Climate change and environmental harm are grave threats to our the world’s health, economy, and security. Record droughts, heat waves, wildfires, coastal flooding, ocean acidification, and storms are costing lives and hundreds of billions of dollars in damages in the U.S.

The federal government’s National Climate Assessment predicts economic losses will exceed the GDP of many states. Our military has declared climate change a key threat to national security and is responding in kind.

According to the United Nations, we only have 8 years left before extreme weather conditions become the norm and millions will die across the globe. Scarcity of resources and political instability have already ignited conflicts with more predicted. These wars leave devastation, starvation and death in their wake. We are at a humanity’s tipping point.

We need to take action. We need leadership.

State and local levels can create foundational groundwork for a comprehensive national climate policy. However, too many local and state elected officials are unaware of the crisis’s severity, the need for imperative action, and how their voices can turn the tide.