Urge a Special Session to Act on Climate
Samantha Dynowski
June 2024
The Connecticut legislature concluded at midnight on May 8. For the second year in a row, legislators failed to pass legislation to address climate. Read our recap of the session from the May newsletter.
The fact is that Connecticut is lagging behind other states that have stronger climate laws and more ambitious targets for pollution reduction and clean and renewable energy.
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As reported by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, greenhouse gas emissions are going up in Connecticut. We are going in the wrong direction. The impacts of climate change are costing our residents, businesses, and communities. Temperatures are rising, extreme weather is increasing, and flooding and sea level rise are impacting our state. Our state must act.
Image by Filmbetrachter from Pixabay
The potential of a Special Session of the legislature has been reported in the media, with key legislative leaders indicating it is under discussion. A Special Session is an opportunity to come back and address key issues that did not get across the finish line in the regular session. Climate is one of those issues.
As the impacts of climate change continue to grow, so must our policy. Action on climate is broadly popular, and people understand that greenhouse gas emissions must decrease to tackle climate change.
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Samantha Dynowski is State Director of Sierra Club Connecticut.