WASHINGTON — This week, members of the Climate Solutions Caucus met with nonprofit, government, and private sector leaders to discuss how Congress can better support resilience and adaptation efforts in the U.S. following the devastating climate catastrophes experienced this year. The event was hosted by David Barron, chairman of the International Conservation Caucus Foundation, or ICCF.
Panelists included José Andrés, world-renowned chef and founder of World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit committed to delivering meals in response to natural disasters, as well as Chairman Emeritus for DC Central Kitchen, an organization that combats hunger and creates opportunities with culinary training; Thad Hill, CEO of Calpine, an energy company that is currently the largest generator of electricity from natural gas and geothermal resources in the country; and Danielle Swallow, a Coastal Hazards Specialist with Delaware Sea Grant and co-founder of the Delaware Resilient and Sustainable Communities League where she provides technical assistance and outreach to communities to build local capacity to prepare for climate change.
“Coming together with experts from different backgrounds and connecting senators across the aisle gives us a real opportunity to make major changes in fighting climate challenges,” said Senator Coons, co-chair of the Senate Climate Solutions Caucus. “These discussions set us up to help those in need now, and be prepared to help those who will be most vulnerable in the future.”
“The goal of the Climate Solutions Caucus is to bring together lawmakers, private sector leaders, and those with a passion for preserving our environment with reasonable solutions together toward a common goal, and this meeting on enhancing preparedness for natural disasters helped further that goal,” said Senator Mike Braun, co-chair of the Senate Climate Solutions Caucus.
“Serious challenges face our environment and our infrastructure. The health of our coast-lines and our electricity grid is increasingly at risk,” said David H. Barron, chairman of the ICCF Group. "It's encouraging to see bipartisan efforts in Congress and at the local level to seek solutions to protect at-risk areas and improve their resilience.”
“As the climate crisis makes hunger and thirst more acute, and more widespread, we need to remember that feeding the hungry is a universal value and an American one,” said Chef José Andrés, founder of the food relief nonprofit, World Central Kitchen. “Especially in the aftermath of natural disasters, we must ensure that food becomes a solution and not a problem, empowering local communities to be more resilient. In a world of climate change, our future lies in feeding the world better.”
“As the U.S. pursues its goal of reducing carbon emissions through greater electrification while facing increased weather volatility and greater market interconnectedness, it must place a premium on reliability,” said Thad Hill, CEO of Calpine. “At Calpine we are helping to keep the lights on by working hard to maintain and make our dependable natural gas plants even more environmentally friendly, while also investing in new technologies to reduce carbon emissions even further.”
“As a community extension specialist in Delaware, I frequently encounter capacity issues in small and rural towns that delay local action on climate resilience. We need to build capacity and accelerate local adaptation because the impacts of climate change are already being felt,” said Danielle Swallow, Coastal Hazards Specialist, Delaware Sea Grant. “Regional and local collaborative networks are force multipliers when it comes to climate and disaster resilience. Investing in the robustness of these networks can help speed planning, response, and recovery from impacts.”
The Senate Climate Solutions Caucus promotes bipartisan discussion about climate policy and advocates for Congress to play a central role in addressing the challenge. Since launching in late 2019, the caucus has held regular meetings with a variety of stakeholders to discuss their concerns and priorities for federal climate policy and opportunities for collaboration. For more about the caucus’ activities, please visit the caucus website here.
###