Our mountain communities in the American West are experiencing detrimental effects to our environments and economies as a result of climate change: increases in catastrophic wildfire, the spread of the mountain pine beetle epidemic, and reduced snowpack are just a few of the impacts compromising our landscapes and, in turn, our tourism-based economies. Through an innovative lens, the Mountain Pact empowers mountain communities to build resilience in the face of economic and environmental stresses, and calculates how to best speak to these challenges through federal climate mitigation and adaptation policy. Together, our mountain communities seek to address the devastating stresses of climate change. In order to be successful, we need national action to reduce carbon emissions as well as local initiatives to bolster our economic growth and preserve our natural landscapes. However, without an organized voice in federal policymaking and adequate financial resources, our mountain towns are left vulnerable. While mountain constituencies are underrepresented, on the other end of the spectrum, urban cities and coastal communities around the country are joining forces and getting their voice heard. By forming regional and peer community groups to advocate for federal climate policy and funding, urban and coastal areas are getting results that make a difference. The Mountain Pact offers a new approach, one that looks beyond urban and coastal areas to engage a new constituency in climate change policy and advocacy. By bringing our vulnerable mountain communities together, the Mountain Pact engages a new constituency in the national climate dialog and builds economic and environmental resilience through a shared voice on federal policy. The Mountain Pact is a nonprofit project fiscally sponsored by Sierra Business Council (501c3).
