Top 10 Benefits of Climate Action

Climate change is one of the most urgent issues of our day. Several recent studies show that acting quickly and decisively to address this challenge and shift our economy to clean energy will bring significant benefits to the United States—while also helping us avoid some of the worst consequences of unchecked global warming.

Congress has begun the historic process of enacting legislation to reduce global warming emissions and transition the United States to a clean energy economy. To be most effective, such legislation should

• put the nation on a path to cutting emissions by at least 80 percent by 2050 and require significant reductions in the near term as well
• be comprehensive, combining a cap on carbon emissions with crucial policies that help us shift to more efficient and cleaner forms of energy and transportation
• protect tropical forests and fund adaptation to climate change