Coal-fired powered plant / istockphoto.com, acilo
The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) is disappointed by last week’s U.S. Supreme Court decision on West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which limits the agency’s authority to address our nation’s climate crisis. ASLA urges Congress to expand the regulatory authority of the EPA and other executive departments and agencies to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The U.S. Supreme Court decision will not lessen landscape architects’ resolve to address climate change. ASLA will work closely with our advocacy partners to advance our goals on Capitol Hill and with the Biden-Harris administration. We need legislation that empowers the EPA and other agencies to protect communities from the growing impacts of climate change.
While this decision presents another hurdle in the global fight against climate change, landscape architects will not be dissuaded in efforts to plan and design meaningful solutions. Climate change has long been at the forefront of landscape architects’ work. A recent survey of ASLA members found that 65 percent of landscape architects and designers are recommending the integration of climate solutions to “all or most” of their clients. ASLA will continue collaborating with its members to amplify their growing climate change-driven design work and share learnings and insights with our partners on Capitol Hill.