This legislative ask is designed to be shared with your members of Congress and their staff.
“The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world and they that dwell therein.” (Psalm 24:1)
The world is facing increasing shocks from the changing climate. These impacts are particularly acute for countries in the Global South, where climate change is manifesting in sea level rise, increased flooding, intensified drought conditions, biodiversity loss, and much more.
These emergent shocks serve as a force multiplier on other pre-existing global challenges, including the food crisis exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the debt crisis in the developing world.
For centuries, Quakers have been committed to taking “away the occasion of all wars.” As resource scarcity increases communal tensions, Friends see international climate assistance as key to preventing conflict and human suffering. By reducing the “occasion for wars,” this funding is also directly in line with the national security interests of our country.
We urge Congress to robustly support climate assistance in the Fiscal Year 2024 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPs) appropriations bill. This includes funding no less than:
- $2.7 billion for direct U.S. climate assistance to expand the use of renewable energy, end deforestation and ecosystem degradation, and strengthen vulnerable community’s resilience to climate impacts such as severe storms, drought, decreased agricultural productivity, and increased water scarcity.
- $4.3 billion for multilateral initiatives to help the most vulnerable countries adapt to climate impacts, develop robust food and water systems amid climate changes, and support intra-regional stability in climate-vulnerable regions—a key national security priority for the United States.
As one the largest historic emitters of greenhouse gases, the United States has a moral obligation to assist the developing countries bearing the worst impacts of climate change and prevent the “occasion for wars” stemming from these impacts.