacted first and worst (see our Environmental Justice page for guidance and resources on this).

• Create and promote good-paying jobs in the green economy.

• Provide resources that enable community advocacy on the local, state, and national levels.

LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES

We urge members of Congress to take bold, science-based action to address the climate crisis and protect the health and well-being of communities across the country. Specifically, we call on legislators to:

• Promote climate adaptation and mitigation.
  Pass policies that both reduce future climate risks (mitigation) and help communities prepare for and recover from climate impacts (adaptation), including stronger building codes, resilient infrastructure, and land use planning. This can be achieved with a few key actions to maximize return on investment and protect climate-vulnerable communities:

  • Protect and build on the Inflation Reduction Act.
    Fully implement and defend the IRA’s climate provisions, including historic investments in clean energy through tax credits and grants, climate-smart agriculture, environmental justice, and rural development initiatives.

  • Advance decarbonization efforts.
    Support legislation, regulations, and investments that reduce greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors of the economy, through clean energy deployment, energy efficiency, and sustainable transportation.

  • Advance environmental and public health protections.
    Reduce pollution through strong air and water quality standards, while addressing the disproportionate burden placed on frontline and marginalized communities.

  • Improve disaster preparedness and recovery.
    Increase federal support for communities affected by climate-fueled disasters like floods, wildfires, and hurricanes. This includes streamlining disaster assistance and investing in long-term resilience.

  • Strengthen protections against extreme heat.
    Enact federal standards to protect outdoor and vulnerable workers from extreme heat, including mandatory rest breaks, access to water, and shade.

  • Expand access to food and healthcare.
    Ensure robust food assistance and healthcare programs to combat food insecurity and health disparities worsened by climate-related events and environmental degradation.

BUDGET AND OVERSIGHT PRIORITIES

Federal agencies are the backbone of our national response to the climate crisis. We urge lawmakers to protect and strengthen agencies’ capacities to deliver on climate, energy, agriculture, and environmental goals by:

• Defending Climate and Environmental-Focused Agency Budgets
  Safeguard and support robust funding, staffing, and resources for key agencies and ensure they are meeting their obligations, including, but not limited to:

  • Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – to enforce pollution standards, advance environmental justice, and accelerate clean technology deployment.

  • Department of Energy (DOE) – to drive innovation, expand clean energy, and support a just transition to a low-carbon economy.

  • Department of the Interior (DOI) – to conserve public lands and natural resources, manage climate-impacted ecosystems, and support tribal and rural resilience.

  • U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) – to scale up climate-smart agriculture, protect rural communities from climate impacts, and implement critical conservation and clean energy programs.

Support climate in your interactions with the Chamber, legislators, and other companies. In all policy engagements, companies must actively support science-based climate legislation.

• Express that the climate positions of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other trade associations your company is a member of must align with your company’s sustainability goals.

• Explain to legislators that you support science-based climate policy and why it benefits your business. Do not assume a legislator’s stance based on their district. Ensure they are supportive of actions that benefit our climate and your business.

• See the Science Based Targets Initiative for more information about science-based climate standards and actions companies can take to achieve them

Change the Chamber or quit. Engage with U.S. Chamber of Commerce stakeholders to urge the Chamber to support science-based climate legislation publicly. If they do not comply, withdraw from the Chamber. 

• The majority of major Chamber member corporations publicly support climate action, so it is reasonable to advise the Chamber to support science-based climate policy as soon as possible. 

• Please refer to our asks for legislators to see our specific science-based climate policy requests, which you may refer to in interactions with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce or other stakeholders.

• If the Chamber is unable to endorse science-based climate policy, then we urge you to quit the organization publicly.

Publicly support climate-smart recovery plans for the economy, jobs, energy, and infrastructure. Publicly demonstrate support for a US re-entry into the Paris Agreement and the strengthening of our country’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

• Support legislators who advocate for climate and clean energy plans (e.g., reduction of methane leaks, transportation efficiency standards, public lands protection, Justice40). The public needs to see the business sector support the integration of climate-smart practices into the economy at large. Supporting the climate-smart recovery plans started by the Biden administration is economically sound and a bipartisan priority.

Stop funding climate obstructors.

• Cease all monetary support for politicians who deny the necessity of science-based climate legislation and encourage the U.S. Chamber to do the same. Instead, interact with federal policymakers to increase their support for science-based climate legislation to produce healthier ecosystems and stronger economies.