One of Joe Biden’s signature issues while running for president was his stance on climate change. Sticking true to his campaign promises, Biden has unveiled his climate change plan just a week into his presidency. Biden has promised to pivot the country away from fossil fuels and to create millions of jobs in the renewable energy sector.
“This is not a time for small measures,” Biden said before reporters on Wednesday. Biden, who has claimed he wants to be known as “the climate president” in history books, highlighted how the US has already wasted precious time in addressing the growing climate crisis.
What’s at Stake
Last year was tied with 2016 for the hottest year on record, and environmental preservation groups warn that the planet could be hurtling toward irreversible climate damage. The science is clear: there is no longer any argument about the man-made nature of the climate crisis. The argument now has shifted to how aggressive the government should be in regulating the industries that are having the largest impact on the worsening climate.
Even as Biden spoke Wednesday, outlining his climate plan, Republican attorneys general and oil industry executives leapt into action, branding Biden’s plan as “radical” and a “job killer”.
This, of course, overlooks the promise to create millions of jobs in the renewable energy field, all the while saving the planet from a scenario that would see global temperatures skyrocketing.
The Planet or the Fossil Fuel Industry
Many fossil fuel executives were astonished on Wednesday at the speed, scope, and fervor with which Biden is moving in regards to the climate crisis. They noted that he is being significantly more quick and aggressive than his Democrat predecessor, Barrack Obama.
Biden’s own team noted that the situation is much more apparently dire in 2021 than it was in 2009 or 2016.
Now, the Biden administration is framing this battle as an all-or-nothing fight: the planet or the fossil fuel industry, one has to give. Biden has already moved to have the US rejoin the Paris Climate Accords, and cut off the controversial Keystone pipeline. He moved to ban drilling on federal lands, and has stated that the US will lead the push to cut down on greenhouse gasses globally.
Biden’s team pointed out that this is also the sound financial decision: it’s costing more money to recover from the damage of climate change than it would to combat the causes. Now’s the time for drastic action, according to the White House. It’s now or never.
