What Does Biden’s Win Mean for the Climate?
If you ask a stranger how their November is going, I would take a fairly confident guess that it’s been filled with anxiety, stress… then a bit more anxiety. On top of a global pandemic, The United States is narrowing in on concluding a long-winded presidential election season. We have not only secured a new president-elect, but also a refreshed perspective on unavoidable issues, such as the ever-expanding climate crisis. It may have been hard to avoid the election news at any capacity, but it personally feels as though we may have lost sight of the details while looking at big picture candidates.
Questions like ‘What did Joe Biden promise in his campaign to help the environment?’ and ‘How exactly is this different from the United States’ historical involvement in protecting our planet?’ have been popping up in the forefront of my mind. From my own research, I have distilled down the details of what Biden and Harris are fighting for in terms of clean energy, emissions reductions, and the importance of environmental justice.
We should first talk about where the rest of the world stands with climate change, most notably with the Paris Agreement. We have most likely all heard conversations and debates about the topic, but not specifically what it is or what it’s looking to do.
The Paris Agreement
The Paris Agreement is an environmental agreement between nearly every nation on Earth that was adopted in 2016. In addition to placing climate change on the global stage, its key intentions are to reduce the global temperature increase, cut climate-altering pollution and emissions, and bring together a global network for monitoring, reporting, and holding each other accountable.
The United States formally began the process of withdrawing from the Paris Agreement in November 2019; however, Joe Biden has put together a climate policy that could put the United States back into the running for global warming reduction. As a supporter of the Green New Deal, Biden created a plan looking to invest a whopping $1.7 trillion over the next ten years to start a ‘Clean Energy Revolution’. And he’s looking to recommit the United States to the Paris Agreement.
The New Plan
In summary, Biden is looking to:
Execute a plan to reach net-zero emissions no later than 2050, a lofty but necessarily ambitious goal.
Achieve a 100% clean energy economy by investing back into communities to create green jobs, acknowledging that the climate and economy must co-exist and live harmoniously.
Invest green solutions into every aspect of our nation’s infrastructure, such as buildings, water, transportation, and energy.
Develop solutions for low-income communities and communities of color who are disproportionately impacted by pollution and our climate emergency also known as environmental justice, making the communities themselves the drivers of the process.
The waging struggle of giving climate change and science the spotlight only emphasizes the importance of humans in the One Health paradigm. Environmental, animal, and human health are all contingent on the decisions our public leaders make. Changes in policy are so crucial for the future fate of our planet, and our democratic society gives us the chance to use our individual voices.
What you Need to Know… Regardless of Citizenship
In terms of climate change, there is power in every individual’s knowledge and understanding of the science. We’ve seen it all here in our own country: the growing catastrophic wildfires and droughts in California; the tropical cyclone season with so many storms, they had to begin naming them with the Greek letter storm naming system; and the steady increase in sea-level rise on coastal communities.
Only time will tell what changes are made for the climate’s benefit once Biden is inaugurated into office this upcoming January. Biden’s plan will only get as far as Congress will let it. As for now, there is a cathartic sigh of relief heard around the globe as our voices feel a bit more heard, our planet a bit safer, and future a bit more promised.