IT’S TIME TO CALL THIS A CLIMATE EMERGENCY

When more than 20 million Americans participated in the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, at the behest of Sen. Gaylord Nelson, D-Wis., the strong response led to a series of sweeping environmental laws passed by Congress to protect the nation’s air, water and land. Nelson declared the day to be an inflection point in U.S. history — a moment where a consensus began to emerge that America had to be a much better steward of the environment. Fifty-one years later, today’s marking of Earth Day needs to be a new inflection point — which is why The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board is going to heed Scientific American and stop referring to what is happening as climate change. As the magazine’s website noted on April 12, “The planet is heating up way too fast. It’s time for journalism to recognize that the climate emergency is here.” As Gavin Newsom said Wednesday while standing in an empty, cracked Lake Mendocino, dry, fire-ravaged California is a prime example of the catastrophe the world faces because of this emergency.

It’s time for an all-of-the-above response. Today, thankfully, President Joe Biden is expected to use a virtual summit of world leaders to announce that the United States will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 percent by the end of the decade, nearly doubling the commitment made by President Barack Obama in 2015 as part of the Paris Agreement, which the U.S. has rejoined. Biden must fully flesh out how this will be achieved, not just have a vague goal, or progress will be difficult.

In California, Newsom and the Legislature need to continue the state’s storied history of smart environmental initiatives, not rest on their laurels. As a Tuesday analysis in the Los Angeles Times detailed,

“Just because the state considers itself a global leader doesn’t mean it’s doing nearly enough.” That report noted that a research team led by UC Berkeley’s Daniel Kammen said it is time for a “a wartimelike mobilization of resources” so the state could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 77 percent by 2030. With the cost of solar panels, wind turbines and batteries continuing to plunge, Kammen said the state must sharply increase its present 2030 goal of a 40 percent reduction in these emissions.

Locally, in January, San Diego County supervisors voted unanimously to work with UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy to reduce the region’s carbon footprint to zero by 2035. But such bold goals are undercut by the city of San Diego’s history of using bogus data that exaggerates the city’s progress in reducing emissions.

Whatever governments do, everyone needs to know that individuals can make a difference. Given the massive emissions from cattle, eating less red meat is an obvious step. Buying an electric vehicle is another one. Seeking to use clean energy as much as possible is another. Demanding action from leaders is another. Reading up on your city’s local Climate Action Plan — or urging it to implement one — is another, as is holding government officials to the challenge of meeting those legally binding documents. And of course continued conversations with family and friends to make sure everyone is operating off the same set of facts and a common understanding will go a long way.

Scientists warn that this climate emergency will take a vast toll on humanity, especially vulnerable groups. It’s time for more sweeping change, starting with replacing that word with emergency.