Emily Dennis
March 9, 2021
Joe Biden’s election as president in this past cycle has, to many, been the culmination of a hard-fought and exhausting year. Although it’s been the brunt of various jokes and lighthearted commentary, 2020 proved to be a tumultuous one for the history books. From a political standpoint, the United States government has grappled with numerous problems, from the now-standard polarization of the two parties to a global pandemic, and even the impeachment of then-president Donald Trump. The unprecedented year has finally come to an end and, for many, that end came with a ray of hope that was the defeat of the Trump presidency. This allowed the American people to usher in a new political era that includes the oldest president, Joe Biden, and the first female vice president, Kamala Harris. The Biden-Harris dream team has made some heavy promises to the American people, including ones that address the problem of climate change.
It isn’t a secret to anyone that the Trump administration took major actions against climate rules and regulations, ranging from rollbacks on Obama-era emission regulations to approving the Keystone Pipeline and opening up land for drilling in the arctic circle.[1] Not only did the administration take actions to hinder climate change improvement, they outwardly denied that it was even an occurring phenomenon. Trump is quoted to have said “I don’t believe it. No, no, I don’t believe it,” after having read through a National Climate Assessment in 2018, put together by thirteen federal agencies. The administration went on to put gag orders on scientists and Environmental Protection Agency employees.[2] However, planet and climate enthusiasts alike can now heave a huge sigh of relief thanks to the Biden administration and the fact that he actually acknowledges climate change as a very real and threatening problem. While the climate plan laid out for this new administration is full of promise and do-gooding, there is an underlying concern for many, including myself. Can the country come together and actively unite in order for this climate plan to play out in its entirety?
The Biden Plan, as it has been dubbed, describes the administration’s efforts to combat climate problems within our society. According to his website, Biden indicates that his climate plan will have the United States achieving 100 percent clean energy and net-zero emissions by 2050, building a stronger and more resilient nation, rallying the rest of the world against this threat, standing up to the abusiveness of polluters, and fulfilling obligations to workers and communities.[3] This is all well and fine, and quite a relief considering it’s a total turnaround from what our country has experienced the last four years. However, my deepest concerns lie not in Biden but in the House and Senate legislators.
I’m sure many of us are aware of the political polarization that has been ramping up at insane rates in more recent years, with representatives taking hardline stances on specific issues. Gridlock is now the norm in the Capitol building, another important issue that Biden is trying to resolve. There is also the in-party polarization that is present in the Democratic party. Some lawmakers are very progressive in their thinking, those like Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, both big-name sponsors of the highly progressive and controversial Green New Deal legislation.[4]Then there are the more centrist Democrats, like Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, advocating for the continued use of fossil fuel resources. Manchin, while a Democrat, is likely to be a thorn in Biden’s side when it comes to passing this crucial climate legislation. Senator Machin is well known for suing the Environmental Protection Agency. He is also famous for opposing cap-and-trade proposals in a somewhat infamous commercial in which he shoots the proposal in an ad to appeal to his coal-country constituents.[5] Clearly, the stances on climate change and how to move forward within the Democratic party are neither cohesive nor adhesive, (forgive me for the lame science joke).
Another qualm of mine regarding climate legislation, and certainly not the institutional foundation of the constitution, is the broader issue of term limits placed on presidential power. Of course, I find this to only be a problem during the Biden administration and perhaps the future executives with similar beliefs. The issue here is that presidents can only push their legislative agenda for so long, meaning that Biden’s climate change laws may not have a leg to stand on once he’s out of office. We saw this happen from the transition of Obama-era regulations into the Trump presidency. As I discussed earlier, Donald Trump and his Republican Senate were able to overrule various Obama-administration legislation. This is a very regular occurrence and often why we have a change in the executive party – people dislike the way an administration has handled a specific issue or are seeking a change that a new candidate has promised. Biden’s proposed legislation is highly progressive compared to what has been done in the past, which means it may leave lots of space for arguments on behalf of Republicans and Democrats alike. Representatives from more rural areas that tend to support the continued use of fossil fuels will easily be able to argue for the possibility of lost jobs and the tanking of local economies.[6] These rural areas have relied on the fossil fuel industry as a source of jobs and revenue for decades, making it difficult to unravel what has been a constant in these people’s lives for generations.
Whether you agree with President Biden or not – and yes, I said President because that’s the office he was lawfully and legally elected to – you have to admit that his climate plan is comprehensive. It envelopes a wide array of sectors in an attempt to transition the country to a more earth-friendly attitude while saving the jobs and livelihoods of the American people. Another topic of discussion I’d like to touch on is jobs. The stubbornness of the American “way of life” has gotten in the way of much of the policy that Biden is proposing. People are too set in their ways and refuse to adapt to an ever-changing world. I know change can be scary and there are a whole host of reasons why people would not want to give up their jobs, but this is the planet I’m talking about. The planet that we live on, the place where we live and breathe, the place that gives us the ability to do what we’re doing; so why wouldn’t we make an effort to save it? Unfortunately, the fossil fuel industry offers decent pay, but that nice paycheck comes alongside even greater risks to health and safety. Petroleum jobs often pay upwards of 40 percent above the median in the United States, a large incentive to stay put. I don’t understand how coal miners continue to want to work in the industry – haven’t they heard of black lung? Or read anything on the Buffalo Creek Disaster? Any number of accidents, health problems, and environmental damage can easily be seen in the various fossil fuel companies that continue to persist in our economy. On the flip side, “green jobs” offer more stability, while still paying about 25 percent above the median, and they’re also less volatile.[7] Most of the hesitancy to changing professions comes from the lack of education that people in the fossil fuel industries tend to have. These green jobs definitely require a high level of scientific knowledge and technical skills that many blue collar Americans are lacking at the present moment.[8] However, Biden’s plan wants to offer job training and education to the workers who are involved in the fossil fuel industry, it’s not like they’re going to be left in the (coal) dust to fend for themselves.
The Biden Plan offers such a comprehensive and progressive move forward toward bettering the planet and I find it hard to wrap my head around the lack of support it receives from so many people, but that could also just be the environmental studies major bias in me coming out. It seems that even under his own party, Biden will find some opposition in implementing pieces of his plan. Every representative is synonymous with vastly different groups of people. I know that circumstances differ from person to person and family to family, but in hindsight, let’s give the Biden administration a fighting chance. We are so quick to play the blame game, but we have to understand that these things take time. Patience is of the essence in this case. President Biden has preached unity from day one. This is a message that is easy to understand, regardless of education, political affiliation, race, ethnicity, so on and so forth. I believe that Biden and Harris want to do what they can for the betterment of our country – they have run such caring and compassionate campaigns so far – and is that really something that Americans detest? I will reiterate my belief that I have high hopes for the Biden administration, however, this is no small task. Uniting the American people on behalf of the planet is not up for debate any longer – it needs to happen, and it needs to happen now.
[1] Nadja Popovich, Livia Albeck-Ripka, and Kendra Pierre-Louis, “The Trump Administration Rolled Back More Than 100 Environmental Rules. Here’s the Full List.,” The New York Times (The New York Times, January 20, 2021).
[2] Akshit Sangomla , “US Elections 2020: A History of Trump’s Climate Change Denial,” Down To Earth, November 3, 2020.
3 “Plan for Climate Change and Environmental Justice: Joe Biden,” Joe Biden for President: Official Campaign Website. Biden For President, October 29, 2020.
4 Markey, Edward. “Cosponsors – S.Res.59 – 116th Congress (2019-2020): A Resolution Recognizing the Duty of the Federal Government to Create a Green New Deal.” Congress.gov. Library of Congress, February 7, 2019.
[5] Grandoni, Dino, and Sarah Kaplan. “One Coal State Senator Holds the Key to Biden’s Ambitious Climate Agenda. And It’s Not McConnell.” The Washington Post. The Washington Post , January 26, 2021.
[6] Rosenbaum, Eric. “Biden’s Climate Change Plan and the Battle for America’s Most Threatened Workers.” CNBC. CNBC, February 2, 2021.
[7] Domonoske, Camila. “Oil Jobs Are Big Risk, Big Pay. Green Energy Offers Stability and Passion.” NPR. NPR, October 21, 2020.
[8] Misra, Tanvi. “A Bottom Line Case for the Green New Deal: The Jobs Pay More .” Bloomberg CityLab. Bloomberg, April 24, 2019. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-24/green-jobs-have-higher-wages-lower-entry-barriers.
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