As Elders Climate Action members, we will use our energy and influence to protect future generations from the consequences of climate change. We will work with federal, state and local governments, private institutions and businesses to enact strong policies to protect us and future generations from the catastrophic effects of climate change. Solutions to climate change can be addressed simultaneously by many diverse strategies, each of which can substantively decrease the concentration of atmospheric greenhouse gases.
ECA Policy Documents
Download a PDF of the ECA Core Principles & Policies
ECA Endorses the Vision for Equitable Climate ActionVisit the Vision for Equitable Climate Action website Policy OverviewThe climate crisis affects all of us, in almost every aspect of our lives. And the solutions to global warming touch every part of the country and the economy. The Vision for Equitable Climate Action (VECA) is a roadmap for how we can prevent the worst of global warming, in ways that will make communities safer, families more secure, our economy more stable, our environment healthier and more sustainable, and our country more just and equitable. From clean energy to agriculture, from transportation to healthcare, VECA shows that taking on the climate crisis with the urgency and ambition that is needed can be done in ways that benefit us all. This agenda was created over the course of a year, by a diverse team of 176 people from 106 organizations (including ECA), from coast to coast and everywhere in between. Through that, VECA shows that people throughout the country can come together, share their knowledge and experience, and create a broad and comprehensive plan of action. |
Download a PDF of POLICY CONSIDERATIONS FOR TRANSITIONING TO ZERO EMISSION TECHNOLOGIES TO ACHIEVE IPCC GHG REDUCTION TARGETS IN TRANSPORT SECTOR By Robert E. Yuhnke on behalf of Elders Climate Action for U.S. Climate Action
We advocate for policies that will:
| Discourage and eventually halt any further extraction of fossil fuels from the Earth |
| Eliminate current levels of CO2 emissions by 40% by 2030 and by 100% by 2050. (In line with the IPCC 1.5 report) |
| Seek and encourage means to drawdown carbon from the atmosphere into carbon sinks. |
| Promote forms of clean energy, including new and emerging technologies. |
| Build relationships and collaborations with like-minded groups to promote our goals. |
ECA Current Priorities
Educate and advocate for pricing carbon such as Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act.- Support the development and eventual implementation of the Green New Deal.
- Eliminate methane emissions from natural gas operations and support efforts to reduce meat consumption and methane reducing feed for livestock.
- Support all efforts to exceed the Paris COP 21 Climate Agreement including all recommendations in the IPCC 1.5 and National Climate Assessment reports.
- Support of all forms of carbon sequestration through natural biologic processes.
ECA actively supports the following actions by our members, chapters and partners:
| Divestment of fossil fuel stocks from portfolios held by private institutions and pension funds. Opposition to further extraction of fossil fuels from the ground by adopting policies to:
Support of environmental justice for low-income and minority communities who may suffer more from the impacts of pollution of their air, ground and water as a result of extracting and/or burning fossil fuels. Support of certain lawsuits such as Our Children’s Trust, a lawsuit against the federal government for violating the younger generations’ constitutional rights through its ill-advised actions in causing climate change. |
