PRESS RELEASE: EDF President Fred Krupp, Sausalito, California Mayor Melissa Blaustein, and Admiral Scott H. Swift, USN (ret) Join Climate Migration Council
Krupp, Blaustein, and Swift Sign On To Help Put People at the Center of Climate Action
NEW YORK – EDF President Fred Krupp, Sausalito, California Mayor Melissa Blaustein, and Admiral Scott H. Swift, USN (ret) have joined the Climate Migration Council – a group of world leaders who share a commitment to putting people at the center of climate action and accelerating global solutions to climate-related migration. The Council aims to raise awareness about the importance of climate-driven migration, promote unified action toward migration policy solutions, and leverage the power of a collective voice in accomplishing its goals.
Last month, Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock, Albuquerque Mayor Timothy M. Keller, Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly, and Makah Tribal Chairman Timothy Greene joined the Climate Migration Council leading up to the inaugural Cities Summit of the Americas. The group has nearly 60 members and continues to gain momentum. At the recent Cities Summit of the Americas, the Climate Migration Council partnered with the U.S. State Department, USAID, Mayors Migration Council and C40 Cities to discuss the impact of the climate crisis on urban migration and the need for more investment in city-led solutions. Coming out of the meeting, USAID announced a new investment across the Latin America and Caribbean region to help build cities’ resilience to the impacts of climate change, with a focus on addressing the unique needs of migrant communities.
“As mayor of a small coastal California town, I am already seeing some effects of climate change migration,” said Sausalito Mayor Melissa Blaustein. “The wildfires that are devastating our neighboring communities are affecting housing in our county as people move away from the disasters. They're predicting the sea level could rise 7 feet in the Bay Area by the year 2100. What we are experiencing is nowhere near as dramatic as the impact of some other communities around the world, but the fact is, we all need to act now and at the local level. Migration is a growing challenge, and Sausalito is proud to join leaders from around the world as a member of the climate migration council in developing critical policy measures that will allow us to be a welcoming and resilient community in the years to come.”
“EDF is incredibly honored to join the Climate Migration Council to help deliver equitable solutions to the burgeoning crisis of climate-related human mobility,” said Fred Krupp, President of Environmental Defense Fund. “These are complicated issues requiring expertise in many critical areas such as adaptation of coastal communities, risk management and social and economic analysis, stronger institutions and national policy, and promoting environmental justice and a just transition. In partnership with the council, we will work together to ensure these complex issues are explored through all appropriate lenses to create positive outcomes and opportunities.”
“Operating in the maritime domain for over 40 years, I saw first hand the ubiquitous and insidious leading edge of climate change,” said Admiral Scott H. Swift, USN (ret). “Now, the destabilizing effects of climate change are undeniable. Implications transcend environmental concerns. As communities, and eventually nations, succumb to climatic change, reverberations will impact all of our lives and livelihoods. With climate challenges transcending community, civil, commercial, and national institutions, it is critical to draw individuals from all these institutions to seek solutions. Membership on the Climate Migration Council is just such an opportunity. I am committed to leveraging membership to amplify my own efforts, and those of others.”
Environmental Defense Fund President Fred Krupp is a leading voice on climate change, energy, and sustainability, and a champion for harnessing the power of the marketplace to protect our environment.
Sausalito Mayor Melissa Blaustein is an environmental champion who acts locally while contributing to the broader dialogue as befits her position as a subnational leader. Her commitment to the Council demonstrates that cities are at the front lines of the climate crisis and will need support as they demonstrate resilience and adaptation to global warming.
Admiral Scott H. Swift, USN (ret) is a distinguished leader whose credentials compliment those of his fellow Council members while also offering a valuable new perspective to the group of leaders tasked with tackling an issue that permeates so many different aspects of policy and security. Admiral Swift’s membership shows his commitment to the mission of the Council while signaling that the only way to accomplish this mission is to bring together leaders from across disciplines in our race to address climate change.
Find more information on the council, including how to join, here.