Though never my first choice for president by a long-shot, I find myself pleasantly surprised by President-elect Joe Biden’s climate plan. According to NPR, President-elect Biden has “proposed the most aggressive plan to tackle climate change of any major party nominee,” which is undoubtedly a step in the right direction for the United States recovering from the Trump-era. Nevertheless, should he promise more?
Over the past four years, President Donald Trump worked tirelessly in favor of corporate interests, introducing rollbacks on over one hundred environmental regulations. As the transition of power steadily approaches, President-elect Biden finds himself between a rock and a hard place. Not only do he and his administration have to reverse President Trump’s climate rollbacks, but they must also quickly implement the most aggressive climate policies yet to reduce U.S. emissions. Even then, nothing short of a miracle is needed to prevent catastrophic environmental change.
Biden’s climate plan, released in January 2020, is surprisingly thorough, focusing on a “clean energy revolution and environmental justice.” The plan puts the United States on track for net-zero emissions by 2050. To do so, Biden proposes a $2 trillion federal investment in clean energy and sustainable infrastructure over the next four years, “paid for by rolling back the Trump tax incentives that enrich corporations at the expense of American jobs and the environment.”
President-elect Biden divides his climate plan into six categories: infrastructure, transit, energy, buildings, agriculture, and environmental justice. For each type, he presents actionable goals to strive for, backed by federal funding. Regarding infrastructure, for example, Biden recognizes the degradation of bridges and roads, and he proposes to “create millions of good, union jobs rebuilding America’s crumbling infrastructure.” At a time when 25% of Americans claim that someone in their household has lost a job to the COVID-19 pandemic, Biden’s assurances could not come at a more opportune moment.
Nevertheless, Biden appears to undermine his own plans. Despite his claim that climate change is the “number one issue facing humanity,” Biden’s climate plan doesn’t go far enough at addressing climate change. Throughout the debate season, Biden emphasized his stance on fracking, a process that involves drilling followed by applying a high-pressure water mixture to release the gas inside the rock. An incredibly volatile operation, fracking requires millions of gallons of water per year. Additionally, fracking enhances the risk of water supply contamination as a result of harmful chemicals leaking into the groundwater. Biden’s early refusal to outright ban fracking colors the incoming administration’s climate change policy, suggesting to the American people that Biden and his team aren’t as climate minded as they claim.
During the first presidential debate this past fall, then former Vice-President Biden also voiced his opposition to the Green New Deal (GND), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Ed Markey’s progressive climate plan. Biden spent much of his campaign appealing to centrists and moderates, projecting himself as the sane alternative to an unhinged Trump. Voicing disagreement with the Green New Deal aligns with Biden’s calls to heal America, as he works to reach across the aisle. Still, reaching across the aisle comes with its own price: continued climate degradation.
Unless the Democrats win in Georgia during the upcoming Senate runoff election in January 2021, they won’t have the votes necessary to pass climate legislation through the Senate without the assistance of their Republican colleagues. While not an impossible task, it’s certainly close to one–only one Republican senator, Susan Collins (R-ME), has a substantial record of voting against any Trump-backed policy. Without control of the Senate, Biden will struggle to pass the imperative, let alone aggressive, climate legislation needed to stop the planet from surpassing the 1.5°C benchmarks necessary to prevent disastrous warming.
If President-elect Biden and his administration intend on putting their money where their mouth is, they must commit to specific emissions targets across a reasonable timeline. Rejoining the Paris Agreement is a step in the right direction, but not nearly enough to make a significant dent in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. Ultimately, if Biden and his team are serious about minimizing global warming, Biden may find himself reviewing the rulebook on executive orders before it’s too late.