Tackling Climate Change and Environmental Injustice
We pursue climate action that meets the crisis’s urgency, creates good-quality jobs, benefits disadvantaged communities, and restores U.S. credibility on the global stage.
What We're Working On
What We're Doing
Pursuing environmental justice
Investing in equitable climate solutions that address the country’s legacy of environmental racism while working to ensure that all communities have the right to breathe clean air, live free of dangerous levels of toxic pollution, access healthy food, and share the benefits of a prosperous economy
Creating good, clean jobs at home
Laying the groundwork for an urgent transition to a clean energy economy that works for all, creating millions of well-paying jobs with the opportunity to join a union, and improving the quality of life for all Americans in the process
Protecting nature
Addressing the linked climate and biodiversity crises by conserving 30 percent of all U.S. lands and water by 2030 and promoting natural solutions to the climate crisis that benefit all communities
Restoring U.S. climate leadership on the global stage
By taking strong and equitable domestic action, we restore the ability to bring countries together to reduce emissions and help developing countries transition to carbon-neutral economies and adapt to inevitable impacts
By the numbers
$99B
The cost to U.S. taxpayers from extreme weather events in 2020—and it’s getting worse
CAP, “Extreme Weather Cost U.S. Taxpayers $99 Billion Last Year, and It Is Getting Worse” (2021).
139
The number of elected senators and representatives who still deny climate change
CAP, “Climate Deniers in the 117th Congress” (2021).
2°F
Human activity, largely burning fossil fuels, has warmed the planet this much since 1800s
The New York Times, “A Hotter Future Is Certain, Climate Panel Warns. But How Hot Is Up to Us.” (2021).
1M
The number of plant and animal species at risk of extinction around the world today
CAP, “How Much Nature Should America Keep?” (2019).
What You Can Do
Featured work
5 Major Benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act’s Climate Investments
Implementing Biden’s Justice40 Commitment To Combat Environmental Racism
The Clean Economy Revolution Will Be Unionized
Featured Experts
Auburn
Bell
Policy Analyst
Anne
Christianson
Director, International Climate Policy
Frances
Colón
Senior Director, International Climate Policy
Margaret
Cooney
Campaign Manager
Michael
Freeman
Policy Analyst
Nicole
Gentile
Senior Director, Conservation
Shannon
Baker-Branstetter
Senior Director, Domestic Climate and Energy Policy
Mark
Haggerty
Senior Fellow, Energy and Environment
Trevor
Higgins
Senior Vice President, Energy and Environment
Cathleen
Kelly
Senior Fellow
Hannah
Malus
Director, Energy and Environment Campaigns
Drew
McConville
Senior Fellow
Jenny
Rowland-Shea
Director, Public Lands
Sam
Ricketts
Senior Fellow
Angelo
Villagomez
Senior Fellow
Mike
Williams
Senior Fellow
Cody
Hankerson
Associate Director, Energy and Environment Campaigns
Latest
To Conserve the Ocean, Start With the People Who Live There
The U.S. Pacific territories will be key to protecting the ocean.
Why the Farm Bill May Be the Highest-Stakes Climate Fight Flying Below the Radar
Major climate and conservation gains hang in the balance as Congress reauthorizes the expiring farm bill; passing strong legislation that builds on historic investments from the Inflation Reduction Act is critical for the United States to lead the world on climate-smart agriculture and meet national land conservation goals.
New Clean Vehicle Standards and Investments Improve Public Health, Fight Climate Change, and Build Domestic Supply Chains
Shannon Baker-Branstetter, senior director of Domestic Climate and Energy Policy at the Center for American Progress, testified on the clean vehicle standards and federal EV investments, highlighting the consumer, grid, climate, and national security benefits of EVs.
How U.S. Regulators Can Help Community and Regional Banks Address Climate-Related Financial Risks
Federal banking regulators should incorporate climate-related guidance, information, and analysis in their oversight of small and midsize banks.
Here’s How EPA Should Set Buy Clean Standards For Steel
Mike Williams explains why Buy Clean standards must be designed correctly to lower emissions without driving domestic steel manufacturing out of business.
The Inflation Reduction Act Is Building a Clean Energy Economy and Good-Paying Jobs
Trevor Higgins, senior vice president of the Energy and Environment department at the Center for American Progress, filed written testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Minerals; the testimony is in support of the Inflation Reduction Act and its historic investments in American households and jobs aimed at accelerating the U.S. transition to a clean energy economy.
Speaker McCarthy’s Debt Ceiling Proposal Would Undo Benefits of Inflation Reduction Act
Leaders in the House Republican caucus are trying to gut the Biden administration’s climate law; here’s what Americans stand to lose.
U.S. Diplomacy Can Prevent Canadian Transboundary Mining Pollution on the Northern Border
The Biden administration should press Canada to come to the table through the International Joint Commission to address Canadian mining pollution that poses significant danger to Alaskan communities.
The Inflation Reduction Act Reduces Emissions and Income Inequality
The Inflation Reduction Act helps low-income households save money on clean energy, home retrofits, and transportation, while building resilience to climate change and economic insecurity.
‘Under the Pala Pala’: Special Edition Episode
In this special edition episode, six national marine sanctuary advocates came together for a storytelling event hosted by the Center for American Progress and the National Ocean Protection Coalition at the fifth International Marine Protected Area Congress in Vancouver, Canada, to talk Indigenous-led conservation.
CAP’s Comment on the EPA’s Proposed Soot Pollution Standards
The Center for American Progress submitted a comment letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on the agency’s proposed rule on soot pollution standards.
CAP Event Highlights Partners in Indigenous-Led Conservation
Native Americans in Philanthropy and the Center for American Progress are working together to support a 30x30 conservation agenda driven by Indigenous traditional ecological leadership and storied knowledge of U.S. lands and waterways.