Could a National Emergency Be Used to Combat Climate Change?
If President Trump is to draw US politics into an even more fractious era, could and should the next Democrat President call a national emergency to deal with climate change?
Trump calling a state of national emergency to deal with the migrant crisis at the Southern border (which actually means “to build a wall”) is, at best, a misjudgement, and at worst, a flagrant abuse of power. It is the use of a mechanism seldom used to achieve a political goal, rather than to deal with a real, serious problem.
It’s the sort of thing we’re well-accustomed to under the Trump administration.
But this situation raises questions about the future use of such a mechanism. Could and should a Democratic administration, either from 2020 or later, use it to try to combat climate change?
There are a few issues with proposing calling a state of emergency to deal with climate change.
Firstly, it could create, encourage, and entrench a more fractious and tribal style of politics, where the Republicans and Democrats abuse the democratic processes to achieve their political goals. The GOP want that game to be played, and, seeing as Republicans have…
