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Abstract

cial Presidential Envoy for Climate, respectively, we started to see the framework take shape. And once President Biden came out to make his remarks and sign three executive orders regarding climate action, the goal of this administration was clear: to reorganize how our government works, putting climate issues and considerations at the center of every government function and legislative discussion.</p><p id="1de5">Without turning this into a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/01/27/fact-sheet-president-biden-takes-executive-actions-to-tackle-the-climate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad-create-jobs-and-restore-scientific-integrity-across-federal-government/">list of the actions taken</a> by the administration, here’s what they’re doing.</p><h2 id="8629">Leading by example</h2><p id="4833">It’s clear that President Biden believes America should be leading on this issue, and that the only way to lead here is by example. As John Kerry said, “90% of emissions come from outside the US so ambitious climate action needs to be global in scope and scale.” And to achieve action on a global scale you start by doing. More than that, though, the way the administration has decided to organize this action is really interesting. Gina McCarthy’s role as National Climate Advisor will be domestic action. While Kerry’s role will be diplomatic — working with other countries to fight the crisis. What McCarthy does in her role will enable Kerry to go to other countries and say, “See, we’re doing this, so you can too.”</p><p id="7a59">What this means is a domestic-out focus. In other words, it’s not just installing solar panels. It’s saying we’re going to design better solar panels, manufacture them, install them, and then export them to other countries.</p><p id="f1de">It’s future-focused. There was an acknowledgment that we can’t go backward. We can’t erase the lost opportunity for progress from the last four years. And whatever we do, we can’t dial the temperature down. It also went further than we’ve ever heard national leadership go. Dealing with the necessary reactive measures with one hand while taking proactive new measures with the other.</p><p id="cf98">Making sure that a percentage of new energy coming onto our grid this year is clean energy. And committing to a grid that’s 100% carbon-free by 2035.</p><p id="b846">Re-committing to higher emissions standards for automobiles. And committing to updating our highway infrastructure with an electric-charging grid.</p><p id="38cd">Plugging abandoned oil and gas wells. And no longer granting oil and gas companies leases on public lands. On this point, some critics may focus on Biden again, promising not

Options

to ban fracking. But the truth became clear: you don’t need to ban something when you can make it obsolete.</p><h2 id="71c0">A Whole-of-Government Approach</h2><p id="d866">This phrase was uttered multiple times. What this means is that Biden is reorganizing our government around the climate crisis. Pretty much every function of government was mentioned either explicitly or by example. Meaning that, for the next four years at least, every decision our government makes will have to first answer the question: how does this impact our environment? These announcements included incentives for industry, job creation, infrastructure changes, clean energy, healthcare, and climate justice. It was all-encompassing. For example, as part of the commitment to a clean-energy industry, it was announced that 40% of that investment was earmarked for communities in need. New special offices include an Office of Climate Justice and an Office of Climate Change and Health Equity. And a commission involving all 17 of our intelligence agencies is being convened to create a National Intelligence Estimate on security implications of the climate crisis.</p><h2 id="f043">Civilian Responsibility</h2><p id="b0a3">As President Biden said, “a whole-of-government approach is necessary, but it is not, alone, enough.” With the stroke of a pen, he established the Civilian Climate Corps, committed to providing jobs addressing climate change through conserving public lands, increasing carbon sequestration, and more. A move <a href="https://twitter.com/sunrisemvmt/status/1354603913035591681?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet">environmental groups</a> were quick to <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2021/01/sierra-club-applauds-establishment-civilian-climate-corps">applaud</a>.</p><p id="d588">Overall, the administration laid the groundwork for innovation. They didn’t come out and say, we’re going to do this one thing. They came out and said we need to do all these things and we’re going to create an environment that allows these things to be done. It’s both committing to government action and enabling industries to lead through innovation.</p><p id="02f7">I had high hopes for the announcements that were going to be made and they far surpassed my expectations with how expansive and thought-through their plans are. These aren’t half-measures and they’re not platitudes designed to mollify anxious activists. These are concrete, actionable solutions that enable and embolden rather than dictate, and that show genuine leadership the only way we can. To quote President Biden, “our plans are ambitious, but we are America…. we can do this; we must do this.”</p></article></body>

Biden’s Bold Climate Strokes

How America is finally focusing on fighting the climate crisis

Scientists and climate journalists alike announced 2020 was the beginning of the climate decade. Essentially, the last 10 years in which we could take substantive action to curb our runaway greenhouse problem. Long gone was the notion of reversing it. Now dire action was needed simply so things didn’t get much worse. But, at first, it seemed business as usual here in the States.

Then a pandemic happened. Seemingly overnight, as we confined ourselves inside our residences and shut down business and travel, the skies cleared. And we got a literal look at what our future could be — what our distant past had been — and it was jarring. Sure, air pollution isn’t the only problem. And taking cars off the road (or going electric) isn’t even the biggest factor in the solution. But we humans are visual creatures. We need to see something to truly understand it. Seeing, it turns out, really is believing.

Spurred by these images, people who’d never before prioritized climate action were suddenly talking about it. It wasn’t a top priority (again, pandemic) but it was climbing. Still, domestically, there was a ceiling.

Despite the elegant protestations and spot-on finger-pointing of Greta Thunberg and other members of the Climate Generation. Despite the Paris Climate Agreement (which we’d pulled out of) or the Four Per 1,000 initiative (which we never signed onto). Our obtuse, opaque ceiling came in the form of a ruling party that refused to acknowledge science. We lost a year of action in our critical decade, despite being forced to temporarily clear our air.

Luckily, 2021 is shaping up differently, thanks to a new administration that not only acknowledges climate change but, for the first time, recognizes the need for immediate, drastic action. At least that’s been their promise and our hope.

On January 27th, 392 days into our critical decade, we were told this would be a promise kept; that action was finally happening. In officially announcing and presenting Gina McCarthy and John Kerry as National Climate Advisor and Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, respectively, we started to see the framework take shape. And once President Biden came out to make his remarks and sign three executive orders regarding climate action, the goal of this administration was clear: to reorganize how our government works, putting climate issues and considerations at the center of every government function and legislative discussion.

Without turning this into a list of the actions taken by the administration, here’s what they’re doing.

Leading by example

It’s clear that President Biden believes America should be leading on this issue, and that the only way to lead here is by example. As John Kerry said, “90% of emissions come from outside the US so ambitious climate action needs to be global in scope and scale.” And to achieve action on a global scale you start by doing. More than that, though, the way the administration has decided to organize this action is really interesting. Gina McCarthy’s role as National Climate Advisor will be domestic action. While Kerry’s role will be diplomatic — working with other countries to fight the crisis. What McCarthy does in her role will enable Kerry to go to other countries and say, “See, we’re doing this, so you can too.”

What this means is a domestic-out focus. In other words, it’s not just installing solar panels. It’s saying we’re going to design better solar panels, manufacture them, install them, and then export them to other countries.

It’s future-focused. There was an acknowledgment that we can’t go backward. We can’t erase the lost opportunity for progress from the last four years. And whatever we do, we can’t dial the temperature down. It also went further than we’ve ever heard national leadership go. Dealing with the necessary reactive measures with one hand while taking proactive new measures with the other.

Making sure that a percentage of new energy coming onto our grid this year is clean energy. And committing to a grid that’s 100% carbon-free by 2035.

Re-committing to higher emissions standards for automobiles. And committing to updating our highway infrastructure with an electric-charging grid.

Plugging abandoned oil and gas wells. And no longer granting oil and gas companies leases on public lands. On this point, some critics may focus on Biden again, promising not to ban fracking. But the truth became clear: you don’t need to ban something when you can make it obsolete.

A Whole-of-Government Approach

This phrase was uttered multiple times. What this means is that Biden is reorganizing our government around the climate crisis. Pretty much every function of government was mentioned either explicitly or by example. Meaning that, for the next four years at least, every decision our government makes will have to first answer the question: how does this impact our environment? These announcements included incentives for industry, job creation, infrastructure changes, clean energy, healthcare, and climate justice. It was all-encompassing. For example, as part of the commitment to a clean-energy industry, it was announced that 40% of that investment was earmarked for communities in need. New special offices include an Office of Climate Justice and an Office of Climate Change and Health Equity. And a commission involving all 17 of our intelligence agencies is being convened to create a National Intelligence Estimate on security implications of the climate crisis.

Civilian Responsibility

As President Biden said, “a whole-of-government approach is necessary, but it is not, alone, enough.” With the stroke of a pen, he established the Civilian Climate Corps, committed to providing jobs addressing climate change through conserving public lands, increasing carbon sequestration, and more. A move environmental groups were quick to applaud.

Overall, the administration laid the groundwork for innovation. They didn’t come out and say, we’re going to do this one thing. They came out and said we need to do all these things and we’re going to create an environment that allows these things to be done. It’s both committing to government action and enabling industries to lead through innovation.

I had high hopes for the announcements that were going to be made and they far surpassed my expectations with how expansive and thought-through their plans are. These aren’t half-measures and they’re not platitudes designed to mollify anxious activists. These are concrete, actionable solutions that enable and embolden rather than dictate, and that show genuine leadership the only way we can. To quote President Biden, “our plans are ambitious, but we are America…. we can do this; we must do this.”