I have identified that there is current legislation in Houston, Texas, that have the potential to affect the local environment. Namely, the Senate of the state of Texas has proposed to prohibit Texas cities from regulating greenhouse gas emissions in 2021 (The Texas State Senate, 2021a). The official title of the legislation is “Senate Bill No. 1261,” which was drafted and proposed by Birdwell and approved by eight members of the nine committee voters, which allowed the Bill to be officially enacted in all Texas cities, including Houston (The Texas State Senate, 2021b). The Senate Bill provides an exclusive jurisdiction for the state, which allows any Texas organizations or private bodies to avoid any methods to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, the legislation prohibits local or national environmental organizations from intruding and attempting to regulate the mentioned ecological impact. One of the key concepts in the Bill is greenhouse gas emissions, which are noted to have the meaning assigned by another document in the Texas Law (The Texas State Senate, 2021a). Hence, in accordance with Texas Health and Safety Code, greenhouse gas emissions include “carbon dioxide, … methane, … nitrous oxide, … hydrofluorocarbons, … perfluorocarbons …. and sulfur hexafluoride” (The Texas State Senate, 2021c, para. 49). Regarding the persons or organizations that are not permitted to regulate the greenhouse gas emissions, they are defined as a municipality or other political unit (The Texas State Senate, 2021a). Therefore, the legislation under discussion frees from the responsibility of the Texas plants’ owners, other entrepreneurs, and automobile drivers, who might add up to the greenhouse gas emissions. In brief, the Texas State Law does not prohibit the direct impact on the local environment.
In fact, Senate Bill No. 1261 would make it illegal for Texas communities to regulate greenhouse gas pollution that causes climate change. A rise in greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere causes positive climatic forcing or heating. Climate change has already influenced the community in various ways, including the increased frequency of extreme weather conditions such as heatwaves, hurricanes, and flooding (U.S. Global Change Research Program, n.d.). These changes, in turn, cause the instability of food supply chains and environment-related illnesses. As a result, I do not agree that the legislation under discussion is adequate. Houston, a city based on the oil and natural gas industry’s prosperity, is taking the initiative on climate change. Cities carry the economic strain of catastrophe response and defending our most vulnerable citizens. The first role of a city is to preserve community health, and for communities across Texas, this involves adopting real climate action. Like other Texas communities, Houston is responding to climate change by elevating structures, improving retention, and supporting green infrastructure. Houston has a moral duty to cut greenhouse gas emissions and prevent the terrible impacts of climate change since it is the residence of much of the nation’s energy industry. The city’s actions will lower the frequency and magnitude of future disasters and heat waves and their influence on its community’s most vulnerable residents. Houston, the location of global energy leading organizations, is responsible for directing the creation of breakthrough technologies and techniques required to reduce carbon emissions in the entire global energy industry. If Houston-based firms follow the lead and produce scalable, low-carbon technologies, the state will have created a vibrant green economy.
References
The Texas State Senate. (2021a). 87(R) SB 1261. Web.
The Texas State Senate. (2021b). 87(R) SB 1261 COMMITTEE VOTE. Web.
The Texas State Senate. (2021c). Texas Health and Safety Code. Clean Air Act (Chapter 382). Web.
U.S. Global Change Research Program. (n.d.). Impacts on society. GlobalChange.Gov. Web.