President Joe Biden has committed the United States to its most ambitious climate change target yet. There are, of course, several catches to these lofty goals.
Raise your hand
Across four hours over two nights, climate change barely received 15 minutes of airtime at the first 2020 Democratic presidential debates. And the time that was devoted to the issue wasn’t spent well. That’s a pretty strong case for why climate change deserves it’s own debate event.
I've got a plan for that
It shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren has not one plan, but several, devoted to fighting climate change. But what’s interesting is that she doesn’t treat it primarily as an environmental issue. Rather, her proposals so far tackle it as a public lands issue, a national security concern, and as an opportunity for economic development. And according to Warren, the root cause of the problem is corruption.
Texas Two-Step
Energy Secretary Rick Perry has avoided generating much controversy on the job so far, but he's been spending a lot of time on the road. He's visited several national laboratories and energy research sites while avoiding controversial topics like proposed budget cuts for his department or climate change.
A heated debate
Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said that Clinton and Trump should address climate change in their next debate. However, he said the presidential candidates shouldn't merely debate the problem but the solutions they are willing to deploy.
State of the Union
The President came out swinging on climate change during the State of the Union address, calling it the greatest threat to future generations. Other lawmakers begged to differ.
Yours Truly - © Kevin Lamarque / Reuters