Friends –
Happy New Year. The turning of the Gregorian calendar is symbolic of the change that’s ahead of us in 2024. There is so much at stake this year, and we cannot continue with business as usual. Together, we need to take urgent action to address the impacts of climate change and the effects of wildfires and pollution to our communities and our land.
As part of my work at the state legislature, I championed the Climate Commitment Act which aims to decrease harmful emissions while improving health in some of our most vulnerable communities, including South Seattle, South King County, Tri-Cities, and 13 other overburdened areas. One of the requirements of this act is a report every two years that tracks progress in overburdened areas across Washington State.
The first report was published over the holidays, and the health impacts from it are, frankly, alarming…
- People in communities highly impacted by air pollution have more health problems, including lung and heart disease, compared to the state average.
- People highly impacted by air pollution live an average of 2.4 years less than people in the rest of the state.
- Older adults in areas with high air pollution were twice as likely to die from illnesses linked to breathing fine particles from human-caused sources than the statewide average.
It’s been made clear over and over again that we cannot keep living how we’re living. We can make decisions now that better care for all Washingtonians and the land we share. I was honored to join my colleagues, Governor Jay Inslee, Senator Joe Nguyen, and Representative Joe Fitzgibbon, this week as we discussed ways Washington is leading climate policy.
Join us today as we work to build a present and future that’s healthy and healing for all.
Onwards,
Rebecca
Team Rebecca Saldaña (D)
PO Box 20776
Seattle, WA 98102
United States