Houston, we have a solution.
In 2017, Hurricane Harvey became tied for the costliest hurricane to batter the United States. The damage amounted to $125 billion, 106 American deaths and the loss of livelihood from destruction caused by Harvey. Even at the mercy of earth’s changing climate, Houston’s leadership still clings to its reputation as an oil-driven city. Fossil fuels will become our undoing if we cannot act to uncouple our relationship with the petroleum industry, which puts profit over our lives.
Houston-area representatives such as Lizzie Fletcher and Sylvia Garcia continue to take thousands of dollars from the oil and gas industry while refusing to support a Green New Deal. Not supporting bold climate action is a matter of life or death for our city, a true representative or local official would understand that as the reality of Houston.
Accepting money from the industry directly responsible for climate inaction, rapid climate change and simultaneously poisoning our water and air is just the beginning of how our state and local leadership has failed us.
Houston, and those of us that call it home, is under threat.
We are under threat because as we breathe everyday, Houston ranks as one of the worst cities for air pollution and air quality.
We are under threat because as we try to build our lives, hurricanes, tropical storms and floods that are increasingly more severe due to warming and rising sea levels devastate our infrastructure and communities year after year.
Our well-being and pursuit of happiness is under threat; It took a pandemic to expose what happens when the cost to take care of our health, our families and basic necessities continue to rise without guaranteed healthcare and increased wages.
We are under threat because as the world is taking climate action and inevitably shifting away from fossil fuels, and if we do not embrace green energy, we will not be able to waiver through oil’s current and future economic downturn.
Houston, we have a problem.
If we do not act, we will lose our home and possibly our livelihoods.
We have under a decade to subvert the worst of rapid climate change. Currently, Houston is the epitome of fossil fuel-reliant culture. Our economy depends on oil’s future. Our infrastructure caters to cars rather than the people. Our urban planning completely disregards building a resilient city, which exposes us to the worst of sea level rise, heat waves, flooding and hurricanes.
What makes a Green New Deal an uphill battle for Houston is precisely why our city has the most to gain and the most potential to have an outsized influence on the fight for our lives and our planet.
Houston, we have a solution.
We want to live up to our “Space City” reputation and showcase that we can be the center of innovation and societal advancement again. Our issue is clear. We need to reduce our carbon emissions as much as possible over the next decade. With president-elect Biden on the verge of taking office, our city can display what the future of our planet and country could look like.
This is our solution
To transform our title as the “energy capital of the world” to the “sustainable energy capital of the world.”
To give our working families, especially those employed by the oil and gas industry, guaranteed work and guaranteed time to transition to the future of our green energy sector.
To ensure clean air and water is a right to all communities, not just the privileged one.
To grant healthcare and dignified wages to all.
To uplift our communities and instill a culture of care and repair in how we establish policy and law.
We will need the help of our representatives, local officials and the people of Houston to fight for this, but it can be done. If we can, and we will, build a Green New Deal in Houston, we will benefit substantially.
As Houston stands, its proximity to the petrochemical refineries and fossil fuel plants affects our health and well-being; this is especially true for our marginalized communities and communities of color that are disproportionately affected. We must do everything we can to care for our neighbors and to ensure the health of our workforce to carry this bold vision.
If we want to ensure our economic future, we must accept that oil is no longer sustainable for our home. We must transition into a hub of green energy; we must retire as the hub of oil and gas. This transition worries those employed by the petroleum industry. We must ensure that our workers are given time and training to transition towards the new green energy sector.
We will need engineers to develop this new energy system. We will need skilled labor, such welders and construction workers, to retrofit and assemble these new innovations. We will need business professionals that can ensure everything is managed and run effectively. We will need knowledgeable organizations to rebuild our ecosystems that will defend us from floods, hurricanes, sea level rise, heatwaves and any other environmental or human-caused disaster.
One thing is certain if we pursue a green new deal, we will have guaranteed work for generations to come. We can ensure our security as residents to work, health and happiness.
All of this will compile to reduce our carbon emissions and aid our citizens. It will make us a leader in the fight to combat rapid climate change. We can come back better on the other side.
We won the presidency that gives us the chance to fight for this future. It is up to us to pressure our politicians to fight for us. We will push our representative to be more bold in climate action or we will elect candidates that will represent us. We will act to ensure our citizens are cared for. We will work to educate and bring to light the issues that plague our home. We will make way for equitable, fair and just solutions. We are fighting for our future and we will need as many hands on deck as possible.
Houston, we have a solution. We are the solution, and we encourage you to join alongside us to build a better and brighter future with us.
