What happened during US Climate Action Week?

19 April 2021, 23:38 UTC 4 min read

Lead up

Businesses, universities, hospitals, scientists, activists, and others declared their support for an ambitious NDC, aggregated on the America Is All In website
Citigroup commits $1 trillion to sustainable finance by 2030 (April 16)
Apple launches a $200 million fund with Conservation International and Goldman Sachs that aims to remove at least 1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually from the atmosphere. (April 15)
The Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley releases a new report showing that, with the right policy, it is technically and economically feasible for all new car and truck sales to be electric by 2035 (April 15)
Chair of C40 unveils 125 more commitments of cities to net-zero by 2050. 700 cities in total are now committed to halving emissions within the next decade and reaching net-zero by 2050 (April 16)
Investors managing $11 trillion have called on the world’s biggest banks to phase out financing of fossil-fuel companies and throw their weight behind the goals of the Paris climate agreement. (April 18)

United Mine Workers of America expresses support for renewable energy in exchange for jobs and endorses a just transition
13 utility companies, including Talen Energy Corp and Excelon Corp, express support for Clean Energy Standard and other policies to reduce power sector emissions 80% by 2030
E2 hosted a national press conference call to release annual Clean Jobs America report
Clean Tech Company, CarbonCure Wins NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE. This competition challenges participants to develop innovative tech to convert carbon dioxide emissions to usable products and tackle climate change
Breakthrough Energy will back the Labor Energy Partnership and plans five regional workshops on metals and minerals for clean energy technology
Los Angeles Mayor commits the city to reaching 97% carbon-free energy by 2030
Youth activists take New York Climate Clock to Washington, D.C.
Amazon announces nine new utility-scale wind and solar energy projects in North America and Europe, making it the largest corporate buyer of renewable energy in the world

Rhodium Group releases a new report finding that investments in decarbonizing electricity can create more than 600,000 jobs a year on average for the next decade
Sacramento Municipal Utility District plans to provide carbon-free power by 2030
Salesforce announces its support for mandatory climate reporting

Mark Carney and Nigel Topping launch the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), an umbrella initiative to mobilize all parts of the finance system to accelerate the transition to net-zero emissions. It brings together over 160 financial firms collectively responsible for $70 trillion in assets under management
The Dalai Lama and 100 other Nobel Prize winners call for a fossil fuel phaseout
Over 1200 state and local officials from all 50 states call on Congress to pass the American Jobs Plan
Climate Mayors releases a new report on a green and equitable national recovery
Twelve governors call for a federal standard to ensure that all new passenger vehicles are zero-emission no later than 2035
An additional 98 US companies support a national climate target of at least 50% emissions reductions by 2030, bringing the total to 408 brands including Ford, Pfizer, Apple, Starbucks and Target
In their annual State of the Air report, the American Lung Association finds that 40% of American are living in places with unhealthy air pollution, and people of color are three times more likely to breathe the most polluted air than white people
US Steel Corporation pledges to reach net-zero emissions by 2050
New York teachers unions launch Carbon Free and Healthy Schools campaign

Corporations including Amazon, Nestle, Salesforce and AirBnB join forces with the United States, Norway and Britain to launch a new project to raise at least $1 billion to reduce deforestation.
Mayor Bill Peduto signs executive order pledging Pittsburgh to become carbon neutral by 2050.
Xiye Bastida delivers youth demands to world leaders at President Biden’s Leaders Summit on Climate.
New York City files a lawsuit against several oil companies and announces plans to make the city’s school bus fleet 100% electric by 2035.
New York State announces more than 20 large-scale renewable energy projects and launches $50 million building decarbonization program
New Jersey Governor Murphy releases state's first climate change resilience strategy
Wisconsin Governor vers signs Executive Order pledging to conserve and restore forestland
Massachusetts Governor Baker signs Executive Order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at state facilities
Maine Governor Mills announces $500,000 Innovation Challenge to spur clean energy Seart-Ups, create jobs
Illinois Governor Pritzker Issues Executive Orders to protect consumers and advance clean energy efforts
Michigan Governor Whitmer announces state offices will be 100% renewable energy by 2025
Miami releases new greenhouse gas reduction plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2050

The U.S. Climate Alliance of 25 governors commits to collectively reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030 in alignment with the federal government’s new NDC
Rensselaer launches new Institute for Energy, the Built Environment, and Smart Systems
California announces it will phase out oil extraction by 2045 and ban new fracking permits by 2024