Welcome, bright climate advocate.
Now that you’ve taken the pledge, you’ve joined a broad group of everyday advocates working in their local communities to build a bright climate future for all of us. We’re here to be a resource for you through this election year, sharing tools and information that you can use to launch your journey as a bright climate advocate.
This year is an opportunity for us to show those in power – and those running for positions of power – that climate change is a priority for our communities, and voters across the political spectrum want climate action now.
Consider this your “start here” guide to fighting climate change in the West. Below, we’ve included downloadable resources, tools, digital petitions, and more for you to explore. Throughout the year, you can expect to receive email updates and advocacy alerts for your area, and you can always refer back to this page for ideas and support to help you to take action in your community.
Share the bright climate future pledge
Identify your state and local representatives
Raise your voice for a bright climate future
Make a big impact through small actions
When it comes to climate change, it can feel like the odds are stacked against us.
So why are we so hopeful?
The big secret that you don’t often hear about is that advocacy for good climate policy is working. In just the last few years, we’ve seen:
- 8 million acres of land protected.
- $300 million invested in transportation electrification.
- 76 million tons of yearly greenhouse gas reductions.
And so much more. It’s because we’ve seen this incredible progress that we’re confident achieving our goals is possible.
We act with hope because an overwhelming majority of Westerners support protecting 30% of our land by 2030 and believe that we need to take urgent action to protect our water sources. Outside of the West, a broad range of Americans are hungry for climate action. Two thirds of Americans, across the political spectrum, support transitioning to 100% renewable energy by 2035 – that’s a substantial majority of our nation’s voters. With so many everyday advocates like you working together to fight climate change, we’re confident that we can build positive, durable change for our communities.
Hope is contagious – so we’re casting a vision for a thriving West.
A bright climate future means my kids and generations to come have clean air to breathe, wide open spaces and majestic landscapes to explore, the global economy runs on renewable energy, electric vehicles are accessible and affordable, and our Western rivers are thriving and flowing.
On our podcast 2 Degrees Out West, WRA staff members Haley Littleton and Kandice Cleveland dive into their dreams for the West’s future and how hope fuels climate policy. Their vision is contagious, inspiring our enthusiasm for our own everyday climate advocacy. Tune in to this episode covering the remarkable progress in renewable energy, the importance of down-ballot voting, and the power each of us holds in our hands.
The policy roadmap
If you’ve made it this far, we know you want details. So here they are – our roadmap to a bright climate future in the West, organized by issue area. Here’s our plan for how we can protect lives and lands across the West by decarbonizing the energy sector, revitalizing our waterways, and protecting our iconic landscapes.
A Bright Future for Energy
WRA is working towards a future where: The West has reduced annual greenhouse gas emissions by at least 120 million tons.
The world’s leading scientists have called for cutting GHG emissions by at least 50% below 2005 levels by 2030. By focusing on transitioning electricity generation from fossil fuels to renewables and other clean sources, using it to power our transportation and buildings, and modernizing the electric grid for efficient delivery, WRA’s strategies will achieve over half of the remaining reductions needed in our region.
A Bright Future for Water
WRA is working towards a future where: Western states are using 25% less water, and the Colorado and other key rivers are protected.
The Colorado River is in crisis. Decades of overuse and ongoing drought are forcing us to confront the decline of this life-giving river. The situation is now so severe that massive infrastructure on the river is at grave risk. WRA has identified strategic policy interventions that, when advanced together, will decrease water demands and protect key rivers at the scale necessary to avert disaster.
A Bright Future for Lands and Wildlife
WRA is working towards a future where: 30% of Western lands in each major ecoregion are protected.
Unparalleled natural landscapes define our region but are increasingly threatened by human development. Natural areas are disappearing at an alarming rate and causing rapid extinction of plants and animals. We must permanently protect our natural heritage and shape responsible policies to safeguard these places, the biodiversity that depends on them, and maintain a livable planet for all of us.
