More than a year into the
Biden administration we, in the climate action movement, are facing some
difficult realities. While the program Joe Biden ran on was reasonably good on
climate concerns, to date very, very little has been accomplished. Why is this
and what can be done about it?
To begin with, as most reading this already know, the combination of the
general unwillingness of any members of the GOP in Congress to support
meaningful climate action, the razor-thin majorities that the Dems have in both
houses of Congress, the filibuster rule in the Senate and the opposition of at
least two nominally Democratic senators to abandoning it for any purpose have
made the prospects for passing the sorts of legislation we need slim to none. And
this situation is likely to get worse after the mid-term elections.
To spread a little icing on the cake, Biden has been saddled with an ongoing
pandemic, an economy that hit the skids and then hit inflation, both due to the
pandemic, a foreign policy crisis that rivals any seen in decades and a
partisan division so intense that many, perhaps most, Republicans question
whether Biden actually won the presidency. As a result, while the President
continues to pay lip service to climate action, he is actually doing very
little right now to move forward on the climate front.
The sad irony is that there’s actually much Biden could do without Congress,
and taking such action he could potentially rally large numbers of citizens and
voters in the run-up to the November mid-terms.
The way forward, as we’ve been saying for many months, is to declare a Climate
Emergency.
As our allies at the Center for Biologic Diversity point out, there are “key
climate steps the president could take under the National Emergencies Act, the
Defense Production Act and the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency
Assistance Act. Declaring a national emergency would allow the president to
halt crude oil exports, stop offshore oil and gas drilling, restrict
international fossil fuel investment and rapidly manufacture and distribute
renewable energy systems.
“‘Declaring a climate emergency isn’t a catch phrase, it’s a vital suite of
actions to protect people and the planet from this crisis,’ said Jean Su,
director of the Center’s energy justice program and co-author of the report.
‘In the face of delayed climate legislation, President Biden should use his
tremendous executive powers to turn this emergency into an opportunity for
profound economic and social transformation.’”
Green Team members, we urge you to join in the efforts of more than 1,000
organizations across the country to press President Biden to do the right
thing. You can send him a clear, brief message if you click HERE.
You can also contact President Biden's Chief of Staff Ron Klain, at (888)
431-7599. He needs to hear, and pass on to the President, our concerns. Our
message must be clear. We are in an emergency and we need to take urgent action
to address this.
Looking for more info? Click HERE.
