Comparing Trump and Biden’s stance on climate change policy
Isabel Brittin
Leading into the November elections, and even the weeks following, America’s political climate was tense as voters anxiously waited for results to be declared. However, with all states having finalized their votes, former Vice President Joe Biden has clinched the Presidency with a total of 306 electoral votes.
Already Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have outlined their four of their top priorities: tacking COVID-19, economic recovery, racial equity, and climate change. Biden campaigned on promises to work internationally and domestically to fight the existential threat of climate change, and now that he has assumed office, many of his goals may soon become a reality.
President Trump is infamously known for declaring multiple times on Twitter that he believed global warming to be a “hoax” and “mythical.” As a frequent climate denier, President Trump’s policy pursuits in office certainly reflected his own personal beliefs surrounding climate change rather than science. In his first year as president, Trump announced his decision to pull the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement, a choice President Biden undid on his first day.
The Paris Climate Agreement is a global framework that aims to limit warming below 2oC and heavily reduce greenhouse gases. Because climate change is an issue that affects the entire international community, as well as disproportionately harming developing countries, global cooperation and collaboration is key to minimizing damages. The Virginia Youth Climate Cooperative (VAYCC) condemns President Trump’s departure from the Paris Climate Agreement, and encourages President Biden to encourage further international involvement regarding climate change soon.
Within the U.S, the Trump Administration overruled over 100 environmental regulations, including weakening Obama-era limits on carbon dioxide emissions, decreasing protections for wildlife, and rolled back rules that promoted clean air and water. These decisions by the Trump Administration have the possibility of being devastated especially in years to come, as analysis done by the New York Times explains they could lead to a significant rise in greenhouse gas emissions and thousands of more deaths from poor air quality in the future.
Before the election, climate scientists overwhelmingly warned that President Trump’s impact on the environment during his first term was disastrous, suggesting that the impacts of a second term would be irreversible. For example, Michael Mann, a renowned climate scientist, stated Donald Trump’s reelection would make avoiding a global climate catastrophe “essentially impossible.”
By comparison, Biden has insisted he will focus heavily on environmental policy, and has already named Former Secretary of State John Kerry as his Climate Envoy. On his campaign website, Biden’s Team outlines what they call a “Clean Energy Revolution,” with promises to achieve net-zero emissions and an economy that is 100% reliant on clean energy by no later than 2050.
Biden further pledges to take on the fossil fuel industry, all while suggesting a federal investment of $1.7 trillion dollars over the next ten years regarding fighting climate change and pursuing environmental justice. Most importantly, Biden has vowed to lead with science, promoting green infrastructure, jobs, housing, and innovation.
Nevertheless, there are some concerns with President Biden’s climate plan, most noticeably his policies regarding fracking. While Biden will eliminate new fracking permits, he has not committed to banning fracking as a whole. Fracking itself poses threats to the environment such as drinking water contamination, impair landscapes, and is a threat to natural wildlife.
Additionally, Biden has offered Louisiana congressman Cedric Richmond, who receives extensive donations from the oil and gas industries, a Senior Advisor Position. VAYCC and other climate advocates urge Richmond to leverage his new position to help communities in the fight against climate change.
Following the term of President Trump, which was incredibly damaging surrounding climate policy, VAYCC believes the election of Vice President Biden is a step in the right direction. While the VAYCC is hopeful for the future of the Biden Administration, we urge President Joe Biden to approach climate change as an immediate crisis that is already impacting frontline communities across the world. We encourage the Biden Administration to take bold, intersectional steps towards achieving climate justice, and are glad to see he has already named it as a top priority for the next four years.
