So, I'm going to look at a few 2020 candidates' climate plans. First I'll start with Biden given he won the presidency, but I plan to look at a few others including Pete Buttigieg, Andrew yang, Bernie Sanders, and Howie Hawkins. Im choosing those candidates because I remember they were the last few in the race and I remember viewing their proposals before. At this point, I want to see what they're for, and give a general idea of what I think about these various plans. But, given these plans are going to be huge (especially in Sanders' case, dude could've written a book based on his climate plan), I want to address the candidates in separate articles.
Biden's plan can be found here. I won't go into every single detail here, or on any of them, but it should give you an idea of what they're about.
First of all he has a link to his original build back other proposal here, which I will also look at later in this article.
From here on out I'll be quoting parts of it I find interesting and responding to them.
Biden believes the Green New Deal is a crucial framework for meeting the climate challenges we face. It powerfully captures two basic truths, which are at the core of his plan: (1) the United States urgently needs to embrace greater ambition on an epic scale to meet the scope of this challenge, and (2) our environment and our economy are completely and totally connected.
It seems Bernie influenced him here. I remember Bernie really did push him on this issue, and he was forced to move significantly left to try to appease that base. Obviously his BBB proposal was weaker than Bernie's original, but this should give us an idea of what he tried to do.
As president, Biden will lead the world to address the climate emergency and lead through the power of example, by ensuring the U.S. achieves a 100% clean energy economy and net-zero emissions no later than 2050.
Yeah this was definitely weaker than Bernie's, if I recall he wanted to get there by 2030, although his plan cost like 10-20x as much as Biden's.
Ensure the U.S. achieves a 100% clean energy economy and reaches net-zero emissions no later than 2050. On day one, Biden will sign a series of new executive orders with unprecedented reach that go well beyond the Obama-Biden Administration platform and put us on the right track. And, he will demand that Congress enacts legislation in the first year of his presidency that: 1) establishes an enforcement mechanism that includes milestone targets no later than the end of his first term in 2025, 2) makes a historic investment in clean energy and climate research and innovation, 3) incentivizes the rapid deployment of clean energy innovations across the economy, especially in communities most impacted by climate change.
Yeah, again, this came off as weaker than Bernie's plan. He had us swinging to get there by 2030-2035. Whether that's realistic or not is another thing.
Build a stronger, more resilient nation. On day one, Biden will make smart infrastructure investments to rebuild the nation and to ensure that our buildings, water, transportation, and energy infrastructure can withstand the impacts of climate change. 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. As President, Biden will use the convening power of government to boost climate resilience efforts by developing regional climate resilience plans, in partnership with local universities and national labs, for local access to the most relevant science, data, information, tools, and training.
This doesn't seem bad. Resiliency to climate change isn't bad.
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. Joe Biden knows how to stand with America’s allies, stand up to adversaries, and level with any world leader about what must be done. He will not only recommit the United States to the Paris Agreement on climate change – he will go much further than that. He will lead an effort to get every major country to ramp up the ambition of their domestic climate targets. He will make sure those commitments are transparent and enforceable, and stop countries from cheating by using America’s economic leverage and power of example. He will fully integrate climate change into our foreign policy and national security strategies, as well as our approach to trade.
Yeah, this seems essential. If I recall Yang said in a debate once we only contribute to 15% of all climate change, so leveraging foreign policy is necessary to get it done. Biden is also a very skilled president on foreign policy so he actually is a good person to try to do this.
Stand up to the abuse of power by polluters who disproportionately harm communities of color and low-income communities. Vulnerable communities are disproportionately impacted by the climate emergency and pollution. The Biden Administration will take 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. The Biden plan will ensure that communities across the country from Flint, Michigan to Harlan, Kentucky to the New Hampshire Seacoast have access to clean, safe drinking water. And he’ll make sure the development of solutions is an inclusive, community-driven process.
I mean, don't get me wrong, this isn't bad, but it seems like a blatant appeal to the idpol crowd. While there's nothing wrong with this, it hardly seems like it should be a major priority compared to, you know, getting off of fossil fuels and emphasizing renewable energy. Seriously, if there's anything I learned from researching this issue, getting off of fossil fuels is priority #1.
Fulfill our obligation to workers and communities who powered our industrial revolution and subsequent decades of economic growth. This is support they’ve earned for fueling our country’s industrial revolution and decades of economic growth. We’re not going to leave any workers or communities behind.
Again, don't get me wrong, this is important, but again, this isn't the big focus of climate change. Jobs are a means to an end, not an end in itself, and the fact that we even have to talk about joblessness being a problem is really just a messed up aspect of an economy that expects us to work for money. Rather than focusing on new jobs, I'd rather focus on giving people a UBI.
Then again I did read some of the other climate plans before writing this that I plan to cover including Bernie's, and uh...this and the previous point about communities of color are from Bernie's plan. Bernie tends to think the solution is going all FDR and turning it into his grand economic package, keep in mind, the "new deal" aspect of the "green new deal" is supposed to be the alternative to UBI. And that's why we have so much focus on creating jobs here. But climate change legislation should ultimately be about climate change, not just creating jobs. Yes, coal miners in West virginia will be displaced by climate legislation. Cool. We should celebrate that if we had a sane society. "Yes, I dont have to kill myself any more to make a living by giving myself black lung". Instead this insane jobist society is like "but what about the jerbs?" But I digress.
And, Biden has committed that Biden for President will not accept contributions from oil, gas and coal corporations or executives.
Cool, that seems like the bare minimum.
The Biden plan will make 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. President Trump’s tax cut led to trillions in stock buybacks and created new incentives to shift profits abroad. Joe Biden believes we should instead invest in a Clean Energy Revolution that creates jobs here at home.
Okay, I'm not gonna say that we should go full green new deal (which cost $16 trillion over 10 years if i recall), but $1.7 trillion seems kinda weak. How much good can we do with this amount of money?
The Biden plan will be paid for by reversing the excesses of the Trump tax cuts for corporations, reducing incentives for tax havens, evasion, and outsourcing, ensuring corporations pay their fair share, closing other loopholes in our tax code that reward wealth not work, and ending subsidies for fossil fuels.
Yeah, we've looked at BBB before in its original form, he had some decent tax proposals here.
Like, let's face it, Biden is a moderate, but he did actually do some decent things in his original BBB proposal.
I. ENSURE THE U.S. ACHIEVES A 100% CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY AND NET-ZERO EMISSIONS NO LATER THAN 2050
The United States must have a bold plan to achieve a 100% clean energy economy and net-zero emissions no later than 2050 here at home. On day one, Biden will sign a series of executive orders that put us on this track. And, he will demand that Congress enacts legislation in the first year of his presidency that 1) establishes an enforcement mechanism to achieve the 2050 goal, including a target no later than the end of his first term in 2025 to ensure we get to the finish line, 2) makes a historic investment in energy and climate research and innovation, 3) incentivizes the rapid deployment of clean energy innovations across the economy. Failure is not an option. If Congress falls short of its duty to act, Biden will hold them accountable.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Sorry. I had to laugh at the bolded part. I'm sorry, but Biden caving to Manchin and Sinema like he did was...pathetic. And he allowed them to whittle the bill down to nothing.
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 reduce emissions through new, aggressive appliance- and building-efficiency standards.
Committing that every federal infrastructure investment should reduce climate 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.
These seem like good priorities. Focus on getting us off of oil and increasing fuel efficiency for vehicles seem like the big thing. Expanding national parks could help with the deforesting issue I guess.
Notwithstanding the progress we have made in reducing emissions in the power sector, fossil fuels still comprise nearly 80% of global energy use. There is much more work to be done to identify affordable solutions. Today, we are on the cusp of breakthroughs in technologies, such as batteries that can more efficiently store energy for use at moments of peak demand, more efficient controls and sensors for advanced manufacturing, more effective and thinner insulation for buildings, and cybersecurity improvements to make smart grids more resilient to attacks.
Yeah, this seems to be an important priority. Again, FOCUS ON FOSSIL FUELS. That's the big one.
We have to get rid of the old way of thinking that the clean economy and jobs don’t go together. They do. There are currently more than three million people in the United States employed in the clean energy economy. But, there is a huge opportunity to revitalize the U.S. energy sector, boost growth economy-wide, and re-claim the mantle as the world’s clean energy leader and top exporter. And, Joe Biden will ensure that clean economy jobs are good jobs.
Omfg dude, stop focusing on jobs. Jobs are the secondary priority here. Then again he is trying to implement a mini green new deal here.
To accelerate this progress, Biden will make the largest-ever investment in clean energy research and innovation. After World War II, public investment in research and collaboration between universities and the private sector spurred American innovation, led to rapid economic and job growth, and helped build a strong middle class. The Biden plan will double down on this approach to create the industries of the future by investing $400 billion over ten years. That’s twice the investment of the Apollo program which put a man on the moon, in today’s dollars. This investment will enable us to develop new technological break-throughs that will create jobs and drastically reduce emissions.
Ok dont get me wrong, clean energy, again, big priority here. But twice the money of the appolo program? We built like one rocket for that. This is retrofiting the entire nation to get it off of oil.
Like, again, climate change is important, but we need to stop trying it as purely a jobs program.
Bring together America’s top talent to innovate on climate. America – with the leadership of government – has led the way on many technologies and innovations, from the GPS to computer networking. Biden will establish ARPA-C, a new, cross-agency Advanced Research Projects Agency focused on climate. This initiative will target affordable, game-changing technologies to help America achieve our 100% clean energy target, with a specific focus on the following, as recommended by the founding director of ARPA-E:
- grid-scale storage at one-tenth the cost of lithium-ion batteries;
- small modular nuclear reactors at half the construction cost of today’s reactors;
- refrigeration and air conditioning using refrigerants with no global warming potential;
- zero net energy buildings at zero net cost;
- using renewables to produce carbon-free hydrogen at the same cost as that from shale gas;
- decarbonizing industrial heat needed to make steel, concrete, and chemicals and reimagining carbon-neutral construction materials;
- decarbonizing the food and agriculture sector, and leveraging agriculture to remove carbon dioxide from the air and store it in the ground; and
- capturing carbon dioxide from power plant exhausts followed by sequestering it deep underground or using it make alternative products.
Ok, I'm gonna be honest, I like this stuff. This is the "get us off of fossil fuels" stuff.
Target airline emissions: Aviation accounts for nearly 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and that portion is expected to increase. Unfortunately today, few low-carbon technologies or fuels have been developed to tackle this challenge. Biden recognizes that must change and will pursue measures to incentivize the creation of new, sustainable fuels for aircraft, as well as other changes to aircraft technology and standards, and air traffic management.
Yeah this seems important too.
Accelerate the development and deployment of carbon capture sequestration technology. According to the Blue Green Alliance, “carbon capture, use, and storage (CCUS) is a rapidly growing technology that has the potential to create economic benefits for multiple industries while significantly reducing carbon dioxide emissions.” Biden shares the Carbon Capture Coalition’s goal “to make CCUS a widely available, cost-effective, and rapidly scalable solution to reduce carbon emissions to meet mid-century climate goals.” Toward this end, he will double down on federal investments and enhance tax incentives for CCUS. At the same time, to bring new carbon capture technologies to market, Biden will continue to fund carbon capture research, development, and demonstration.
yeah getting carbon out of the atmosphere is important.
Identify the future of nuclear energy. To address the climate emergency threatening our communities, economy, and national security, we must look at all low- and zero-carbon technologies. That’s why Biden will support a research agenda through ARPA-C to look at issues, ranging from cost to safety to waste disposal systems, that remain an ongoing challenge with nuclear power today.
Yes.
Anyway I can tell this is gonna be too long so I'm gonna try to focus on the big stuff that stands out from here on out.
Incentivize the deployment of clean technology throughout our economy. Creating the best, most innovative clean technology in the world is not enough. We also need to make sure it is used by households and industry in order to achieve aggressive emissions reductions. Toward that end, Biden will incentivize clean technology deployment in the following ways:
Yep, this is important.
Improving the energy efficiency of our buildings. Building on his efforts in the Recovery Act, Biden will set a target of reducing the carbon footprint of the U.S. building stock 50% by 2035, creating incentives for deep retrofits that combine appliance electrification, efficiency, and on-site clean power generation.
Cool.
Accelerating the deployment of electric vehicles. There are now one million electric vehicles on the road in the United States. But a key barrier to further deployment of these greenhouse-gas reducing vehicles is the lack of charging stations and coordination across all levels of government. As President, Biden will work with our nation’s governors and mayors to support the deployment of more than 500,000 new public charging outlets by the end of 2030.
Yeah this is important. Even if we can do wind, solar, etc., we still gotta worry about cars. i think electric vehicles have potential but they arent quite there yet as battery tech needs to mature a bit more, and of course the infrastructure isnt there. We need changing stations as common as gas stations to make them work.
Empowering local communities to develop transportation solutions. Communities across the country are experiencing a growing need for alternative and cleaner transportation options, including transit, dedicated bicycle and pedestrian thoroughfares, and first- and last-mile connections.
Yeah, this seems to move us away from cars in places where it works. Seriously the left seems to romanticize us all giving our cars up but it really depends where you live. Public transit makes more sense in NYC than it does in smaller cities and rural areas.
artnering with farmers and ranchers so that better agriculture practices and deployment of digesters generate new sources of revenues. For our family farmers, ranchers, and landowners the climate agenda is not just about growing nutritious food and making it accessible to all families, it’s also about having water they can rely on for growing that food. It’s about local farms and fresh food for every community. And it’s about making sure that floodwaters in the Midwest are not taking away family farms that have fed our people for decades. Biden will review regulatory roadblocks to new innovations and invest in climate-friendly farming such as conservation programs for cover crops and other practices aimed at restoring the soil and building soil carbon, and in the process, preventing run-off and helping family farmers deploy the latest technologies to maximize productivity. He will create new opportunities to support deployment of methane digesters to capture potent climate emissions and generate electricity. With these efforts, family farmers can benefit and help lead the Clean Energy Revolution.
Yeah focusing on farming seems to be a good idea, that did seem to be a major concern from what I could tell.
Mitigating the climate impact of urban sprawl. Housing policy can be used as a tool to battle climate change and expand the middle class. Many lower- and middle-income Americans are forced to live far away from job centers due to high housing costs, leading not only to workers being overburdened by long commutes, but also to higher emissions associated with increased traffic and extra-long commuting times. Altering local regulations to eliminate sprawl and allow for denser, more affordable housing near public transit would cut commute times for many of the country’s workers while decreasing their carbon footprint. This means that emission-reduction strategies not only combat climate change but also save consumers money. Yet, many households often need support to afford the initial investment. Local housing authorities and utility companies have stepped up and helped households invest in energy-efficient upgrades by offering flexible financing plans and tax credits.
Or maybe we can focus more on work from home initatives (seriously COVID showed it works and you wanna make everyone go back to the office ARE YOU NUTS?!), or maybe decoupling work from income. Does everyone really need jobs? Do we need everyone working 40 hours a week? We seriously incentivize people to live in and near major cities and then do long commute times to get to these jobs, and honestly, it isn't working. The whole idea seems like insanity to me. If human activity causes climate change, maybe working less is the solution to it. Not figuring out ways to make people live closer to jobs. Let people live where they want. And stop making them work for a living. If we built our society around working the least we can, maybe we could curb climate change. Keep in mind, COVID lockdowns reduced green house gases by 12% in the US, and actually reduced smog majorly in a lot of cities around the world. Maybe jobs are actually the problem.
Just saying.
Enacting a national strategy to develop a low-carbon manufacturing sector in every state, accelerating cutting-edge technologies and ensuring businesses and workers have access to new technologies and skills, with a major focus on helping small and large manufacturers upgrade their capabilities to have both competitive and low-carbon futures. The strategy will connect research universities, community colleges, incubators and accelerators, manufacturing institutes and employers, unions, and state and local governments – alone or as part of a regional pact – and provide them with significant funding for deployment of a place-based plan to help their state or region build a competitive and low-carbon future in manufacturing that reflects climate impacts in their local communities. Industries from textiles to machine tools to metal fabrication to the most advanced manufacturing technologies will be eligible for funding to modernize, compete, create jobs, and move to clean energy futures. Allocated tax credits and subsidies will be available for businesses to upgrade equipment and processes, invest in expanded or new factories, and deploy low-carbon technologies, as long as all stakeholders are part of the process of determining a bottom-line win for jobs, workers, clean energy, and long-term community investment. Where states feel competitive pressures or requirements in response to the climate emergency may threaten a local economy, Biden’s national strategy will fund efforts to move to a more competitive or low-carbon manufacturing approach that can preemptively develop new economic strategies, including deployment of federal funding for technologies or manufacturing innovation centers.
Okay, again, while we need stuff, stop focusing on jobs for jobs sake. Seriously I know Im gonna have a heart attack when we get to Bernie's plan but i groan every time I see this stuff. Create jobs as we need to to make stuff we need. But when I see people talk JERBS JERBS JERBS i just roll my eyes.
Build a new resilient infrastructure economy. Biden will create a new class of well-paying jobs and job training around climate resilient industries. Coastal restoration, resilient infrastructure design, construction and evaluation (such as bridges that withstand high winds and roads that don’t wash out during storms and floods), natural solutions (such as tree plantings on a large scale to combat urban heat and its associated negative health impacts), and technological solutions to easily assess risk and protect people and their property are all proven to improve the resilience of communities. They are also opportunities for job growth and economic vitality all over the country.
Okay at this point im skipping around but more jobs circlejerking. Im glad hes focusing on updating our infrastructure, but again, all jobs created should be needed to be done. Not just create work for work's sake.
Also, who will do all of these jobs? I suspect that many of these jobs will require a college degree in specific fields.
Spark the second great railroad revolution. Two centuries ago, the first great railroad expansion drove our industrial revolution. Today, the U.S. is lagging behind Europe and China in rail safety and speed. Biden will develop a plan to ensure that America has the cleanest, safest, and fastest rail system in the world – for both passengers and freight.
And here he wants to do high speed rail, which, I see a point in, after all it could replace planes and stuff. But its much slower, and im not sure there's gonna be a huge demand for it. I feel like rail is one of those ideas that's more romanticized by lefties than would actually be practical and mesh with our culture. Still, at least he's thinking. I'd bank more on electric cars though.
The United States accounts for only 15% of global emissions, so we know we cannot solve this emergency on our own. Climate change is a global challenge that requires decisive action from every country around the world. That’s why the Obama-Biden Administration mobilized the world to achieve the 2015 Paris Climate Accord.
Yeah, I was right on the 15% thing.
President Trump recklessly threw away that hard-won progress.
This is referring to working with other countries. yeah. Trump was a freaking idiot. Worst president ever.
Re-enter the Paris Agreement on day one of the Biden Administration and lead a major diplomatic push to raise the ambitions of countries’ climate targets.
Yeah. Dumb move for Trump to pull out of that. I know I hate on dems a lot, but the GOP is just freaking terrible. Don't vote for them. Ever.
Convene a climate world summit to directly engage the leaders of the major carbon-emitting nations of the world to persuade them to join the United States in making more ambitious national pledges, above and beyond the commitments they have already made.
Yep.
Lead the world to lock in enforceable international agreements to reduce emissions in global shipping and aviation.
Sounds good.
Embrace the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, adding momentum to curbing hydrofluorocarbons, an especially potent greenhouse gas, which could deliver a 0.5 degree Celsius reduction in global warming by mid-century.
Pursue strong new measures to stop other countries from cheating on their climate commitments. We can no longer separate trade policy from our climate objectives. Biden will not allow other nations, including China, to game the system by becoming destination economies for polluters, undermining our climate efforts and exploiting American workers and businesses.
YES, and I'm glad he mentioned China since they seem to be one of the leaders in polluting.
Stop China from subsidizing coal exports and outsourcing carbon pollution. China is far and away the largest emitter of carbon in the world, and through its massive Belt and Road Initiative, Beijing is also annually financing billions of dollars of dirty fossil fuel energy projects across Asia and beyond.
Well let's face it, they're a 1.3 billion person superpower rapidly industrializing and having some of the worst pollution in the world. India and Russia also seem quite bad and regressive in this sense.
Make future bilateral U.S.-China agreements on carbon mitigation – like the 2014 agreement that paved the way for the Paris accord – contingent on China eliminating unjustified export subsidies for coal and other high-emissions technologies and making verifiable progress in reducing the carbon footprint of projects connected to the Belt and Road Initiative.
Again, like the focus on China here.
Seek a G20 commitment to end all export finance subsidies of high-carbon projects, building on past commitments from the G7 and multilateral export finance institutions to eliminate financing for coal in all but the poorest countries.
Even in the poorest countries. We still have a lot of poor countries. India. Most of Africa. Do you want them using coal? Really? if anything we should be sharing tech and trying to encourage these guys to industrialize with green tech.
Demand a worldwide ban on fossil fuel subsidies. There is simply no excuse for subsidizing fossil fuel, either in the United States or around the world. In fact, a 2015 International Monetary Fund study showed that efficient fossil fuel pricing would have reduced global carbon emissions by nearly 30%. Biden will build on the achievements of the Obama-Biden Administration to get G20 countries to phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies. By engaging key leaders, including in China, Biden will secure a global commitment to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies by the end of his first term. He will lead by example, with the United States cutting fossil fuel subsidies at home in his first year and redirecting these resources to the historic investment in clean energy infrastructure (outlined in Part I of this plan).
YES, this seems important. Focus on getting rid of fossil fuel around the world.
reate a Clean Energy Export and Climate Investment Initiative. This is also a moment of opportunity for American innovation. We can be the world’s clean energy superpower. Biden will establish a new government-wide effort to promote American clean energy exports and investments around the world to advance climate mitigation, adaptation, and resilience. The initiative will offer incentives for U.S. firms that supply low-carbon solutions to the international market in order to spur U.S. industry, jobs, and competitiveness, and make America the world leader in clean energy technologies. It will prioritize partnerships with countries that make high climate ambition commitments under Paris and provide low-cost financing to these countries for American clean energy exports. An initial focus will be small island states in the Pacific and Caribbean that are demonstrating climate leadership in the face of existential threats to their territorial homelands.
I like this idea. Us being the climate change clean energy superpower.
atalyze Global Clean Energy Research. In 2015, the Obama-Biden Administration launched Mission Innovation, a global initiative of 23 countries and the European Union focused on research, development, and deployment of potential breakthrough technologies to accelerate clean energy innovation. Yet the U.S. has stepped back from this partnership even as the science has reinforced the urgency of the climate emergency. Biden will work with participating countries to reset the effort on a more ambitious track – beginning with a commitment to invest four times the originally-committed financial resources, which will help support research and development and unleash innovation at universities and research institutions around the world. Biden will also work to establish performance-based goals with tangible research and development outcomes; improve data collection and transparency to better track progress and improve accountability; enhance cooperation with private sector entrepreneurs; and help other countries build their institutional R&D capabilities to ensure increased funding is spent most effectively.
Fricking trump again. but yeah, work with other countries, share research. Good.
Name and shame global climate outlaws. The U.S. Department of State publishes rankings of country’s records on human trafficking and human rights. A Biden Administration will institute a new Global Climate Change Report to hold countries to account for meeting, or failing to meet, their Paris commitments and for other steps that promote or undermine global climate solutions.
Like this idea too.
Pursue a global moratorium on offshore drilling in the Arctic and reestablish climate change as a priority for the Arctic Council.
Like this idea too.
Make climate change a core national security priority. Climate change is a “threat multiplier” that magnifies existing geopolitical and weather-related risks.
Yeah for as much as we are national security focused, idk why we dont take this more seriously. This is the #1 threat to our country and our species at large.
IV. STAND UP TO THE ABUSE OF POWER BY POLLUTERS WHO DISPROPORTIONATELY HARM COMMUNITIES OF COLOR AND LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES
Im not gonna focus on the whole POC section of the plan. While we should be mindful to how these plans affect the underprivileged, it comes off like a virtue signal, and isn't super relevant to my analysis here.
V. FULFILL OUR OBLIGATION TO WORKERS AND COMMUNITIES WHO POWERED OUR INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION AND DECADES OF ECONOMIC GROWTH
This part I'll read but I expect to cringe.
Biden will commit our country to fulfilling our obligation to all workers impacted by the energy transition, like coal miners and power plant workers and their communities. Coal miners and power plant workers took on dangerous jobs to power our industrial revolution and the decades of subsequent economic growth. As economic trends continue to shift our country away from coal as an energy source, we have an obligation to help these workers and their communities succeed.
I mean, sure but I dont necessarily agree with the jobist approach here. Again, why focus so much on full employment? We should focus less on jobs and more on building an economy where we can all survive and thrive without full employment.
Secure the benefits coal miners and their families have earned. As marketplace competition continues to shift the country away from coal-fired electricity, we have an obligation to these workers who’ve worked hard and sacrificed for the rest of us. Biden will make sure coal miners and their families receive not only the respect they deserve but also the pensions and health benefits they have been promised. Congress should do the right thing and pass legislation now to protect the retirement benefits owed to miners, their dependents, and their widows. But if Congress doesn’t act before Biden takes office, he will make sure we fulfill this obligation. And, Biden will increase coal companies’ payments into the black lung benefits program, reform the black lung benefits system so it is no longer rigged in favor of coal companies who can hire lawyers and doctors to ensure miners’ benefits are denied, expand efforts to help miners detect black lung cases earlier and access care, and enforce regulations to reduce cases of black lung in the first place.
While some of this is good, especially the black lung stuff, we should have a UBI and Medicare for all and that would solve much of this.
Invest in coal and power plant communities and other communities impacted by the climate transformation. Each of these communities are necessary. We can’t write them off or act like they don’t matter. Each has assets that can be leveraged to diversify their economies, create good, middle class jobs, and help the country get stronger – assets like a rich culture, natural beauty, a proven workforce, and entrepreneurial spirit. The federal government should be a partner to help these communities capitalize on these strengths and build vibrant communities where good jobs are available and young people want to stay or return home. To support coal and power plant workers and their communities, Biden will make an unprecedented investment building upon the vision put forward in the Obama-Biden Administration’s Power+ Plan. And, he’ll establish a Task Force on Coal and Power Plant Communities, as the Obama-Biden Administration did for Detroit when the auto industry was in turmoil. For example, the Task Force will help these communities access federal investments and leverage private sector investments to help create high-paying union jobs based upon the unique assets of each community, partner with unions and community colleges to create training opportunities for these new jobs, repair infrastructure, keep public employees like firefighters and teachers on the payroll, and keep local hospitals open.
Yes, we are abandoning these communities, much like the rust belt, BUT...I dont think jerbs are the answer here. Again, UBI and focusing more on building a world without work seems more my speed here.
Biden isnt investing an insane amount dollar wise into this climate plan. It isnt a bernie esque green new deal. We could use a lot of money for UBI here. And potentially universal healthcare. And then from there just let the service economy go in the direction it is.
Looking at the other link, it seems to focus on a lot of the same stuff, so I'm just gonna do the bullet points in that. This one is getting way too long.
Biden will make far-reaching investments in:
- Infrastructure: Create millions of good, union jobs rebuilding America’s crumbling infrastructure – from roads and bridges to green spaces and water systems to electricity grids and universal broadband – to lay a new foundation for sustainable growth, compete in the global economy, withstand the impacts of climate change, and improve public health, including access to clean air and clean water.
- Auto Industry: Create 1 million new jobs in the American auto industry, domestic auto supply chains, and auto infrastructure, from parts to materials to electric vehicle charging stations, positioning American auto workers and manufacturers to win the 21st century; and invest in U.S. auto workers to ensure their jobs are good jobs with a choice to join a union.
- Transit: Provide every American city with 100,000 or more residents with high-quality, zero-emissions public transportation options through flexible federal investments with strong labor protections that create good, union jobs and meet the needs of these cities – ranging from light rail networks to improving existing transit and bus lines to installing infrastructure for pedestrians and bicyclists.
- Power Sector: Move ambitiously to generate clean, American-made electricity to achieve a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035. This will enable us to meet the existential threat of climate change while creating millions of jobs with a choice to join a union.
- Buildings: Upgrade 4 million buildings and weatherize 2 million homes over 4 years, creating at least 1 million good-paying jobs with a choice to join a union; and also spur the building retrofit and efficient-appliance manufacturing supply chain by funding direct cash rebates and low-cost financing to upgrade and electrify home appliances and install more efficient windows, which will cut residential energy bills.
- Housing: Spur the construction of 1.5 million sustainable homes and housing units.
- Innovation: Drive dramatic cost reductions in critical clean energy technologies, including battery storage, negative emissions technologies, the next generation of building materials, renewable hydrogen, and advanced nuclear – and rapidly commercialize them, ensuring that those new technologies are made in America.
- Agriculture and Conservation: Create jobs in climate-smart agriculture, resilience, and conservation, including 250,000 jobs plugging abandoned oil and natural gas wells and reclaiming abandoned coal, hardrock, and uranium mines – providing good work with a choice to join or continue membership in a union in hard hit communities, including rural communities, reducing leakage of toxics, and preventing local environmental damage.
- Environmental Justice: Ensure that environmental justice is a key consideration in where, how, and with whom we build – creating good, union, middle-class jobs in communities left behind, righting wrongs in communities that bear the brunt of pollution, and lifting up the best ideas from across our great nation – rural, urban, and tribal.
This seems to be the meat of what I really wanted to focus on. And it doesn't seem bad. I mean, clean electricity by 2035. Focus on making automobiles electric. Emphasizing agriculture. Conserving the environment.
But....there's too much focus on jobs. Jobs jobs jobs. While yes, some jobs are needed to do the things above, I feel like he's pandering to the religion of jobism, pushing jobs for jobs sake sometimes.
Again, it's because he's trying to emulate Bernie with the "green new deal" mentality.
Conclusion
Okay. So..this was longer than I thought. I could've really just focused on the bullet list points. But, I wanted to investigate the meat of it to get an idea. What do I think about Biden's plan?
Eh, it's not bad. I think his 2050 target is a bit lax, and he didn't invest as much as some other candidates, but he at least pays a lipservice to all of the basics here. He focuses on clean energy by 2035. He focused on conservation, and agriculture, and working around the world. it's a serviceable plan. I mean, I can't complain too much about it. Might not be the best and most aggressive, but i can't complain too much.
One thing I will complain about though is the focus on jobs. I mean, honestly, I think the answer to solving climate change actually involves us working less. If human activity means climate change, maybe the solution is less activity?
Either way, getting off of fossil fuels would allow us to solve the problem without changing our way of life that much. Still, i do think we could do better. Would it be too much to ask for us to adopt some aspects of changes to work under covid to our permanent culture? Seriously, why not keep work from home? Get rid of commutes. No commutes means fewer vehicles on the road to emit greenhouse gases.
Really, I do think we should focus on doing LESS to save the planet, rather than MORE. If that makes sense. While there will obviously be some compromises and technological advances will blunt the need for us to make radical changes to our lifestyles, rather than focusing on jobs and stuff, we should focus on how to provide for people while doing less.
I guess the issue I have with the green new deal is the new deal part. I'm more a "lets give people money" guy than a "jerbs jerbs and more jerbs" guy.
Still, this was a very detailed climate plan with a lot of moving parts, and it does cover all of the bases.
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