Change the Chamber’s Response to State of the Union

By Change the Chamber Core Team, February 8, 2023

President Biden laid out the historic climate accomplishments of our last year during his energizing State of the Union speech.

President Biden laid out the historic climate accomplishments of our last year during his energizing State of the Union speech. The Inflation Reduction Act has been our best federal climate bill passed so far; it has lowered energy bills for many Americans, made investments in our infrastructure, increased clean energy production, and provided more protections for our air and water. Even with these advancements, we still need to make substantial progress to achieve the President’s goal of 50% reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. During the speech, President Biden strayed from his pre-prepared address to say we would continue to need fossil fuels for “at least another decade…and beyond that.” However, the International Energy Agency’s Net Zero by 2050 report and roadmap make clear that we cannot afford new fossil fuel developments if we are to achieve this crucial goal.

As citizens and young adults, we are willing and able to do as much as possible to address the climate crisis, and we will continue to call on our government officials to meet our willingness with more substantive changes. We applaud the recent progress made on climate and are glad that President Biden called out oil companies for taking advantage of the ongoing energy crisis by using it to raise record profits. Despite this historic progress, we will continue to push for further environmental and climate action that protects those most vulnerable.

“In his State of the Union address, President Biden recognized the climate crisis as the existential threat it is, that we as youth are overwhelmingly aware of. While the climate action we’ve had so far is progress we need, it isn’t enough to combat climate change completely. We need bold action that moves us further away from fossil fuels and saves our planet for future generations!” – Sarah Hill, Change the Chamber Climate Fellow

“President Biden delivered a powerful SOTU speech, and I was happy to see him call out oil executives while stressing the importance of climate action. Along with that, I was glad that he brought up how we are going to be replacing lead pipes for millions of homes across the country, including many in marginalized communities. Marginalized communities often face the worst environmental health challenges - it is important that we center those communities as we take action in the future.” - Emma Woelkers, Change the Chamber Climate Fellow

Change The Chamber is a bipartisan coalition of over 100 student groups, including undergraduates, graduate students and recent graduates. Contact Change The Chamber at changeuschamber@gmail.com.