Climate activist Greta Thunberg (c) Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com
By Karen Rubin, news-photos-features.com
Greta Thunberg delivered a
no-holds barred, impassioned speech to
the United Nations General Assembly Climate Summit, on Monday, September 23,
flatly declaring, “My message is that we’ll be watching you.
“This is all wrong. I shouldn’t be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet you all come to us young people for hope. How dare you. You have stolen my dreams, my childhood with your empty words, and yet I am one of the lucky ones. People are suffering, dying, entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!” the 16-year old demanded as the assembly erupted in cheers and applause.
“For more than 30 years, the science
has been crystal clear. How dare you continue to look away, then come here and
say you are doing enough when the politics and solutions needed are still no
where in sight.
“You say you hear us and
understand the urgency but no matter how sad and angry I am, I don’t want to
believe that, because if you really understood the situation and still kept on
failing to act, then you would be evil and that I refuse to believe,” a
statement that elicited a combination of shock, cheers and applause.
“The popular idea of cutting
emissions in half in 10 years only gives us a 50% chance of staying below 1.5
degrees and the risk of setting off irreversible chain reactions beyond human
control.
“50% may be acceptable to you,
but those numbers don’t include tipping points, most feedback loops, additional
warming hidden by toxic air pollution or the aspects of equity and climate justice.
It also relies on my generation sucking hundreds of billions of tons of your
CO2 out of the air with technologies that barely exist. So 50% isn’t enough to
us who have to live with the consequences,” she declared.
“How dare you pretend this can be
solved with just business as usual and some technical solutions…
“There will not be any solutions,
or plans, in line with the [CO2 emissions] figures today, because these numbers
too uncomfortable and you are still not mature enough to tell it like it is.
You are failing us, but young people are starting to understand your betrayal.
The eyes on all future generations are upon you.
“If you choose to fail us, I say
we will never forgive you.”
It
is being hailed as the biggest climate protest in history: a worldwide climate
strike that brought out over 4 million people in more than 2100 events in 175
countries, with some 600 in the United States.
New
York’s climate strike brought out more than 250,000 who overflowed Foley
Square, marched down to Battery Park, where the global climate leader, Greta
Thunberg of Sweden, laid down the gauntlet to the do-nothing world leaders:
“This is an emergency. Our house is on fire,” Thunberg
told the cheering crowd. “We will do everything in our power to stop this
crisis from getting worse.” Noting that she has withdrawn from school in order
to agitate for climate action and to take part in the strikes, children have
left school, she said “Why should we study for a future that is being taken
away from us. That is being sold for profit.”
“Everywhere I have been the situation is more or less
same. The people in power, their beautiful words are the same,” she said. “The
number of politicians and celebrities who want to take selfies with us are the
same. The empty promises are the same. The lies are the same, and the inaction
is the same.”
Virtually daring the world’s leaders to act, she declared,
“The eyes of the world” will be on the world leaders at the climate summit on
Monday for the U.N. Climate Summit. “They have a chance to prove that they too
are united behind the science, they have a chance to take leadership, to prove
they actually hear us,” she said to chants.
“It should not be that way. We should not be the ones who
are fighting for the future, and yet here we are,” she continued.
“We demand a safe future,” she said. “Is
that really too much to ask?”
The link between capitalistic greed and political
corruption was very much on view, with signs that called for “Green Jobs Not
Dirty Fuel” and even more radical calls to “Save the Planet. End capitalism.”
The demands of the strikers echoed the Green New Deal being
proposed: a 100 percent shift away from fossil fuels to clean, renewable
energy; shifts to sustainable agriculture, in such a fair and equitable way as
to “leave no one behind”; environmental, social, political and economic
justice.
“Charge
ahead toward 100 percent clean renewable
energy, protect habitat and species, hold corporations accountable, have a just
transition – leave no one behind,” stated Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, 39, a
marine biologist, policy expert, founder and CEO of Ocean Collectiv, was one of
the only adults to give a speech. “We need strong government policies that
accelerate transition, a Green New Deal.
She
argued that regenerative farming, renewable energy, electrifying transporation
necessary to mitigate or reverse the adverse impacts of climate change are
already available. “We don’t need new technology.” What is needed is government
policy.
“But
when there is failure at the national level, localities, states need to step
up.” Individuals can make a difference as well: “Plant trees, grow food, plant
a climate victory garden, choose foods that are grown regeneratively. Show up,
transform culture. Vote in every election. In 2016, 10 million registered
environmentalists failed to vote. Do not let that happen again.
“We
cannot mobilize at the scale we need unless we face the challenge head on.
Focus on solution. Build a coalition so massive, it shifts the status quo. Dig
in for the long and beautiful struggle for a new world.”
Capitalism was very much under fire – with the opposition
asserting that addressing climate change is akin to throwing the doors open to
socialism, or worse, communism, and in any case, that it would be damaging to
the economy.
But the case is made by former Vice President Al Gore and
others that the fastest growing areas for jobs are in solar and wind power;
Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders makes the case that the $1 trillion spent
to transition the economy to clean, renewable energy will create 20 million
jobs.
And in fact, the economy has already been transformed to new
energy: 150 years ago, when coal was discovered in Pennsylvania and emerging industrialists
figured out how to turn it into fuel, and petroleum extractors figured out a
way to capitalize on the waste product of processing petroleum for industrial
grease, gasoline and effectively killed the development of the electric car.
That caused a migration of workers- imported migrants and transplants – to new
villages, cities and towns based on mining, processing, and manufacturing that
had not existed before, often by displacing indigenous people.
The
worldwide climate strike comes just ahead of the United Nations Climate Summit
to be held Monday, September 23, when countries are expected to present
concrete proposals to mitigate and reverse the climb in temperature before
global warming has catastrophic impacts on food, water, public health and
habitats. The United Nations summit, though, begins with an unprecedented youth
climate summit on Saturday, September 21.
The
16-year old Thunberg, who began her climate crusade more than a year ago, holding
Friday strike, has become the world’s most recognized climate activist, who has
stood her ground against world leaders and the snarky questions of US
congressmembers.
The worldwide climate strike actions coincided with the second anniversary of Hurricane Maria’s devastation of Puerto Rico in which 2,975 people died, and New York City strike’s was held jointly with a Puerto Rico Day of Action. It also comes just days after Hurricane Dorian devastated much of the Bahamas, with Trump shutting the door on climate refugees from that catastrophe.
Here are more highlights from New York City’s Climate Strike:
The vigorous contest of Democrats seeking the 2020 presidential
nomination has produced excellent policy proposals to address major issues.
With this summer posting heat records and yet another Category 5 hurricane wreaking
havoc in the Caribbean and Atlantic islands and barreling down on the East
Coast, US Senator Amy Klobuchar has released her plan to tackle the Climate
Crisis, which is distinguished for a focus on agriculture and the Heartland, in
addition to the more common focus on manufacturing, transportation and clean,
renewable energy. This is from the Klobuchar campaign:
MINNEAPOLIS, MN — The climate crisis isn’t
happening in 100 years — it’s happening now. 2018 was the fourth-hottest year
on record globally and it was another near-record year for U.S. weather and
climate disasters. The dire warnings in the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change and the National Climate Assessment make clear that immediate action is
needed. The National Climate Assessment lays out how increasing global
temperatures are harming our country’s food systems and public health by
increasing the risk of respiratory and cardiovascular disease, while
displacement and destruction caused by climate-related natural disasters
threaten our economy and national security.
Senator Klobuchar is a strong voice from the Midwest when it comes to
climate change. In the Senate, she leads the fight to combat climate change by
serving on the Senate Climate Action Taskforce, has fought for legislation to
reduce greenhouse gases, and has led a Senate resolution recognizing that
global climate change is occurring and will continue to pose ongoing risks
unless we take action. She authored legislation setting a national renewable
electricity standard and she successfully extended renewable energy production
tax credits. The first bill Senator Klobuchar ever introduced was a carbon counter
bill to establish the first national greenhouse gas registry to track emissions
by major industries.
We can’t wait. That’s why Senator Klobuchar is committed to taking
immediate action — without Congress — to transform our energy sector, unlock
scientific breakthroughs, hold the fossil fuel industry accountable, and
support workers and communities that are on the front lines of the climate
crisis. She will:
Use the full power of the presidency to tackle the climate crisis.
Starting on day one of her administration, Senator Klobuchar will take
aggressive executive action to confront the climate crisis. She will introduce
sweeping climate legislation in the first 100 days of her presidency, but she
also won’t wait for Congress when it comes to the full range of legal actions a
President can take to address climate change. Specifically, in the first 100
days of her administration Senator Klobuchar will:
Get the United States back in the Paris International
Climate Agreement on day one. On day one of Senator Klobuchar’s presidency
she will get us back into the Paris International Climate Change Agreement, and
she will immediately begin working with global leaders to strengthen the
agreement so that the United States maintains global leadership to address the
climate crisis.
Restore the Clean Power Plan. Senator Klobuchar will
bring back the Clean Power Plan, which set emissions standards for states with
respect to reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. She will negotiate even
stronger emissions standards that account for the progress states have already
made.
Bring back the fuel-economy standards. Senator Klobuchar
will restore and strengthen our fuel economy standards, which are key to making
an immediate impact on the emissions of cars and light trucks. The Trump
Administration has weakened the fuel-economy standards for cars and light
trucks and has challenged the right of California and other states to follow
more stringent standards.
Introduce sweeping legislation that will put our country
on the path to 100% net zero emissions by 2050. In her first 100 days as
President, Senator Klobuchar will introduce and work with Congress to pass
sweeping legislation that will put our country on a path to achieving 100%
net-zero emissions no later than 2050.
End the Trump Administration’s censoring of climate
science. Senator Klobuchar will end Trump Administration efforts to censor
climate science through actions like deleting climate-focused websites,
removing the phrase “climate change” from reports, and preventing government
scientists from attending conferences on climate change.
Set ambitious goals to reduce the carbon footprint of the
federal government. During the first 100 days of her administration,
Senator Klobuchar will aggressively work to reduce the federal government’s
significant carbon footprint. As President, she will set ambitious goals to
increase the efficiency of federal buildings, data centers, and vehicles,
reduce water consumption, and increase the use of renewable energy.
Reinstate the National Climate Assessment Advisory
Committee to immediately start addressing the climate crisis. The National Climate
Assessment Advisory Committee was charged with translating the findings of the
National Climate Assessment into concrete goals. During the first 100 days of
her administration, Senator Klobuchar will reinstate this committee that
President Trump let expire.
Hold the fossil fuel industry accountable. Senator
Klobuchar is committed to standing up to the oil companies and holding the
fossil fuel industry accountable. She will:
End federal fossil fuel subsidies. For too long,
taxpayers have subsidized the massive profits of fossil fuel companies. Senator
Klobuchar will end federal tax subsidies for fossil fuel exploration and
production.
Make politicians accountable to voters, not special
interests. Again and again, bold action on climate has been blocked by the
power of special interests. As President, Senator Klobuchar will put people
first by working to pass a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United
and get dark money out of our politics, as well as establish a campaign finance
system that increases the power of small donors through a matching system for
small donations. She will investigate potential wrongdoings and hold energy
companies accountable.
Expanding Renewable Energy and Transforming the Energy
Sector
There is a scientific consensus that in order to avoid the
worst effects of climate change we will need to achieve 100% net-zero emissions
no later than 2050, which cannot be done without a wholesale transformation of
the energy sector. To expand renewable energy and transform the energy sector
to produce clean power, Senator Klobuchar will:
Invest in infrastructure and provide incentives for state
and local governments, nonprofits, and private companies to expand clean energy
production. Senator Klobuchar will support a landmark carbon pricing system
that does not have a regressive impact on Americans and will help make clean
energy production more cost competitive. She will also do more to accelerate
the adoption of clean energy, including by subsidizing production and investment
by state and local governments, nonprofits and private companies, as well as by
upgrading our grid infrastructure and storage capabilities.
Provide production and investment tax credits.
Senator Klobuchar will create a technology neutral tax credit to support
production of or investment into clean sources of energy. She will also create
a clean energy bond program so that tax-exempt entities can benefit. The
credits will be phased out as overall emissions are reduced.
Upgrade energy grids and storage capacity. Our
country’s electric grid needs an upgrade to account for the irregular nature of
certain clean energy sources, accommodate distributed energy production, and
facilitate smart metering and other innovative technologies. As President,
Senator Klobuchar will create a competitive grant program and a new investment
tax credit to promote investments in grid improvements and storage. She will
also provide rural electric cooperatives access to technical resources and expertise
to overcome the barriers to renewable energy storage and grid improvements
based on a bipartisan bill she leads in the Senate.
Streamline renewable energy production on federal land.
Many federal lands have significant renewable energy potential. As President,
Senator Klobuchar will work to streamline the permitting process for renewable
projects on federal lands while protecting sensitive ecosystems and ensuring a
fair distribution of payments.
Empower municipal utilities and electric cooperatives to
lead on clean energy. Senator Klobuchar knows that one size doesn’t fit all
when it comes to clean energy policy. She will make sure smaller producers,
including municipal utilities and electric cooperatives, have a seat at the
table when decisions are made about federal energy policy. In the Senate, she
authored bipartisan legislation that was signed into law that enables rural
electric power cooperatives and their members to continue to use
energy-efficient water heaters as part of conservation programs. This law
allows cooperatives to optimize both their own energy management and the
environmental benefits of water heaters.
Reduce climate pollution. A carbon price will create
an economic incentive to reduce carbon pollution and there is more we can do to
limit climate pollution from existing fossil fuel production.
Restore and expand the Clean Power Plan. In her first
100 days as President, Senator Klobuchar will bring back the Clean Power Plan,
which set emissions standards for states with respect to reductions in carbon
dioxide emissions. She will negotiate even stronger emissions standards that
account for the progress states have made.
Strengthen enforcement of the Clean Air Act and other
environmental laws. Under the Trump Administration, EPA enforcement efforts
have fallen dramatically. As President, Senator Klobuchar will direct the EPA
to vigorously enforce the Clean Air Act and other environmental laws and make
sure the enforcers have the resources they need.
Reduce methane leakage from oil and gas production.
Methane has as much as 84 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide. The
Trump Administration has rolled back EPA and BLM rules to prevent methane
leakage even though the Senate defeated an attempt to repeal the BLM methane
rule on a bipartisan vote and many companies already comply with stricter state
rules. As President, Senator Klobuchar will restore and strengthen the EPA and
BLM methane rules.
Support research to improve negative emissions
technologies. To supplement other mitigation efforts as we transition
to clean energy, Senator Klobuchar will support research to improve negative
emissions technologies that could be used to reduce the amount of carbon
currently in the atmosphere.
Ban new fossil fuel permitting on federal lands and
review and restore environmental protections repealed by the Trump
Administration. To help accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels,
Senator Klobuchar will ban new fossil fuel permits on federal lands. Senator
Klobuchar will also undertake a comprehensive review and restore environmental
protections repealed by the Trump Administration. The Trump Administration has
revoked dozens of guidance documents and rules that protect people’s safety,
health and the environment when it comes to our power plants, oil refineries,
national parks and wildlife refuges, offshore drilling, pipelines, and oil and
gas development. Senator Klobuchar will undertake a thorough review of all the
repealed guidance and rules, and work to restore our environmental and safety
protections.
Increasing Efficiency and Rebuilding a Green America
Confronting the climate crisis also means improving energy
efficiency and rebuilding infrastructure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and
stand up to the effects of climate change. As President, Senator Klobuchar
will:
Increase efficiency and move toward an electrified
transportation sector. Today, transportation accounts for about 30 percent
of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Senator Klobuchar will work to reduce
emissions in the transportation sector through increasing fuel economy,
supporting electrification, and promoting efficient transportation
options.
Bring back the fuel-economy standards. In her first
100 days as President, Senator Klobuchar will restore and strengthen our fuel
economy standards, which are key to making an immediate impact on the emissions
of cars and light trucks. The Trump Administration has weakened the
fuel-economy standards for cars and light trucks and has challenged the right
of California and other states to follow more stringent standards.
Invest in electric vehicle infrastructure and promote
electric vehicle sales. As President, Senator Klobuchar will make a significant
investment in electric vehicle charging infrastructure and bring back the tax
credit for electric vehicle purchases.
Strengthen transit and commuter rail networks and support
low- and no-carbon alternatives. As President, Senator Klobuchar will refocus
federal transportation grants to prioritize transit projects, first and last
mile connections, and bicycle and pedestrian improvements. She will also
develop new incentives for transit systems and school districts to replace
their existing bus fleets with low- and no-carbon alternatives.
Revitalize freight and passenger rail. Railroads are
an energy- and cost-effective way for producers to bring their goods to market
and get people where they need to go. As President, Senator Klobuchar will
encourage investment in short-line and freight rail networks. She will also
address safety concerns including by mandating two-man crews, improving braking
systems, and ensuring communities are prepared to respond to derailments
involving hazardous cargo. In addition, she will build on her work pushing for
greater competition in freight markets by providing fair treatment for captive
shippers, appointing well qualified members to the Surface Transportation
Board, and reviewing and addressing consolidation in the freight rail industry.
She is also committed to expanding high-speed rail and Amtrak service in rural
America.
Innovate in international shipping and aviation.
International shipping and aviation account for a growing share of carbon
emissions. As President, Senator Klobuchar will support research and strengthen
international agreements to reduce emissions from sources like aviation and
shipping.
Support green manufacturing and provide consumers with
green options. Manufacturing processes and consumer goods can have a
significant climate impact. New technologies can significantly reduce carbon
pollution, but we need to make sure manufacturers have the tools to adopt these
technologies.
Assist businesses transitioning to green manufacturing
processes. Senator Klobuchar is committed to ensuring businesses have the
resources they need to transition to green manufacturing processes. She will
increase technical support through the Manufacturing Extension Partnership and
regional development strategies and encourage partnerships with community
colleges and research universities. She will also expand manufacturing tax
credits to specifically support upgrades and investments to reduce greenhouse
gas pollution for manufacturers of all sizes.
Build a market for new and existing climate-friendly
products. As President, Senator Klobuchar will support a market for
climate-friendly products by promoting federal procurement policies that
account for low-carbon energy sources and climate conscious processes.
Create a “Buy Clean” product labeling system. Many
consumers are concerned about how their purchasing decisions affect the
climate. As President, Senator Klobuchar will create a “Buy Clean” product
labeling system to give consumers clear information about products that are
produced to minimize their climate impact.
Institute an import fee on carbon-intensive goods. We
cannot allow foreign competitors to undercut U.S. manufacturers that are
producing goods with climate conscious processes. That’s why as President,
Senator Klobuchar will work to institute a fee on imports of carbon-intensive
goods from foreign countries.
Invest in green jobs and infrastructure. Senator
Klobuchar has proposed a $1 trillion infrastructure package that will modernize
our aging energy infrastructure so that it is secure and efficient. This
massive infrastructure investment will create good-paying union jobs and give
workers the skills they need to succeed in the green economy.
Retrofit buildings to reduce their emissions. Residential
and commercial buildings account for a significant share of U.S. greenhouse gas
emissions. Senator Klobuchar will launch a major initiative to retrofit
existing buildings to reduce their emissions through grants and tax credits
that support insulation, weatherization improvements, upgrades to heating and
cooling systems, and other energy saving upgrades.
Make new buildings climate friendly. As President,
Senator Klobuchar will support the development of the next generation of
low-emission buildings through model building energy codes and benchmarking and
transparency programs that cut carbon pollution and energy bills for American
families and businesses.
Promote effective zoning rules to minimize climate
impacts. Some cities are beginning to update their zoning policies through
initiatives like Minneapolis 2040. Senator Klobuchar will prioritize areas that
have updated their zoning rules when awarding federal housing and
infrastructure grants.
Expand the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Senator
Klobuchar has been a strong supporter of the Land and Water Conservation Fund
(LWCF), which preserves natural resources while supporting outdoor recreation
through investments on our public lands. As President, Senator Klobuchar will
push to permanently fund the LWCF.
Coordinate with broadband and other infrastructure
priorities. In the Senate, Senator Klobuchar has been a leading proponent
of “dig once” policies and other ways to reduce costs by coordinating
infrastructure deployment. As President, she will direct federal agencies to
maximize opportunities for coordinating climate, broadband, and other types of
infrastructure deployment.
Build climate resiliency into all federal infrastructure
investments. As President, Senator Klobuchar will make federal infrastructure
investments resilient to both current and future climate risks and partner with
states and communities to develop regionally coordinated, resilient
infrastructure strategies.
Promoting Research and Unlocking New Scientific
Breakthroughs for Green Technologies
At the same time as we move forward aggressively with the
tools we have today, we need to invest in research that will create new
opportunities to tackle the climate crisis. To unlock new scientific
breakthroughs and promote research, Senator Klobuchar will:
Invest in federally sponsored research. Basic and
applied research can uncover new technologies, make existing products more
efficient, and reduce the costs of the tools we need to take on climate change.
Senator Klobuchar will increase investment in federally sponsored research.
Expand direct federal research. As President, Senator
Klobuchar will make bold investments in direct climate research at the
Department of Energy, National Labs, ARPA-E and the Department of Defense.
Partner with universities and non-profits. As
President, Senator Klobuchar will support a major expansion of federal grants
for climate research to universities and non-profits.
Unleash the creativity of the private sector.
American workers and businesses are a vital source of innovation. Senator
Klobuchar believes we must include the private sector in climate research and
innovation.
Strengthen tax incentives for climate research.
Senator Klobuchar will strengthen existing tax credits for businesses investing
in research to develop new processes, technologies and products that reduce
greenhouse gas emissions and help tackle the climate crisis.
Encourage collaboration between researchers and the private
sector. As President, Senator Klobuchar will make it easier for federal
research grant recipients to partner with the private sector and provide
set-aside grants for projects with strong commercialization potential.
Help American companies become global green leaders.
As President, Senator Klobuchar will increase support for businesses looking to
export green products and technologies through a new initiative across U.S.
export promotion agencies.
Respect science and empower scientists. As President,
Senator Klobuchar will stop the constant attacks on scientists and science. She
will also direct all federal agencies to reimplement scientific integrity
policies, reverse rules limiting what types of science agencies can use, and
restart data collection canceled by the Trump Administration.
Mobilizing the Heartland
Senator Klobuchar is a strong voice from the Midwest when it
comes to climate change. She will give rural areas the tools they need to be
leaders in clean energy production, support agricultural practices that take on
climate change and make sure the heartland benefits from rebuilding a green
America.
Support rural clean energy production. Clean energy,
including wind and solar, is a major driver of job growth in rural areas. In
fact, 99 percent of operating wind capacity is located in rural areas. As part
of Senator Klobuchar’s plan to tackle climate change, she will prioritize rural
energy development, including expanding storage capacity and strengthening our
energy grid. And as we continue to develop advanced biofuel technologies, she
will strengthen the renewable fuel standard.
Invest in wind and solar and support rural energy
development. As President, Senator Klobuchar will invest in interregional
transmission lines and grid improvements to support the development of
renewable energy. She will launch a grant program to help rural cooperatives
develop energy storage and microgrid projects for renewable energy generation,
transmission and storage. She will also support increased investment in small,
distributed wind, solar and biogas projects.
Provide technical resources for small, rural energy
producers and distributors. As President, Senator Klobuchar will push for
new economic and environmental opportunities in rural America by investing in
rural renewable energy development and by passing and signing into law her
bipartisan Expanding Access to Sustainable Energy (EASE) Act to provide rural
electric cooperatives access to technical resources and expertise to overcome
the barriers to renewable energy storage and grid improvements.
Investing in and providing incentives for homegrown
energy. Senator Klobuchar believes that homegrown biofuels are an important
part of our rural economies, our nation’s energy security and reducing
greenhouse gas emissions. In the Senate, she has been a leader when it comes to
standing up to the Administration’s misuse of small refinery renewable fuel
standard (RFS) waivers. She has also worked successfully in the Senate to
provide financing and grant support to biobased manufacturers. As President,
Senator Klobuchar will strengthen the RFS, end the overuse of secret RFS small
refinery waivers, promote the use of blender pumps, pass a statute to ensure
year-round E15 sales, and invest in advanced and cellulosic biofuels.
Help farmers be leaders in responding to the climate crisis.
We can position American farmers to be leaders in responding to the climate
crisis by increasing land conservation and expanding on new techniques that
help store more carbon in topsoil on productive farmland.
Invest in conservation innovation. Senator Klobuchar
will target research into soil carbon sequestration, which could improve soil
health as well as reduce carbon levels in the atmosphere. She will also expand
Conservation Innovation Grants to test emerging conservation approaches,
including practices that increase carbon sequestration levels. And building on
provisions she included in the 2018 farm bill, Senator Klobuchar will further
improve agriculture data research of conservation practices to help farmers
reduce risk and increase profitability.
Protect native sod and improve soil health. Senator
Klobuchar pushed for a provision in the 2018 Farm Bill that closed a loophole
allowing some non-insured crops to be planted four consecutive years without a
reduction in crop insurance assistance for succeeding insured crops. As
President, she will expand nationwide the sodsaver’s prohibition to substitute
crop insurance yields on native sod that is converted to cropland. She will
also expand the Soil Health and Income Protection Pilot Program to help provide
farmers an alternative to cropping less productive cropland.
Expand conservation practices. Senator Klobuchar has
been a champion of supporting farmer conservation efforts and promoting farming
practices that reduce soil erosion and improve air and water quality, including
by helping pass the 2018 Farm Bill, which included several of her priorities.
As President, she will support significant new investments in conservation of
working and retired lands. Senator Klobuchar will support the continued expansion
of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and increase resources for the
Conservation Stewardship Program to help provide farmers the tools they need to
protect and enhance natural resources on working agricultural lands. And after
successfully increasing the acreage cap of the Conservation Reserve Program,
Senator Klobuchar will work to attract more enrollees and ensure payment rates
are fair.
Use green infrastructure investment to strengthen rural
communities. There is a significant infrastructure backlog in rural
America. From roads and bridges to levees and stormwater systems many rural
areas face infrastructure challenges that will be difficult to address without
federal investment. Upgrading rural infrastructure to meet our climate goals
will also provide an opportunity to address the backlog and overcome
infrastructure challenges that are holding back rural America.
Strengthen rural transportation infrastructure. Rural
transportation infrastructure is at risk from the effects of climate change. As
President, Senator Klobuchar will invest in the repair and improvement of rural
bridges that are not part of the federal-aid highway network and invest in the
Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund to improve inland waterways and ports, including
funding for the Navigation and Ecosystem Restoration Program to modernize and
expand outdated locks and restore ecosystems along the Mississippi.
Expand energy efficiency programs. Energy costs can
be a significant burden on farms, small businesses and households in rural
communities. Senator Klobuchar has long worked to see that the Rural Energy for
America Program (REAP) has the resources needed to provide grants to farms and
rural businesses to install energy efficient technologies, and she will
continue to push for additional resources. In the Senate, she authored
bipartisan legislation that was signed into law that empowers the nonprofit
community to make energy-efficiency improvements to their buildings and
offices.
Upgrade levees to account for more frequent and severe
floods. The floods we saw throughout the Midwest this year show why we
cannot wait to upgrade our levees so they can protect communities from more
frequent and severe floods. Senator Klobuchar will make upgrading levees a
major focus of her infrastructure investment in the heartland.
Update the rural housing stock. Much of the existing
rural housing stock is outdated and in poor condition, which contributes to the
rural housing crisis. Investments in weatherizing and updating homes and their
heating and cooling systems will build value and help renew the rural housing
stock.
Bring high-speed broadband to every household and
business in America. Broadband access can reduce commuting and make
business and farms more efficient. In an effort to close the rural-urban
divide, Senator Klobuchar has previously announced a commitment to connect
every household in America to high-speed internet by 2022. She will focus on
creating accurate broadband maps to identify areas that lack adequate access, bringing
high-speed internet infrastructure to areas most in need, including by
expanding Rural Utility Service grants, and providing greater incentives for
existing providers to upgrade their networks to cover unserved and underserved
areas. She will also work to quickly implement the recommendations of the
Precision Ag Connectivity Task Force to help farmers fully realize the
potential of broadband in their operations.
Leaving No One Behind
Vulnerable communities are currently experiencing a
disproportionate share of the effects of climate change. Senator Klobuchar is
committed to leaving no one behind through investments in climate adaptation
and support for frontline communities. She will also focus on fulfilling our
responsibility to our communities and workers who have helped power this
country.
Support communities that are most directly experiencing
the effects of climate change. Traditionally marginalized communities
including African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and disabled Americans
are experiencing some of the most severe effects of climate change. Senator
Klobuchar will prioritize assisting these communities as they adapt to the
effects of climate change.
Make sure vulnerable communities are a key part of all
decision making. We cannot continue to make decisions about climate change
without directly and meaningfully involving the communities that are most
affected. Senator Klobuchar will make sure traditionally marginalized
communities are a key part of all decision-making processes.
Direct resources to the communities with the greatest
needs. As President, Senator Klobuchar will create tax incentives and
increase federal funding to communities that are most directly experiencing the
effects of climate change. She will also prioritize these communities for
infrastructure investments and in other federal climate change programs.
Strengthen environmental justice programs at the EPA.
The Trump Administration has worked to dismantle environmental justice
programs. Senator Klobuchar will invest in the EPA’s Environmental Justice
Grants, Funding and Technical Assistance and Office of Civil Rights.
Invest in affordable housing that promotes climate
resilience and mitigation. As President, Senator Klobuchar will ensure that
all federal housing programs put strong standards in place to reduce carbon
emissions and she will invest in retrofitting so that existing housing is more
energy efficient.
Strengthen LIHEAP and SNAP to protect the most vulnerable
Americans. To be sure that the most vulnerable Americans do not bear
the costs of climate change mitigation and adaptation, Senator Klobuchar will
strengthen two important programs for low-income Americans — LIHEAP, which
helps with home energy costs, and SNAP, which provides nutrition assistance.
Use disaster funding to build more resilient communities. As
President, Senator Klobuchar will work to end the Stafford Act prohibition that
prevents disaster funding from being used for significant infrastructure
improvements. She will also increase funding for FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant
Program.
Fulfill our responsibility to our communities and workers
who have helped power this country. As the granddaughter of miner who
worked 1,500 feet underground, Senator Klobuchar understands the hard work and
sacrifice of those who built and powered our country. She is committed to
supporting and creating new opportunities for workers and communities that have
depended on the fossil fuel industry.
Promote community assistance and support workers.
Senator Klobuchar will work with the public and private sector to attract new
employers and maintain public services, while investing in infrastructure and
educational opportunities in areas that experience job loss. As part of any
carbon pricing system, she will create a significant manufacturing tax
incentive to encourage investment in rural communities or communities that have
faced or are about to face job losses. To make it easier for workers to find
new jobs, Senator Klobuchar will create a new tax credit for companies that
hire workers who had previously depended on the fossil fuel industry for
employment. Workers will also be able to take advantage of Senator Klobuchar’s
previously announced plan to provide tuition-free one- and two-year community
college degrees and technical certifications and expand student loan
forgiveness programs to workers in in-demand occupations.
Reestablish U.S. International Leadership on Climate.
When it comes to global leadership on climate change, the United States has
abdicated its leadership role under the Trump Administration. As President,
Senator Klobuchar will reassert U.S. global leadership to confront the climate
crisis.
Get the United States back in the Paris International
Climate Agreement on day one. On day one of Senator Klobuchar’s presidency
she will get the United States back into the Paris International Climate Change
Agreement, and she will immediately begin working with global leaders to
strengthen the agreement so that the United States maintains global leadership
to address the climate crisis.
Build on the Paris International Climate Agreement to
achieve global emissions reductions we need. Senator Klobuchar will work
with international leaders to build consensus around stronger goals to limit
global warming to no more than 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit. She will also recommit
to controls on other greenhouse gasses through agreements like the Kigali
Amendment. And she will increase U.S. support for the Green Climate Fund.
Establish meaningful enforcement of international climate
goals. The United States is the second largest emitter of greenhouse
gasses, but still only accounts for about 15 percent of global greenhouse gas
emissions. Preventing catastrophic global warming will require meaningful
enforcement mechanisms to ensure other countries also meet their emission
reduction goals, which means making accountability for climate commitments a central
part of our international agenda, taking on China’s efforts to promote dirty
energy sources in other countries, and considering climate goals in all types
of international assistance.
Protect our national security. As President
Senator Klobuchar will elevate the voices of our military and security experts
who have repeatedly warned that climate change will increase the risks of
international conflict and humanitarian crises. She will work with our allies
to support countries most affected by climate change, including addressing
global food and water shortages, supporting climate resilient development,
helping countries adapt to the effects of climate change, and preparing for the
increased risk of natural disasters.
To pay for these critical investments, Senator Klobuchar
will:
Work with Congress to put a price on carbon that does not
have a regressive impact on Americans. We know that carbon pollution has
significant costs, but for too long the public has been forced to bear those
costs while those responsible for the pollution have paid nothing. Most
economists agree that the most efficient way to promote a transition away from
fossil fuels is by putting a price on carbon. As President, Senator Klobuchar
will work with Congress to put a carbon pricing system in place that does not
have a regressive impact on Americans.
Develop Clean Energy Bonds. As President, Senator
Klobuchar will create Clean Energy Bonds that will support investment in clean
energy projects. Investors would earn back their full investment as well as
interest from energy savings to the government and loan repayments for clean
energy projects. Estimates suggest that these clean energy bonds could raise up
to $50 billion and leverage $150 billion for clean energy innovation and the creation
of over 1 million jobs.
End federal fossil fuel subsidies. For too long,
taxpayers have subsidized the massive profits of fossil fuel companies. Senator
Klobuchar will end federal tax subsidies for fossil fuel exploration and
production.
Make a series of corporate tax reforms. To pay for a
green infrastructure investment worth hundreds of billions of dollars, Senator
Klobuchar will make a series of corporate tax reforms including adjusting the
corporate tax rate to 25%, closing loopholes that encourage U.S. companies to
move jobs and operations overseas, establishing a financial risk fee on our
largest banks, and increasing efforts for tax enforcement.
Increase the capital gains rate. To support and
create new opportunities for workers and communities that have depended on the
fossil fuel industry, Senator Klobuchar will raise the capital gains rate for
Americans who make over $200,000.
Close the trust fund loophole. To support updating
our buildings and providing consumers support through programs like LIHEAP and
rebates, Senator Klobuchar will close the trust fund loophole.
The vigorous contest
of Democrats seeking the 2020 presidential nomination has produced excellent
policy proposals to address major issues. Senator Bernie Sanders, in the town
of Paradise, California, which was obliterated in last season’s wildfires, unveiled
his Green New Deal, “the only plan bold
enough to confront the climate crisis and create an economy that works for all.”
Under Sanders’ plan, the United States will reach 100 percent renewable energy
for electricity and transportation by no later than 2030 and complete decarbonization
by 2050. This is from the Sanders campaign:
“This
is a pivotal moment in the history of America — and really, in the history of
humanity. The climate crisis is not only the single greatest challenge facing
our country; it is also our single greatest opportunity to build a more just
and equitable future, but we must act immediately,” said Sen. Sanders. “When we
are in the White House, we will launch the decade of the Green New Deal, a
10-year mobilization to avert climate catastrophe during which climate change,
justice and equity will be factored into virtually every area of policy, from
immigration to trade to foreign policy and beyond.”
Sanders’
Green New Deal boldly embraces the moral imperative of addressing the climate
crisis and builds on an unprecedented grassroots movement powerful enough to
take on the fossil fuel industry and win. As president, Sanders will mobilize
the political will necessary for a wholesale transformation of our society,
with support for frontline communities and massive investments in sustainable
energy, energy efficiency, and a transformation of our transportation system.
The
Green New Deal will avert climate catastrophe, transform our energy system,
build an economy for all and end the greed of the fossil fuel industry
by:
Ending unemployment by creating 20 million jobs needed to solve the climate crisis.
Ensuring a just transition for communities and workers, including fossil fuel workers.
Ensuring justice for frontline communities, especially under-resourced groups, communities of color, Native Americans, people with disabilities, children and the elderly.
Saving American families money with investments in weatherization, public transportation, modern infrastructure and high-speed broadband.
Committing to reducing emissions throughout the world.
The
Green New Deal will pay for itself over 15 years by holding the fossil fuel
industry accountable for the damage it has caused. Sanders’ plan will:
Make the fossil fuel industry pay for their pollution, through litigation, fees, and taxes, and by eliminating federal fossil fuel subsidies.
Generate revenue from the wholesale of energy produced by the regional Power Marketing Authorities. Revenues will be collected from 2023-2035, and after 2035 electricity will be virtually free, aside from operations and maintenance costs.
Scale back military spending on maintaining global oil dependence.
Collect new income tax revenue from the 20 million new jobs created by the plan.
Reduce the need for federal and state safety net spending due to the creation of millions of good-paying, unionized jobs.
Make the wealthy and large corporations pay their fair share.
On Tuesday, July 9, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Rep. Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) announced the introduction of a resolution in both chambers of Congress declaring the climate emergency facing the planet demands a “national, social, industrial, and economic mobilization of the resources and labor of the United States” in order to “restore the climate for future generations.”
The resolution, cosponsored in the Senate by Sens. Merkley (D-Ore.), Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Booker (D-NJ), Gillibrand (D-NY), Warren (D-Mass.), and Harris (D-Calif.), and 19 members of the House, comes in the wake of President Trump’s environmental speech yesterday, in which he avoided any mention of climate change.
The lawmakers note in the resolution that the “United States has a proud history of collaborative, constructive, massive-scale federal mobilizations of resources and labor in order to solve great challenges, such as the Interstate Highway System, the Apollo 11 Moon landing, Reconstruction, the New Deal, and World War II,” and that the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned that the global community has little more than a decade to stop the worst impacts of climate change.
The lawmakers’ bicameral recognition of the climate emergency stands in sharp contrast to President Trump’s recent misuse of emergency declarations, manufactured in order to seize funds that Congress refused to appropriate to build a wall on the border with Mexico and to sell Saudi Arabia weapons that Congress had blocked. Climate change, an actual emergency, has been described by Trump as a “hoax.”
“Today, as we face the global crisis of climate change, it is imperative that the United States lead the world in transforming our energy system away from fossil fuel to energy efficiency and sustainable energy. What we need now is Congressional leadership to stand up to the fossil fuel industry and tell them that their short term profits are not more important than the future of the planet. Climate change is a national emergency, and I am proud to be introducing this resolution with my House and Senate colleagues,” Sanders said.
“To address the climate crisis, we must tell the truth about the nature of this threat,” said Blumenauer. “Congressional Republicans have teetered on the brink of ignorance for far too long and now urgent, massive action is needed. This is an emergency. We must act now.”
“Today we stand in solidarity with tens of millions of people from around the world in calling for a mass mobilization of our social and economic resources. It is time we began a swift transition away from fossil fuels and towards a sustainable renewable energy economy. Climate change represents not only our greatest threat but one of our greatest opportunities. Working to solve the climate crisis will create tens of millions of union jobs, empower communities, and improve the quality of life for people across the globe,” said Ocasio-Cortez.
“The United States is facing a climate crisis. We must speak that truth, and then we must take bold action to confront the existential crisis before us,” said Senator Harris. “In California and across the country, Americans are already seeing the impact of the climate crisis as unprecedented floods, wildfires, hurricanes, and extreme weather events devastate their communities. I’m proud to join my colleagues in this resolution that affirms that the policy of the United States Congress will be based on science fact, not science fiction.”
The resolution is endorsed by 15 independent organizations.
“It’s abundantly clear that climate change has arrived and that we are living in a climate crisis. It’s past time that the federal government recognize this fact and declare a climate emergency. We need bold, comprehensive legislation to move us off fossil fuels and onto a clean energy revolution. This resolution lays out the scope of what we need to do. It’s time to act for the future of our planet,” said Mitch Jones, Climate & Energy Program Director of Food & Water Watch.
“It’s heartening to see members of Congress taking up their authority and calling out the climate crisis as it happens. We are experiencing the effects of a global emergency, right now, in every part of our nation and it demands that we take immediate action that is equitable and to scale. Communities most impacted by this crisis have known for decades that our climate is changing and that it is affecting our health, safety, and the prospects of the next generation. We applaud Sen. Sanders and Reps. Blumenauer and Ocasio-Cortez for this step, and call on their colleagues in the House and Senate to support this resolution and show their commitment to just climate action today to give us a chance at tomorrow,” said Tamara Toles O’Laughlin, North America Director of 350 Action.
“The climate crisis poses a threat unlike any other in history. If we fail to mobilize national resources very soon, with the utmost speed and unprecedented scale, we will face catastrophic harm in the coming decades and possibly existential threats to the nation and human civilization by the end of this century. There is nothing more deserving of the ‘emergency’ designation. Senator Sanders and Reps. Blumenauer and Ocasio-Cortez should be commended for their leadership in calling the climate crisis exactly what it is: a genuine national emergency,” said David Arkush, Managing Director of Public Citizen’s Climate Program.
“We’re in a climate emergency fueled by a democracy emergency — an out-of-control fossil fuel industry is hijacking our government, and it’s time we acted like it and fought back. We the people demand that our government say ‘no’ to Big Oil and ‘yes’ to our futures. This resolution is a critical step toward a system that works for people, not polluters, and we thank Sen. Sanders and Reps. Blumenauer and Ocasio-Cortez for their bold leadership,” said Stephen Kretzmann, Founder & Executive Director of Oil Change U.S.
“Climate Justice Alliance (CJA) applauds Senator Sanders, Representative Blumenauer and Representative Ocasio-Cortez who continue to demonstrate leadership in addressing the climate crisis with this resolution. Logic dictates that we must clearly name the crisis if we are serious about addressing it. The road to a truly just and regenerative economy begins with recognizing and naming the challenge that confronts us. This resolution is a necessary step on the path to doing just that,” said Angela Adrar, Executive Director of Climate Justice Alliance.
Climate and ecological breakdown threatens to destroy human civilization and kill billions of innocent people through mass starvation, wars over declining resources, and in the worst case scenario, a runaway greenhouse effect. This historic national declaration of climate emergency formally acknowledges this unprecedented threat and demands the only sane response: A massive, federal government-led mobilization of all available resources to rapidly halt and reverse global warming through a managed phase out of coal, oil, and gas, a large-scale carbon sequestration effort, and other life-saving measures,” said Ezra Silk, Co-Founder and Director of Strategy & Policy of The Climate Mobilization.
“We are absolutely in a climate emergency, and it’s time all of our elected officials started acting like it. Acknowledging that climate change represents a monumental threat, as this resolution does, is a critical first step. What the American people need to survive this crisis is swift action from our government to end drilling, fracking, and mining for fossil fuels and to invest in a more just, inclusive economy built on renewable energy,” said Janet Redman, Climate Campaign Director, Greenpeace USA.
“For decades our politics has been dominated by fear — fear of fossil fuel corporations, fear of a just transition, and fear of each other. As our leaders have been crippled by fear, we’re now left with only 11 years to rapidly transition off fossil fuels and toward green energy. It’s time to declare a national emergency to stop the crisis and create millions of good-paying jobs in our communities,” said Alexandra Rojas, executive director of Justice Democrats.
With Democrats clamoring for the Democratic National Committee to host a climate debate for candidates, several have issued their own climate action plans, including Vice President Joe Biden. The Biden Plan for a Clean Energy Revolution & Environmental Justice details how a Biden Administration will tackle the moral and economic imperative of climate change on day one.
“More severe storms and droughts, rising sea levels, warming temperatures, shrinking snow cover and ice sheets – it’s already happening. We must take drastic action now to address the climate disaster facing the nation and our world,” said Vice President Joe Biden. “Science tells us that how we act or fail to act in the next 12 years will determine the very livability of our planet. That’s why I’m calling for a Clean Energy Revolution to confront this crisis and do what America does best – solve big problems with big ideas.”
Here is an overview:
The Biden Plan for a Clean Energy Revolution & Environmental Justice
Addressing the global threat of climate change and revitalizing America’s economy
From coastal towns to rural farms to urban centers, climate change poses an existential threat – not just to our environment, but to our health, our communities, our national security, and our economic well-being. It also damages our communities with storms that wreak havoc on our towns and cities and our homes and schools. It puts our national security at risk by leading to regional instability that will require U.S military-supported relief activities and could make areas more vulnerable to terrorist activities.
Vice President Biden knows there is no greater challenge facing our country and our world. Today, he is outlining a bold plan – a Clean Energy Revolution – to address this grave threat and lead the world in addressing the climate emergency.
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.
If we can harness all of our energy and talents, and unmatchable American innovation, we can turn this threat into an opportunity to revitalize the U.S. energy sector and boost growth economy-wide. We can create new industries that reinvigorate our manufacturing and create high-quality, middle-class jobs in cities and towns across the United States. We can lead America to become the world’s clean energy superpower. We can export our clean-energy technology across the globe and create high-quality, middle-class jobs here at home. Getting to a 100% clean energy economy is not only an obligation, it’s an opportunity. We should fully adopt a clean energy future, not just for all of us today, but for our children and grandchildren, so their tomorrow is healthier, safer, and more just.
As president, Biden will make the United States a world leader to address the climate emergency through the power of example, by ensuring the U.S. achieves a 100% clean energy economy and net-zero emissions no later than 2050.
The Biden Plan will:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 work not wealth, and ending subsidies for fossil fuels.
This all builds on Vice President Biden’s years of leadership on climate change
– from introducing one of the first climate bills in the Senate to overseeing
the largest clean energy investment in our country’s history, the Recovery Act
and to mobilizing the world to achieve the Paris Climate Accord.
Vice President Biden
has committed that Biden for President will not accept contributions from the
oil, gas and coal corporations or executives.
For more on Vice
President Biden’s plan, watch THIS video,
view the policy HERE.
Bill Chalmers, the “ringmaster” and
Chief Experience Officer of the Global Scavenger Hunt, launches us on this around-the-world-in-23-days
mystery tour with what he calls a “chimpanzee test” – a test where a chimpanzee
is likely to get more answers right than a human being who has news and
information available to them. The test basically demonstrates that unlike the
gloom-and-doom of headlines, the trendlines are positive and these are actually
the best of times for human society.
Throughout this Global Scavenger Hunt, “A Blind Date With the World” – where we don’t know where we are going next until we are told when to go to the airport or get ourselves there, and along the way, complete scavenges and challenges – we are encouraged, even forced, to “trust in the kindness of strangers.” To interact with local people even when we can’t understand each other’s language. To learn and understand for ourselves.
For me, it is an incomparable
opportunity to see in close proximity and context what is happening in countries
literally around the globe – to examine this notion of American Exceptionalism,
America First; to see the scope of such hot-button issues as trade, technology,
migration and how they have played out over the longer course of human
civilization. (I have a theory that 98% of Trump’s so-called hard-core base
have never traveled beyond their own provincial border.)
As Chalmers notes, it is conceit to
think we can parachute into places and understand the nuances of complex
issues, but still, travel is about seeing for yourself, but also gaining an
understanding of one another, disabusing stereotypes or caricatures, and most
significantly, not seeing others as “other”, which works both ways. In very
real ways (and especially now), travelers are ambassadors, no less than
diplomats. Isolating people is not how change happens – that only hardens
points of view, and makes people susceptible to fear-mongering and all the bad
things that have happened throughout human history as a result. “See for
yourself,” Chalmers tells us.
This is particularly poignant when
we arrive in Myanmar: One of the first things I see upon arriving in
Yangon, Myanmar (formerly known as Rangoon in its colonial days) is the National
Human Rights Commission which at this juncture, strikes as ironic. But despite
the awful headlines, we all find the people of Myanmar to be kind, gentle,
considerate. And a complete lack of politics or angst.
And just after returning home, the
two prizewinning Reuters journalists imprisoned for their reporting of the
deadly crackdown on the Rohingya, were released.
Vietnam is a testament to the
resiliency of human society to rebound after wars and other crises (as we see
everywhere, in fact – in Spain, in Portugal, in Greece, places that suffered
during World War II, and you reflect on the success of the alliances that set
the stage for 70 years of progress, now being weakened). In Vietnam, visiting
the Chu Chi Tunnels and the War Remnants Museum, you cannot help but feel
ashamed at the war crimes that remain unpunished because of the wealth and
power of the United States.
In Gibraltar, still a colony of
Great Britain, I come upon a May Day labor rally that could have been New York
City: Privatization. Nonconsultation and lack of transparency. Unfair
distribution. Wage increases that don’t keep up with the cost of living.
Abu Dhabi is like a fantasy of a
society built on oil wealth, conspicuous ostentation, a gallery of skyscrapers
that defy physics; Amman, Jordan, on the other hand, is the real world. But my
side trip to Petra – a fantastic city carved out of the rock faces, showed how
greatness is made possible by innovations in engineering a water supply. Petra
was able to dominate (and protect) the caravan routes, and the result was
fabulous art and culture.
This theme picked up again in
Athens, visiting the National Archaeological Museum, where I am struck by the
artistry from 2500 years ago (themes and imagery that I will see again repeated
throughout history on our final stop in New York City, at the Metropolitan
Museum of Art) and realize that the human species is not smarter or better than
thousands of years ago, we just have better tools and technology.
But this panel about 6th Century
Greece stood out that notes the nexus between trade, migration, innovation,
democracy and culture and rise of empire:
“The nature of the economy underwent
a radical change as a result of the growth of trade. A new class of citizens
emerged who were conscious of liberty and its potential and now demanded the
right to play an active role in the running of public affairs….The liberty
that was characteristic of the Greek way of life and which governed their
thinking finds eloquent expression in their artistic creations. …Works of art
and artists moved freely along the trade routes. The wealth and power of the
city-states were expressed in the erection of monumental, lavishly adorned
temples and impressive public welfare works.
“Greeks turned their attention to
the natural world and to phenomena that gave rise to philosophical speculation,
formulative ideas such as those of matter, the atom, force, space and time, and
laying the foundations of science…”
But then came the rise of the
Persian Empire and the Persian Wars.
These themes are repeated in New
York City where our “Global Scavenger Hunt” ends. At the Metropolitan
Museum of Art where the challenge I take is to find objects from five of the
countries we visited, and this leads me to a fascinating exhibit, “The World
Between Empires: Art and Identity in the Ancient Middle East.” The museum
rarely (if ever) becomes political, but in this exhibit, archaeologists comment
on the destruction of Palmyra and other ancient sites by ISIS.
“It may seem frivolous to focus on
monuments, museums when people are enslaved and killed. But to wipe out,
destroy culture is a way of destroying people. We must protect heritage as
well.”
It is a humbling experience, to be
sure, to go to the origins of the great civilizations, fast forward to today.
How did they become great? How did they fall? Greatness is not inevitable or
forever. Empires rise and fall. Rulers use religion, art and monuments to
establish their credibility and credentials to rule; successors blot out the
culture and re-write history. Traveling around the world, you appreciate just
what a small world it is, how interdependent we are, how vulnerable our
societies are, and that individuals do have impact. Also, that people
everywhere are more similar than different.
I come back to a monstrously
disturbing New York Times headline: “Humans Are Speeding Extinction and
Altering the Natural World at an ‘Unprecedented’ Pace:”
“Humans are transforming Earth’s
natural landscapes so dramatically that as many as one million plant and animal
species are now at risk of extinction, posing a dire threat to ecosystems that
people all over the world depend on for their survival, a sweeping new United
Nations assessment has concluded.”
In this case, headlines are
trendlines. And it isn’t just about aesthetics or seeing animals like the
Barbary Macaques that delight tourists in Gibraltar, but whole economies and
sustenance. It is a matter of national security, peace and progress. It is
about food and water supply, disease, habitable spaces. Sea level rise alone is
expected to trigger 300 million climate refugees, competing for dwindling
resources. There have been periods of mass extinction in the past – in fact,
homo sapiens (us) were touch and go there for awhile.
Chalmers started off our “Blind Date
With the World” with the Nicholas Kristof model, that these are actually the
best of times for human society despite the gloom and doom headlines. But I
disagree: the trendlines are not that hopeful. We may well be living in a golden
age of human capacity, but we must recognize that we now have the power of the
Gods to shape, to destroy or to create. And we seem too short-sighted to see
that.
“Governments must start putting
people and the planet ahead of corporate interests and greed and act with the
urgency this report illustrates,” writes Annie Leonard, Executive Director,
Greenpeace USA. “Leaders must adopt strong targets and implementation plans to
protect biodiversity with the active participation and Free, Prior, and Informed
Consent of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Instead of plundering the
forests and seas for short-term profit we need to shift our system into one
that respects planetary boundaries.”
The Greek Gods may well have the
last laugh at the extraordinary ability humans have to destroy themselves.
Long Island will have the first stand-alone
large-scale anaerobic digester – a type of food waste recycling center that
converts waste into energy – in the New York City metropolitan area. When operational
in 2020, It will produce four megawatts of clean energy and reduce greenhouse
gas emissions on Long Island by 85,000 metric tons a year, the equivalent to
removing 18,000 cars from the road.
The Board of Trustees of the Long Island Power Authority voted to approve the project which directly supports Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Green New Deal, a clean energy and jobs agenda that puts New York State on a path to a carbon-free economy and supports the State’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030.
“New York State continues to lead the way
with clean energy initiatives and innovative solutions that benefit both our
neighborhoods and our planet,” Governor Cuomo said. “By implementing this
groundbreaking technology on Long Island, we can not only produce clean energy
and reduce greenhouse gases, but also spare our landfills and keep our
communities cleaner and greener for decades to come.”
The project will create at least 10 full-time jobs and help retain more than 100. The facility provides a lower cost waste disposal option for food service businesses such as supermarkets, bakeries, restaurants, commercial food processers, cafeterias, catering halls, and hotels. The Town of Brookhaven will also have the capability to divert 10,000-15,000 tons per year of food waste to the project from the more expensive disposal options currently used.
The project, to be operated by American Organic
Energy (AOE) at Long Island Compost in Yaphank, will process approximately
180,000 tons of local food waste per year. This waste would have otherwise been
transported by gas and diesel-powered trucks to distant landfills, along with
30,000 tons of fats, oils and greases (FOG). Working with GE Water and Scott’s
Miracle-Gro, AOE will collect, separate, pre-process, break down, and transform
Long Island’s food waste into convertible energy, electricity, fertilizer, and
nutrient-rich clean water.
Greenhouse gas emissions are expected to be
reduced by 85,000 tons of CO2 per year, equivalent to removing 18,000 cars off
the road. It will also reduce truck traffic on Long Island roads by 1.4 million
miles per year, compared to current landfill disposal practice. In addition,
Long Island Compost will convert certain stationary equipment from diesel
to electricity, which is expected to reduce diesel fuel consumption by an
estimated 200,000 gallons per year.
Anaerobic digestion is a biological process
that occurs when organic matter is decomposed by bacteria in the absence of
oxygen. During the decomposition process, the biogas released can be recovered,
treated and used to generate energy in place of traditional fossil fuels.
The agreement also establishes annual and hourly limits on the delivery of energy to LIPA. The average residential bill impact would be approximately $0.10 per month, competitive with pricing of other comparable clean energy facilities under contract to LIPA. The anaerobic digester is expected to be operational by December 31, 2020.
The project is also supported by New York
State Energy Research and Development Authority’s (NYSERDA) Cleaner Greener
Communities initiative, which provided $1.35 million and also was chosen for a
$400,000 Empire State Development award by the Long Island Regional Economic
Development Council.
“Under Governor Cuomo’s leadership, New
York continues to find innovative ways to produce and deliver clean energy to
consumers,” Tom Falcone, LIPA’s Chief
Executive Officer, said. “Turning food waste into energy here on Long
Island diverts waste from Long Island landfills, reduces carbon emissions, and
helps LIPA meet New York’s aggressive clean energy goals.”
“By transforming waste into energy,
digester projects like this will reduce harmful emissions and material going
into landfills, while providing economic and environmental benefits to Long
Island residents,” Alicia Barton,
President and CEO of NYSERDA said. “NYSERDA is proud to collaborate with
LIPA to advance clean energy solutions that support New York’s nation-leading
clean energy goals under Governor Cuomo’s Green New Deal.”
“This project, the largest this side of
the Mississippi, has many societal benefits including creating renewable
energy, reducing solid waste and reducing truck traffic,” Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director of the
Citizens Campaign of the Environment said. “Today the project is cutting
edge, tomorrow it will be standard operating procedure. This transformational
project was seven years in the making, the permits are now completed, and we
are thrilled the construction can begin.”
Empire State Development President,
CEO & Commissioner Howard Zemsky said, “Clean energy projects like this facility aren’t just good
for the environment, they’re good for the health of our communities and help
build a greener economic future for our entire state.”
Suffolk County
Executive Steve Bellone said,”Governor Cuomo understands the
importance of investing in renewable energy initiatives to ensure a sustainable
future for our communities and communities across the state. We are focused on
expanding our efforts to create a cleaner, more efficient Long Island, and I
thank the Governor for his continued support in making projects like these
possible.”
“Through this partnership, Brookhaven
will continue to move forward with our plans to create an energy park at our landfill
as we cap and close this facility, piping methane to this anaerobic digester to
produce an estimated 1.5 megawatts of energy,” Brookhaven Supervisor Ed Romaine said. “Using food scraps and
other organic matter in this facility to create compost and energy is an
important part of our overall strategy to reduce our waste stream on Long
Island to benefit our environment. I want to thank Governor Cuomo for his
support of this important an innovative clean energy project.”
Senator
Todd Kaminsky said,”For a sustainable future, Long Island must stop sending
excess food to landfills, and instead utilize state-of-the-art technology that
turns waste into clean energy. The future is now, and the approval of this
large-scale anaerobic digester is a breakthrough that marks the beginning of a
new, green era.”
Sammy Chu, CEO,
Edgewise Energy, and Chairman, US Green Building Council – Long Island Chapter
said, “This
project represents a very exciting opportunity for Long Island. It not only
supports Governor Cuomo’s goal of decarbonizing our electric supply but also
addresses our growing regional waste crisis. This is the type of creative
solution that we need right now.”
Kevin Law,
President, and CEO of the Long Island Association said, “The anaerobic digester is the most
sophisticated food waste processing facility in the region. This technology
will digest food waste taken from supermarkets, restaurants, and hospitals and
turn this material into a source of clean energy. The LIA is in full support of
this project which will benefit Long Island’s economy, environment and energy
portfolio.”
Neil Lewis,
Executive Director of the Molloy College Sustainability Institute said,”This project addresses the
interconnection of energy, food and carbon emissions. This anaerobic digester
helps with the solid waste problem on Long Island by reducing food waste, while
also generating electricity. Biogas is a renewable form of energy that should
be put to work for us, rather than causing emissions issues in landfills and
being wasted.”
Julie Tighe,
President, New York League of Conservation Voters (NYLCV) said, “We are in full support of this
effort to deploy technology and solutions that can help New York State achieve
its ambitious climate, clean air, and economic development goals. We
applaud LIPA and look forward to continued efforts to help Long Island develop
a robust organic waste-to-fuel industry.”
New York State’s Green New Deal
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s Green New Deal, the nation’s leading
clean energy and jobs agenda, will aggressively put New York State on a path to
economy-wide carbon neutrality. This initiative will provide for a just
transition to clean energy, spurring the growth of the green economy and
mandating New York’s power be 100 percent clean and carbon-free by 2040, one of
the most aggressive goals in the U.S. The cornerstone of this newly proposed
mandate is a significant increase of New York’s successful Clean Energy
Standard to 70 percent renewable electricity by 2030.
As part of the unprecedented ramp-up of renewable energy, New York has already invested $2.9 billion into 46 large-scale renewable projects across the state as it significantly increases its clean energy targets, such as: quadrupling New York’s offshore wind target to a nation-leading 9,000 megawatts by 2035; doubling distributed solar deployment to 6,000 megawatts by 2025; and deploying 3,000 megawatts of energy storage by 2030. To support this ambitious work, NY Green Bank intends to use its expertise in overcoming financing gaps to foster greater environmental impacts per public dollar by raising over $1 billion in third party funds to expand climate financing availability across New York and the rest of North America.
Environmentalists are hailing energy and environmental legacy initiatives in New York State proposed by Governor Andrew Cuomo in his his annual State of the State and budget address.
“Governor Cuomo made historic commitments today
supporting the advancement of clean energy throughout the state,” stated Lisa Dix, Senior New York Campaign Manager
for the Sierra Club. “With a mandate to source 70 percent of the state’s
energy through renewables by 2030, doubling New York’s distributed solar target
and quadrupling the current offshore wind targets, the Governor has proven that
he is a national leader determined to make New York a 21st century, renewable
energy, economic powerhouse. Through massive investments in offshore wind ports
and clean energy job training centers, New York will be the regional hub for
the offshore wind industry. Working with the administration, climate-affected
communities and labor, we will create long-term, family-wage jobs, while
supporting a robust supply chain and multiplying economic development
opportunities for New Yorkers.”
The initiatives include commitments to:
New York’s “Green New Deal”: The Governor restated his December
goal of making New York 100 percent carbon neutral by 2040. The Administration
will map how New York will achieve carbon neutrality, while providing a just
and fair transition for communities and workers. This initiative includes a $10 billion “Green Future Fund” that supports
climate priorities and emissions reduction goals and $70 million to provide
initial funding for communities affected by the clean energy transition.
Increased Clean Energy Standard Target: New York is now the second state after Hawaii with the most
ambitious clean energy targets in the nation, with a new goal of sourcing 70
percent of New York’s electricity from renewable energy by 2030, including the
most ambitious off-shore windpower program in the country. This doubles the
current targets for energy storage, distributed solar, large scale solar and
wind and quadruples the offshore wind targets.
Increased Green Infrastructure and Jobs: With the Governor
committing to building nearly four times more offshore wind by 2035 than he
initially stated, this is the most ambitious offshore wind generation
commitment in the country. New York will nearly triple the offshore wind
commitment any state has made before. Additionally, about $200 million of the
budget will be invested in building offshore wind ports and clean energy job
training centers.
Clean Transportation and Congestion Pricing: The Governor urged
the legislature to pass congestion pricing legislation to make the Metro
Transit Authority (MTA) more reliable for years to come. Through congestion
pricing, the state would make $15 billion to invest back into the MTA. The
Governor also committed to over $3 billion in funding for clean energy and
clean transportation infrastructure for electric vehicles and charging
infrastructure. The Governor, however, fell short in setting an enforceable
commitment to reducing emissions from New York’s transportation sector, the
economic sector responsible for the most climate/carbon pollution in New York
State.
Emmanuel Macron, President of France, threw down the gauntlet to US President Donald Trump, delivering the anti-America First rebuttal to Trump’s speech to the 73rd United Nations General Assembly. Macron defended multilateralism while urging new coalitions form to solve the most pressing global issues and offering mechanisms to isolate, work around, and ultimately weaken the ability of the United States to force its will.
He contradicted Trump’s call for countries to sanction Iran and said that he would like the Euro to be strengthened to weaken the US dollar as a global currency and its ability to be used as a cudgel to force nations to bow to United States.
“We need to be able to open exchanges to other democratic powers. We need to build new coalitions to make progress on trade – a strategic dialogue with China; on tech. a partnership with India; on climate, clear specific dialogue with China, India and Africa; on education inequality, with Africa.”
Insisting on multilateralism as the only means to prevent conflicts and deal with global issues of inequality, climate change, Macron drew stark contrast to Trump’s dystopian view of globalism, evoking the memory of two world wars out of the ashes of which the United Nations was formed. Instead of following Trump’s call to increase sanctions on Iran, he urged more cooperation, and advocated for the two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
“During anniversary of 1948 declaration [of Human Rights], we are reminded that human rights not a cultural fact, but fundamental values… universality is compatible with sovereignty of people and is indeed only way to preserve rights – France shall remain there to make sure world not forget that nationalism always leads to defeat, that if courage is lacking in defense of fundamental principles, international order becomes fragile and this can lead, as we have seen twice, to global war.”
In his speech and afterward at a press briefing, Macron struck at Trump’s pet issue, trade, suggesting that either France would not forge a trade agreement with a country that was not part of the Paris Climate Accord, or there would be mitigation (which makes sense since Trump argues there are economic costs to climate action, therefore producers who do not adhere would have an advantage over countries that impose standards and regulations aimed at curbing heat-trapping gases). Macron said such trade agreements would also be used to bar genetically-modified food products.
“That means there is no comprehensive agreement if [the nation is] not in line with Paris … Today we need to find solutions where we can equalize tariffs – if neutral on climate – however this generation of significant trade agreements that might run counter, I’m not in favor of.
“France continues to spearhead this global fight against climate change,” Macron added. “In the G7, I will work to see the Paris obligations increased… The G7 must remain firmly committed to democracy, unified, also lead to new coalitions, reforging the global collective system – new forms of cooperation to make strides forward – effectively push back against these inequalities which have eroded our societies – mistrust- isolationism – fueled such actions –all these inequalities we have let fester and collective inability to find solutions. No single nation can solve on its own.” But, he said, “Our collective system falling apart…”
He also veered significantly away from Trump’s call to impose new sanctions on Iran, saying that the situation isn’t helped by hurting Iran’s economy.
“What will bring a real solution to the situation in Iran and what has already stabilized it? The law of the strongest? Pressure from only one side? No! We know that Iran was on a nuclear military path but what stopped it? The 2015 Vienna accord,” he said.
Elaborating in the press briefing, he said, “The consequences of US strategy in Iran –I have little doubt Trump will sanction on Nov 4 – will have impact on Iranian businesses, but especially those businesses that trade with Iran and are exposed to US dollar,” he said in the press briefing.
“The strategy of the United States to reduce Iranian financial capacity to weaken [the regime] I don’t share. I believe we can bring more pressure politically if we support Iran’s economic situation – that would put more pressure on current regime. For some months, I have been working to keep Iran in [the nuclear] agreement, and develop substitutes but it won’t replace all US (sanctions), the businesses that are exposed to US – but will help industrial and trade solutions for regional powers. In context of Vienna agreement, the work we have undertaken with 3 European countries (France, Germany, United Kingdom) and the European Union, working with Iran, but we also started with China, India, Russia, to work with them and regional powers, to find a trade solution that is viable and make it possible to build a solution.
“Clearly we can’t respond to all solutions, but we are convinced some trade solutions might give beginning of answer. The crux of matter is we favor of strengthening Iran’s economic and financial sovereignty –I don’t think good for Europe, for the US decision to impact European business that can’t work with (Iran). Certain American decisions [are possible] due to extraterritoriality of dollar. I am in favor of a stronger Euro and a stronger Eurozone – that would provide a counterbalance to dollars. I am in favor of rules in trade, financial, economic to strengthen European sovereignty with market [forces]. That is one of the things the next mandate of European Parliament and commission [need to address].”
He gave an indirect rebuke to Trump (who hailed his decision to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem) on the Israel-Palestinian conflict, saying, “What can resolve the crisis between Israel and Palestine?” asked Macron. “Not unilateral initiatives, nor trampling on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to legitimate peace. There is no credible alternative to the two-state solution.”
Macron was treated as rock star – The session he headed on reaffirming Climate Action goals was standing room only – guards had to fight off people trying to get into the too-small conference room.
Macron seems to be taking over the role of “conscience” of world – fighting for climate action, equality, education, rational migration, sustainable development. He moaned over the 250 million children who cannot attend school, the 100 million living in abject poverty.
You may be tired of multilateralism,” he said, but “never forget that genocide which led to you being here today, the very genocides which are fueled by divisions, erosion of the global order, all of this happens because we turn our heads and remain complacent… I do not accept the erosion of multilateralism. I don’t accept our history unraveling. Our children are watching. Let us address the crises, work together to combat inequalities, do it on a human level [guided by the] principle of universalism.
Macron urged new financing mechanisms – for example, using sovereign funds to invest in sustainable development and climate action – and ‘out of the box’ thinking.
