Melissa Williams, melissa.williams@sierraclub.org
INDIANAPOLIS, IND. — The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its latest major assessment, showing that the climate crisis is a grave and mounting threat to our wellbeing and a healthy planet.
The report’s authors, 270 experts and scientists from 67 countries, say that to avoid a mounting loss of life, biodiversity and infrastructure, we need “ambitious, accelerated action to adapt to climate change, at the same time as making rapid, deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.”
In response, Wendy Bredhold, senior campaign representative for the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign in Indiana, released the following statement:
“This IPCC report is clearer than ever that there’s no place and no one unaffected by the climate crisis, no matter how much our state legislators refuse to listen. The alarms and sirens have been blaring for years, but they’d rather act oblivious and pursue false, expensive schemes on behalf of fossil fuels and other special interests and pass laws that enrich monopoly utilities at the expense of everyday Hoosiers, all while the environment collapses around us.
“Climate change is already hitting home in Indiana, with increased extreme rain events, reduced agricultural production, and more intense droughts and heatwaves. That doesn’t include the direct impacts that burning coal and gas have on our health and communities.
“As one of the worst states in the U.S. for carbon pollution, Indiana is critical to creating climate solutions. We can avoid the worsening impacts of climate change on our communities and our collective futures with cleaner air and water and lower energy costs. We can generate our own energy and take back power from monopoly utilities. We can ensure that the energy transition is an equitable one that benefits everyday Hoosiers, and not just special interests. But we need our leaders to face the facts. There’s nowhere to hide from the climate crisis — not even the halls of the State Legislature.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.