The obliviousness of the Republican party to threats posed by climate change has been well documented during the past two decades. Not only have Republicans in the U.S. Senate and House not proposed any significant climate legislation, they have consistently undermined efforts by the Democrats to do so. President Obama had to resort to executive orders to make any climate headway, and many of those policies were subsequently reversed by Donald Trump.

Now, with Biden at the helm, the Democrats have proposed a massive package of clean energy investments and incentives as part of their “Build Back Better Act,” also known as the reconciliation bill. If passed, it will spur the transition to renewable energy in all sectors of the economy and in our lives, giving us a chance to make some inroads into rising earth temperatures. Whether this approach is better or worse than a carbon tax is debatable, but it is the approach that is on the table and we are unlikely to get another any time soon.

If this effort fails, the Biden presidency will suffer a huge setback, and the likelihood of the Democrats retaining the White House in 2024 will be seriously diminished. And that would mean … no meaningful climate legislation forthcoming from a party that seems either too enthralled by Trump, or fearful of him, to buck his anti-climate agenda.

Thus our last best hope to avoid a world ravaged by climate impacts will be lost. Think about that, Senator Collins.

Joe Hardy
Wells

Related Headlines


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.

filed under: