Policy Manager Taylor Luneau Leads out of the ice cave on Mindbender at Lake Willoughby while belayed by IFMGA mountain guide Kel Rossiter. Photo Credit: Alden Pellet
THE AMERICAN ALPINE CLUB CELEBRATES A YEAR OF CLIMATE ADVOCACY
The American Alpine Club is swiftly approaching its one year anniversary of the Climbers for Climate campaign. After sifting through over 5,000 survey results in 2019, it became clear - climbers care deeply about the issue of climate change. Survey responses indicated that our community is concerned about the impact of climate change on our climbing landscapes, communities, and the outdoor recreation economy. We, as an organization, decided that it was time to take action. We heard you.
On June 1st, 2019, we released AAC’s first official policy position statement on climate change. Using responses derived from member surveys, scientific research, and AAC mission as a guide, we created a comprehensive document that outlines AAC’s climate action items on an internal, national, and global level.
What have we accomplished?
Created a Climate Change Task Force consisting of leading researchers who provide AAC with evidence-based guidance for how the policy team decides where to focus our advocacy work.
Advocated for legislation and policies that mitigate climate change. During Climb the Hill we asked representatives to regulate and reduce carbon pollution and to support a plan to regulate carbon pollution that reduces burdens on low-income communities while mitigating the effects on climate change.
Bills we advocated for: Methane Waste Prevention Act of 2019 (HR 2711), The Climate Action Now Act (HR 9), and The Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act (HR1146).
Launched research projects focused on measuring the impact of climate change on the winter climbing environments and the outdoor recreation economy.
Created meaningful partnerships with organizations working to push the needle on climate, like Protect our Winters, Winter Wildlands Alliance, and Outdoor Alliance.
Climbers are deeply connected to the outdoors and are credible witnesses to the effect climate change has on climbing landscapes and communities around the world.
Thank you for standing up as a community to
demand climate action.
Your support gave us the strength to start our work on climate. And, in the coming year, we’ll use your feedback and what we’ve learned over the past year as a lens to push forward on our commitments, further develop policy campaigns, and develop an updated strategic plan for the AAC Policy department.
We heard you then, and we hear you now. Let’s continue to push for action on climate!