What the new presidency means for environmental justice
By Wednesday Satterlee
As we enter into the new year we also welcome a new president. The democratic party and Joe Biden means big changes in terms of the prioritization of environmental justice. It seems as though climate has been placed on the backburner of our governments to-do list, but as 2021 brings in big changes, there's light at the end of the tunnel for our earth.
Back in 2020, the U.S exited the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement leaving scientists in awe at the blatant disregard for our climate.
“The United States is the second biggest emitter of carbon dioxide worldwide (and has contributed, with Europe, 52% of the share of cumulative carbon emissions since industrialization). It is withdrawing from its historical responsibility to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and lead the way forward. Given the continuous commitment of most countries to reduce emissions, and the firm leadership of Europe, China and Russia in shaping the transformation towards a decarbonized economy, the United States runs the risk of being left behind and missing one of the greatest economic opportunities of our time.” Thomas Stocker, Climate and Environmental Physicist at The University of Bern, Switzerland.
On January 20th, President Biden re-committed to the Paris Climate Agreement and instructed federal agencies to start reviewing and reinstating more than 100+ environmental regulations that were reduced by the Trump administration. But that wasn't the only action that Biden took on Wednesday the 20th, he also rescinded the construction permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline - a great stride in limiting the transportation of oil across america and proving the environment is not sacrificable.
And that was just his first day in office.
In terms of what we can expect for the next 4 years, we can take a look at The Biden Plan for a clean energy revolution and environmental justice.
The Biden Plan will:
“Ensure the U.S achieves a 100% clean energy economy and reaches net-zero emissions no later than 2050”
“Biden will make smart infrastructure investments to rebuild the nation and to ensure that our buildings, water, transportation, and energy infrastructure can withstand the impacts of climate change. Every dollar spent toward rebuilding our roads, bridges, buildings, the electric grid, and our water infrastructure will be used to prevent, reduce, and withstand a changing climate.”
“He will lead an effort to get every major country to ramp up the ambition of their domestic climate targets. He will make sure those commitments are transparent and enforceable, and stop countries from cheating by using America’s economic leverage and power of example. He will fully integrate climate change into our foreign policy and national security strategies, as well as our approach to trade.”
“Stand up to the abuse of power by polluters who disproportionately harm communities of color and low-income communities.”
“Fulfill our obligation to workers and communities who powered our industrial revolution and subsequent decades of economic growth.”
While there is still a lot of work to be done in reversing the environmental setbacks caused by our past mistakes, Biden's plan is definitely a step in the right direction. While his goal is a difficult one to achieve, hopefully the actions he’ll take these next 4 years will bring us and future generations closer to a clean green earth.
References:
The Biden Plan for a Clean Energy Revolution and Environmental Justice, December 2020, https://joebiden.com/climate-plan/
How Scientists Reacted to the U.S. Leaving the Paris Climate Agreement, Schiermeier, Tollefson, June 2017, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-scientists-reacted-to-the-u-s-leaving-the-paris-climate-agreement/
Biden Cancels Keystone XL Pipeline and Rejoins Paris Climate Agreement, Davenport, Friedman, January 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/20/climate/biden-paris-climate-agreement