Senator files legislative package to tackle climate change in Puerto Rico
The measures call for planning, economic analysis, government accountability and investment in sustainable industries.
As Puerto Rico enters another hurricane season and continues to face the growing effects of climate change, Popular Democratic Party Sen. Ada Álvarez-Conde has introduced a package of legislative measures intended to prompt government action, assess risk and support climate-resilient economic development.
“The island faces tangible and growing threats from climate change: coastal erosion, heat waves, biodiversity loss, and the vulnerability of our agricultural, fishing and tourism industries,” Álvarez-Conde said. “Failure to act urgently represents a human and economic cost that the country cannot afford to ignore.”
Filed in early April, the package includes four resolutions. Senate Resolution 101 directs the Legislative Assembly’s Budget Office (OPAL, in Spanish) to conduct a study on the economic impact of natural disasters over the past 15 years. The analysis would cover local and federal investments in recovery and mitigation.
Senate Concurrent Resolution 7 tasks the Joint Committee on Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation and Resilience with evaluating the Climate Mitigation Plan prepared under Act 33-2019. A detailed report must be submitted to the legislature by June 30. Álvarez-Conde said failure to deliver the report would place the legislature in violation of its own law.
Senate Resolution 103 proposes that the mitigation plan be subjected to macroeconomic analysis by OPAL to assess the projected economic consequences of not adopting expert recommendations.
“OPAL must look beyond the short-term budget. We need to understand the economic consequences of not investing in climate resilience policies today,” she said.
Senate Joint Resolution 40 calls for the development of a used tire recycling industry and the creation of asphalt plants that use recycled materials. It instructs the Department of Economic Development and Commerce to identify public land and allocate funding for the effort.
Álvarez-Conde said the resolution demonstrates how environmental and economic priorities can align.
“By turning a public health and pollution problem into an opportunity to foster sustainable local industries, multiple fronts are addressed: solid waste accumulation is reduced, vector-borne pests and diseases are prevented, road infrastructure is improved, and green jobs are generated,” she said.
The senator stressed the importance of forward-looking policy. While billions in federal recovery funds have been allocated in recent years, she said long-term planning behind those investments remains uncertain.
“These resolutions seek to ensure that the government acts responsibly, with clear data and a sense of urgency,” she said. “We cannot continue to improvise while climate change puts lives, infrastructure and the island’s economy at risk.”
“There is no social justice without climate justice. Our duty as leaders is to anticipate crises, not just react to them,” Álvarez-Conde said.
May as well fight some windmills with a sword too.