Dear Editor:

In the midst of an awful summer, some good news on the climate.

July’s record-breaking heat waves caused hundreds of fatalities in northern Mexico and the US Southwest; This August’s Maui inferno was one of the worst in US history in deaths and property losses. And Hilary, the first major tropical storm to make landfall in Southern California since 1939, has caused significant property damage in our mountain and desert areas.

It’s easy to get discouraged in the face of so many climate-related disasters.

Thankfully, however, and due in part to the advocacy and votes of now-retired Downey-area congress member Lucille Roybal-Allard, current Congressman Robert Garcia, and many of their colleagues, both retired and now in Congress, our nation is beginning to forcefully confront climate change.

When the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, the world’s biggest climate bill, was signed into law last August, it allocated over $370 billion towards clean-energy projects, with at least $21.2 billion destined for California.

Given its abundant wind and solar resources, our state continues to lead the fight to reduce climate pollution. In 2021, the Golden State employed almost half a million clean-energy workers. With the passage of the IRA, this number is expected to grow. In Southern California alone, nearly 14 GW of additional clean energy is planned: the Department of Energy estimates that by 2030 our region will see at least four billion dollars invested in large-scale clean-power generation and storage.

This massive investment illustrates how California families, workers, and businesses can benefit while tackling climate change, the most pressing challenge of our time.

The Inflation Reduction Act incentivizes California residents to cut emissions while reducing household utility bills and improving air quality. Savvy consumers are already taking advantage of savings of more than $1,000 per year by purchasing electric cars, induction stoves and cooktops, and other energy-efficient appliances.

Playing politics with this legislation or the climate issue may be tempting with an election year approaching. But any efforts to roll back or redirect this critical climate investment would be a mistake. Voters want the fight against climate change to continue and for these benefits to continue to flow to our state.

Our legislators must look beyond the next election to the future of our nation, state, and local communities. They should strengthen clean energy efforts, which will bring even more good jobs and financial benefits to the people of California.

This summer’s climate disasters remind us that climate change endangers us no matter where we live, but there is hope. The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, with its investments to protect our climate, is taking big steps towards a better economic and climate future.

Anita Rivero
Downey