Climate Change & Wildlife

 

                                                 Roscommon/Crawford Chapter

Biden Plan for Fixing Climate Change

 

Now that we have fired the old President, we can expect the incoming Biden/Harris Administration to take immediate and aggressive action in fixing climate change, unlike the former administration whose work on climate reminds of those sailors who re-arranged the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Here is a summary of the Biden action plan for fixing climate change.

John Kerry has been named as special envoy for climate protection and a standing member of the U.S. National Security Council, responsible for global climate leadership as the United States resumes its former role  encouraging world-wide cooperation in reducing air pollution. It is expected that Biden will name other men and women to additional climate leadership jobs in his Administration.

Stated goals of the new Administration are the following as indicated in the published Biden plan:  

 

1.         Ensure the U.S. achieves a 100% clean energy economy and reaches net-zero emissions no later than 2050 by implementing sound policies, investments, and appropriate research programs that will drive the nation toward cleaner air.

2.         Build a stronger, more resilient nation by making smart infrastructure investments to rebuild the nation, ensuring that our buildings, water, transportation, and energy infrastructure can withstand the impacts of climate change.  Assure that every dollar spent toward rebuilding our roads, bridges, buildings, the electric grid, and our water infrastructure will be used to prevent, reduce, and withstand a changing climate.

3.         Rally the rest of the world to meet the threat of climate change. Climate change is a global challenge that requires decisive action from every country around the world.

4.         Stand up to the abuse of power by polluters who disproportionately harm communities of color and low-income communities by taking action against fossil fuel companies and other polluters who put profit over people and knowingly harm our environment and poison our communities’ air, land, and water, or conceal information regarding potential environmental and health risks.

5.         Making a historic investment in our clean energy future and environmental justice, paid for by rolling back the Trump tax incentives that enrich corporations at the expense of American jobs and the environment. Biden’s climate and environmental justice proposal will make a federal investment of $1.7 trillion over the next ten years, leveraging additional private sector and state and local investments to total to more than $5 trillion.

Here are some of the detailed changes that are being planned:

•          Requiring aggressive methane pollution limits for new and existing oil and gas operations.

•          Using the Federal government procurement system – which spends $500 billion every year – to drive towards 100% clean energy and zero-emissions vehicles.

•          Ensuring that all U.S. government installations, buildings, and facilities are more efficient and climate-ready, harnessing the purchasing power and supply chains to drive innovation.

•          Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transportation – the fastest growing source of U.S. climate pollution – by preserving and implementing the existing Clean Air Act, and developing rigorous new fuel economy standards aimed at ensuring 100% of new sales for light- and medium-duty vehicles will be electrified and annual improvements for heavy duty vehicles.

•          Doubling down on the liquid fuels of the future, which make agriculture a key part of the solution to climate change. Advanced biofuels are now closer than ever as we begin to build the first plants for biofuels, creating jobs and new solutions to reduce emissions in planes, ocean-going vessels, and more.

•          Saving consumers money and reducing emissions through new, aggressive appliance- and building-efficiency standards.

•          Committing that every federal infrastructure investment should reduce air pollution and require any federal permitting decision to consider the effects of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.

•          Requiring public companies to disclose climate risks and the greenhouse gas emissions in their operations and supply chains.

•          Protecting biodiversity, slowing extinction rates and helping leverage natural climate solutions by conserving 30% of America’s lands and waters by 2030.

•          Protecting America’s natural treasures by permanently protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and other areas impacted by President Trump’s attack on federal lands and waters, establishing national parks and monuments that reflect America’s natural heritage, banning new oil and gas permitting on public lands and waters, modifying royalties to account for climate costs, and establishing targeted programs to enhance reforestation and develop renewables on federal lands and waters with the goal of doubling offshore wind by 2030.

 

Fixing the climate change problem is one of four top priorities for the Biden/Harris administration. It seems to me that we are in for an exciting ride over the next four years as our new President and his Administration begins work on the plans they have laid out. We can also look forward to clean air improvements at the state level as the federal programs begin to bear fruit and the government dispenses appropriate funding.

 

Now we need to develop local programs that we can implement for fixing climate change to further and enhance the efforts of state and federal programs. Are we ready? What shall we do as a first priority?