Last week, we couldn't help but notice some green shoots. And really, we needed to notice them. Amid all the troubling news on climate change, it can be easy to fall into a mental trap of nihilism and despair.
Fortunately, we have another green shoot to examine this week. Remember when President Obama agreed to take executive action on climate change back in June? We will soon begin seeing the results of that as the ENDA regulatory agenda for 2014 is rolled out.
Between now and September 2014 the EPA aims to finalize its rules for capping greenhouse gas emissions from existing natural gas and coal-fired plants, which together produce a whopping 40 percent of the United States' carbon emissions and one-third of its heat-trapping gases. Controlling smokestacks emissions is critical to addressing climate change, but carbon legislation is a non-starter, even in the Democratically controlled Senate. The EPA rules are bound to be challenged in court and they'll invariably fuel allegations that Obama—and his vulnerable Democratic allies on Capitol Hill—are waging a war on coal. But, presuming they survive, they could be historic.
While the caps for existing plants have yet to take shape, the White House recently called for limiting new coal-fired plants to 1,100 pounds of carbon dioxide per megawatt hour—60 percent less than the average coal-powered plant releases—and gas-power plants to 1,000 pounds.
We can only hope this is the beginning. After all, it must be. We face disastrous consequences if we don't get serious about lowering our greenhouse gas emissions. And really, we're already starting to see the consequences materialize now.
Unfortunately, this is when we must pivot back to the bad news. While the new EPA rules represent progress, we still need to do much more just to avert total annihilation.
Yet when we look to Capitol Hill, we see Republican "leaders" calling for hearings on aliens while dismissing proven science. And we see them wasting even more time hunting down the perfect "OBAMA SCANDAL!!!" And while they're holding hearings on UFOs and other conspiracy theories, they're failing to perform even the most basic tasks of governance. So we can't really set our hopes too high for this Congress to take serious action on climate change.
But again, this is unsustainable. The status quo is unsustainable. We need to invest in our future. We can't afford to keep longing for a past that will never return.
The Government Accountability Office delivered that warning in its update of the greatest threats the government faces in carrying out federal programs. Generally the GAO identifies things like flaws in the defense contracting process and fraud in health care programs.
This year's update of the High-Risk Series report included the increasingly obvious and growing external threat of climate change -- in spite of the continued insistence from many members of Congress that fears over global warming are overblown.
"Limiting the federal government's fiscal exposure to climate change is one of the new areas we have on the list," Comptroller General Gene Dodaro, the head of the GAO, told reporters at a Capitol Hill press conference. "The federal government is terribly exposed to this change," he added, noting that the government owns hundreds of thousands of buildings, operates defense installations, picks up the tab to help local governments with disasters, and runs crop and flood insurance programs.
"The government doesn't budget for disaster," Dodaro said, "and the record number of disasters hit above 90 in 2012."
Dodaro was aware that some in Congress might not like his agency's embrace of climate change, but he argued that the facts justified it.
"We believe that the information coming from the National Academy of Sciences and from the federal government's own global change research program ... has been very clear on the science underpinning this area," Dodaro said.
This just confirms something we've already known for some time. Yes, climate change is indeed THE crisis of our time. And we will pay dearly if we fail to solve this crisis soon. That's one reason why President Obama urged action on climate change in his State of the Union Address.
In the past two years, the federal government has spent $188 billion on disaster relief. That's largely dye to the record number of recent natural disasters. Again, we're already starting to see the real effects of climate change.
Perhaps that's why we see such a broad consensus among the American people for action on climate change. According to the new Benenson national poll (the same pollster used by Obama's campaign last year, FYI) commissioned by the League of Conservation Voters, 65% of American voters demand action on climate change. So why shouldn't Congress finally take action?
Yesterday, we noted new legislation from Senators Barbara Boxer (D-California) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) to implement a carbon tax, along with a comprehensive plan to take on climate change. Earlier today, ThinkProgress explained why this legislation is so crucial.
Taken together, the Climate Protection Act and Sustainable Energy Act are a comprehensive climate bill, led by Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA). Most important, the package puts a price on carbon, which will make polluters pay for the damage they inflict on all of us while encouraging the transition to cleaner fuels. This $20 fee for each ton of carbon dioxide pollution will reduce emissions to 20 percent below 2005 levels by 2025.
These bills also bring in more than $1 trillion in new revenue over the next decade. The success of any pollution reduction program depends on how new revenue is spent,and these bills spend the money smartly. Broadly speaking, the money goes to three places: consumer protection, clean energy infrastructure, and deficit reduction. Each of these is important.
A carbon fee is just like any other consumption tax in that it inordinately impacts low- and middle-income families. The Climate Protection Act and Sustainable Energy Act create a rebate program to make sure that these families are not harmed. This is modeled after Alaska’s oil dividend, and will ensure that pollution reduction is not a regressive tax.
Reducing dirty energy use is great, but we need to make sure that we replace it with clean energy to power our economy. This package funds the Weatherization Assistance Program, ARPA-E, the production tax credit and investment tax credit, manufacturing for clean energy technologies, worker training, and other programs that will be critical in transitioning to a clean energy future.
Finally, our nation’s budget deficit is a real problem. The Climate Protection Act and Sustainable Energy Act will reduce the debt by $300 billion over the next ten years.
So this bill addresses the greatest global security threat of our time, invests in critical job creation, and even reduces the federal budget deficit! Why is this "controversial" at all? That's a question to ask Nevada Republicans in Congress, like Dean Heller & Joe Heck.
Even a growing number of conservative Republicans are calling for a carbon tax and overall action on climate change. And states like Nevada stand to benefit immensely from further investment in renewable energy. So why not act already?
Something amazing happened last night. It was long overdue, yet it's been dismissed as "impossible". During last night's State of the Union Address, President Obama vowed action on climate change.
But for the sake of our children and our future, we must do more to combat climate change. Yes, it’s true that no single event makes a trend. But the fact is, the 12 hottest years on record have all come in the last 15. Heat waves, droughts, wildfires, floods –all are now more frequent and more intense. We can choose to believe that Superstorm Sandy, and the most severe drought in decades, and the worst wildfires some states have ever seen were all just a freak coincidence. Or we can choose to believe in the overwhelming judgment of science –and act before it’s too late.
Now the good news is, we can make meaningful progress on this issue while driving strong economic growth. I urge this Congress to get together, pursue a bipartisan, market-based solution to climate change, like the one John McCain and Joe Lieberman worked on together a few years ago. But if Congress won’t act soon to protect future generations, I will. I will direct my Cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy.
This is especially a big deal here in Nevada, where we have already begun reaping the rewards of renewable energy investment. In fact, President Obama has talked about it before right here in Nevada.
Already, we've seen the benefits of developing a greener economy. However, we've also seen the dangers of insufficient action on climate change. Without a comprehensive national action plan to reduce carbon emissions, increase energy efficiency, and invest in our green energy future, we can only expect more of the natural disasters that have already begun to wreak havoc on our state, our nation, and our planet.
Last night, President Obama asked Congress to take action. And already, at least a few on Capitol Hill are heeding his call.
Only an hour before President Obama is expected to deliver his State of the Union address—in which he might “go big” on the issue of combating climate change—two Senators announced they will introduce comprehensive climate change legislation this week, presenting a possible vehicle in the Senate for Obama’s ambitions. Senators Bernie Sanders and Barbara Boxer will outline the legislation on Thursday morning. Details are scant, though it’s being billed as “major” and “comprehensive” legislation, and will have a carbon tax, per a statement from Sanders’s office:
"Under the legislation, a fee on carbon pollution emissions would fund historic investments in energy efficiency and sustainable energy technologies such as wind, solar, geothermal and biomass. The proposal also would provide rebates to consumers to offset any efforts by oil, coal or gas companies to raise prices."
So can it be done? Will Congress finally act on the greatest global security threat of our time? Will Congress finally act on the greatest economic opportunity of our time?
We'll see. On one hand, even some conservatives have embraced not just the scientific consensus on climate change, but also an ambitious carbon tax policy to solve it. As President Obama noted last night, it wasn't too long ago when one-time rival (Senator) John McCain (R-Arizona) led a bloc of Republicans working on climate solutions. And Nevada's own Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid (D-Mean, Green, Clean Energy Machine), has already promised to pursue climate and clean energy solutions.
It just remains to be seen what the Republicans in Nevada's Congressional Delegation are willing to do. Dean Heller (R-46%) has had a mixed record at best on climate policy so far in Congress. And already, Joe Heck (R-"TEA" Curious) is taking queues from the "tea party" on fossil fuel madness.
“If they are truly concerned about investing in energy, approve the Keystone pipeline,” Heck said, referring to a pipeline that, if permits are approved by the Obama administration, would stretch from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. “The energy part of his speech I think was just new variations on an old theme.”
Yet again, the "tea party" is digging in its heels on climate denial and fossil fuel worship. Yet look at where that's brought us. We can't afford any more. Congress must act. This should really be a no-brainer. Will enough Republicans actually use their brains, further progress on creating green jobs, and move the nation forward on climate change?
