By Thais Lopez Vogel
The recently passed Inflation Reduction Act is one of the most ambitious pieces of legislation we have seen recently in the United States.
It seeks to benefit people through a wide range of actions, such as reducing the deficit, lowering prescription drug prices and investing in domestic energy production to make it more affordable and reliable.
But what we celebrate most is that this is the first law of this magnitude that recognizes the climate crisis and promotes clean energy, while seeking to reduce energy costs for homes, businesses and transportation.
It also aims to create jobs, especially in new industries that can offer us a clean, safe and healthy future for our children and grandchildren. These are all ambitious actions to contribute with solutions.
There will be incentives for individuals and companies to move toward environmentally friendly energy, while promoting changes in agriculture to achieve this goal. There will also be work on climate justice by supporting environmentally disadvantaged communities.
One of the most welcome aspects is that these actions will benefit states that urgently need them, such as Florida, Texas, New York and California, which are the most affected by climate change and have the largest Hispanic population in the nation.
This proves that awareness of taking climate change seriously and working to contain it has increased. It is a demonstration that we are a nation capable of coming together when the really important things are at stake.
It is now up to the representatives of each state to turn this green light from the federal government into a better quality of life for all residents.
For example, Florida is the state with the second highest number of electric vehicles, which totaled 3% of those sold last year and are already 1% of the total. Consumers are changing their mindset and this will push authorities and companies to change it as well.
It is urgent to multiply the number of charging stations for these cars and this is possible under the new law. Florida Power & Light has already reported the installation of more than a thousand new charging points in some two hundred locations throughout the state.
This, along with options such as solar and wind power, will reduce costs for American homes and businesses.
New jobs will be created, which will be related to clean energy generation. By 2030, these new technologies are expected to generate more than 10 million new jobs worldwide.
Our lives changed when automobiles replaced horse-drawn carriages. There is no doubt that today we are on the verge of a new change as significant as that one. A change that is already happening.
