In July, a pair of Senators gathered reporters in the U.S. Capitol Building to deliver a message to President Joe Biden: It's time to declare a climate emergency. It was, to be sure, something of a Hail Mary.
The prospects of major climate legislation had dimmed, and the two Democrats were desperate, worried it could be years before Congress tackled climate change in a meaningful way. "Am I concerned that it will be a decade before we have a climate majority?," said Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, alongside Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island. "I am damn concerned."
Less than three weeks later, Democratic Senators walked off the Senate floor in celebration after passing the Inflation Reduction Act, the most significant climate legislation in U.S. history. In the coming days, the House of Representative is expected to follow suit, sending the bill to Biden, who, with his signature, will begin a new era of climate policy in America.
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