What Biden has done is to cut the issuance of drilling leases to the minimum required by law, pass the Inflation Reduction Act, enact a regulation to force vehicle electrification, and similarly force fossil fuels out of most power plants.
What Biden has not done: stop issuing drilling permits or impose export restrictions on fossil fuels. The former has some serious limits because of how the courts treat the right to drill as a property right once you hold a drilling lease, and the latter is simply untested.
In the US, climate policy has more support than people believe:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-32412-y
not enough to pass meaningful legislation.
From the article:
“While 66–80% Americans support these policies, Americans estimate the prevalence to only be between 37–43% on average.”
I’d say 2/3 is more than enough. It doesn’t all have to be at the national level. City govs could rezone to reduce car usage. State govs could give tax breaks for employees that telework.
the vast majority of americans support sane gun regulation but that’s not happening either. I guess I have to explain how the GOP runs the house, and set the legislation to be passed up to the senate, and are on the take of the gun and petroleum lobbies?
really?
Again, it doesn’t all have to be at the federal level. State and local governments can take action that would be impactful.
What these numbers mean are some of the GOP is going to have to flip or they will lose in the primaries.
What is the alternative other than complain about the state of politics?
The way I see it, we should take the wins that we get, and celebrate them loudly in the hopes that it will drive more wins.
this is already happening; see CA. But it’s not going to be enough to stop the idiots from driving the bus over the cliff (odds are very good that the wheels on the bus are already going round-and-round in midair).
I’m glad you’re optimistic, and not trying to bring anyone down, but from my perspective, we’re gonna be arguing with the chuds and luddites until they literally cook.
I love the driving off the cliff comparison! My goal is to try to crash into the side of the mountain at a survivable speed.
I’m optimistic because I have to be. I’m a parent, so I feel it is my responsibility to do what I can so that my kids can have a future. They were born pre-trump. In today’s environment, I would probably be child free.
Here is some good news. Chick-fil-A. Chicken production emits about 1/3 of the GHG than beef. I am well aware of their politics. They could have those politics AND serve mostly beef.
finally a metaphor that realistically responds to the crisis.
I want to find optimism. I have a teenager. I want them to have a better quality of life, but everything I’m reading and seeing points in the opposite direction and on a very short timeline. I hope I’m wrong. Genuinely.