The world is facing growing devastation from our changing climate. These impacts have far-reaching effects—compounding the ongoing global food crisis and driving political and economic instability.
Even though the United States is one of the most significant historic contributors of greenhouse gases, countries with far fewer resources are bearing the brunt of this crisis. This is a moral issue. The United States has a responsibility to help people around the world who are suffering the impacts of increasingly severe floods, droughts, and storms.
Wealthy nations, including the United States, have committed to helping these nations transition to clean energy and adapt to the ravages of climate change. So far, that promise remains largely unfulfilled.
With climate impacts increasing in severity, this is a critical moment for our leaders to live up to their promises. President Joe Biden’s recently published budget request proposed a $5 billion investment in international climate assistance for Fiscal Year 2024. This week, as we observe Earth Day, he publicly pledged $1 billion for the Green Climate Fund and $500 million to stop deforestation in Brazil. He urged other countries with large economies to do the same.
“We have to step up our ambitions,” Biden told leaders at the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate. “We’re going to have to stand together to meet great challenges.”
To fulfill these promises, Congress must fund them in the FY 2024 budget. That’s where our voices are needed. Together, we must be persistent in working to ensure a just allocation of resources to people living with the worst consequences of the climate crisis.
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Elsewhere
House Republican Leaders Release Dangerous Debt Ceiling Proposal
House Republicans unveiled a bill this week that would raise the debt ceiling into next year in exchange for billions of dollars in spending cuts. The proposed cuts would target programs related to health care, climate action, education, food assistance, and more. These cuts will punish our most vulnerable neighbors while leaving the Pentagon budget untouched. This is the wrong way forward. A default on the United States’ debt would be disastrous for the global economy, and the proposed cuts would harm millions of Americans. Congress should raise the debt ceiling without conditions.
Rejecting Calls to Supply Ukraine with Cluster Munitions
In recent weeks, Ukrainian officials and some lawmakers in Congress have called on President Biden to supply cluster munitions to the Ukrainian military. Designed to blanket an area with “bomblets” that disperse in midair, these unguided munitions pose a unique threat to civilians.
As FCNL’s Nuria Raul wrote this week in Defense One, the administration must reject these calls and chart a new policy on cluster munitions.
Biden Announces New Environmental Justice Office
Today, President Biden announced a set of actions to prioritize environmental justice across the federal government, including the creation of a new White House Office of Environmental Justice. Critically, the measures will require agencies to develop plans to address the disproportionate impact of environmental hazards on marginalized communities.
Fighting in Sudan Worsens
At least 330 people have been killed and almost 3,200 others injured as fighting intensified this week in Sudan, where two generals are competing for power. The Pentagon is moving more troops to nearby Djibouti in preparation for the possible evacuation of embassy staff. FCNL is deeply concerned by the worsening situation and calls on the U.S. government to encourage the warring parties to return to the negotiating table and work towards an inclusive peace process.
Interrupting Gun Violence for Peaceful Communities
Gun violence is all around us in the United States. On April 26 at 6:30 p.m. EDT, FCNL’s Director for Justice Reform, José Santos Moreno, and FCNL’s Friend in Washington, Peter Murchison, will discuss how violence interrupter programs can help break the terrible cycle of loss and grief. Learn more and register.
The Friends Committee on National Legislation is a national, nonpartisan Quaker organization that lobbies Congress and the administration to advance peace, justice, and environmental stewardship. This Week in the World. The FCNL weekly newsletter of advocacy actions and updates and opportunities to take action on the issues you care about.