New York, NY – After negotiations at COP26 concluded and as Congress deliberates on the Build Back Better legislative package, Rabbi Jennie Rosenn, Founder and CEO of Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action issued the following statement:
“COP26 may be over, but the real work is only just beginning. The global community has a long way to go to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius, which scientists say is needed to avert the most harmful impacts of the climate crisis, as well as to respect and honor human rights. At the same time, we’re encouraged by many of the announcements and partnerships, like the launch of a global alliance to phase out oil and gas extraction, the multilateral commitment to reduce potent global methane emissions, and the recommitment to end deforestation by decade’s end. These initiatives have tremendous potential, but promises alone won’t solve the climate crisis. We need meaningful action.
“We call on the United States to follow through on the commitments it made over the past two weeks in Glasgow. A critical first step is passing the Build Back Better Act, which would enable the U.S. to deliver on its greenhouse gas emissions reductions pledge under the Paris Agreement. And we’re looking to the Biden Administration to go further by taking aggressive executive action, including banning oil and gas extraction on public lands, canceling ongoing and future fossil fuel infrastructure projects, and introducing new regulations to rapidly cut transportation and electricity emissions.”
“Time and time again, our leaders have made bold promises on climate, only to back down when the stage lights fade. In Judaism, we believe that words are significant and vows are sacred. We cannot afford for history to repeat itself, which is why Dayenu is helping to build a multigenerational Jewish climate movement to hold U.S. leaders to account and address the climate crisis at the scale that science and justice demand.”