The Democratic Party has devoted seven pages of its 90-page 2024 platform to climate policy, giving few clues as to what Vice President Kamala Harris can be done to fight climate change if he wins the presidency.
Harris, who only emerged as the party’s nominee in mid-July after President Biden is out of the racehas yet to declare its own climate policy. The topic was barely mentioned at the Democratic convention this week, making the party platform the only guide to climate policy in the Harris White House.
During her almost A 40-minute address at the Democratic National Convention Friday night, he talked about the economy, the war in Gaza, and immigration, but made only one brief reference to the issue in outlining the “fundamental freedoms” at stake in this election – “the freedom to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and live free from the pollution that is causing the climate crisis.”
Stevie O’Hanlon, a spokesman for The Sunrise Movement, a youth-led climate group, said Harris’ decision not to speak out more forcefully on climate change — at the DNC and so far — was a “missed opportunity.”
“Whoever is president has a responsibility to talk about this,” he said.
While voters wait for more details on how they will tackle climate change, here are some key points from the party’s climate platform.
Continue to build on the foundation of the Inflation Reduction Act
In accordance with the purpose of Inflation Reduction Actwhich makes investments to reduce health care costs and fight climate change, the Democratic Party platform calls for investments in clean energy, such as solar and offshore wind, and the power grid, with a focus on delivering these technologies to the most affected communities. by climate change.
The “clean energy boom,” says the platform, is projected to generate three generations of clean energy, reduce electricity rates by 9% and reduce gas prices by 13% by 2030.
To bring this new technology online, Democrats say they will create projects funded by taxpayers through executive action and triple the American Climate Corps — a program that trains 20,000 young people in clean, climate-focused jobs — by the end of the decade. . According to a White House press statement on the second anniversary of the legislation, the act created more than 330,000 jobs.
Critics of the Inflation Reduction Act have called it a “climate slush fund” and questioned whether it will fail to meet the ambitious goals outlined by the Biden administration to reduce carbon emissions. A Princeton University study last year estimated the legislation would reduce emissions, but would fall short of the country’s 2030 climate goals.
The rollout of rebates on solar panels, heat pumps, home insulation and electric vehicles has come with its own hiccups. It has been slower than expected, and those who have taken advantage of the savings have usually been at the high end of the income scale, leaving some questions whether the policy benefits the middle class.
Achieve net zero agricultural emissions by 2050
The platform also called for the adoption of practices that would bring agriculture in the US to zero emissions by 2050, making it the first country to do so. USDA data says agriculture will account for 10% of US greenhouse gas emissions in 2021.
According to the platform, more than 80,000 farms have implemented “climate-smart practices” with funding from the Department of Agriculture to reduce carbon emissions and improve soil health.
Despite progress, full decarbonization is expected to be an uphill battle. Experts point out, according to The Conversation, that many of the proposed climate measures may be easier for large companies to implement but may be impractical or simply too expensive for small farmers.
Transportation sector electricity
Democrats also want to eliminate the transportation sector’s carbon footprint by 2050. Vehicles are responsible for a third of US greenhouse gas emissions.
The Biden administration issued a rule requiring about 56% of all new vehicle sales to be electric by 2032; but, America is not yet sold on EVspolls earlier this summer found. Consumers are concerned about the distance and time it takes to charge an EV. According to Kelley Blue Book, about 1.2 million electric cars will be sold in 2023, less than 10% of the total sales in the US vehicle market that year.
The slow rollout of electric charging stations presents a major challenge for the Biden administration, which has narrowly missed its goal of installing 500,000 charging stations nationwide by 2030. As of June, only seven charging stations have been launched so far, auto news site Autoblog noted.
Fund the agency and climate research
Democrats said they would increase funding for the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as for NASA, NOAA, the National Science Foundation and other agencies to ensure “America leads the world in clean energy innovation.” That would require congressional approval, which would be challenging even with Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, and more difficult if Republicans win control.
“Stand Up to Big Oil”
The platform also promises to be tough on Big Oil, as companies struggle to keep the energy industry afloat. Going forward, the party said it would “eliminate tens of billions of dollars” in oil and gas subsidies, fight price increases, and increase protections against drilling and mining in the Arctic.
But that promise doesn’t mean Democrats are giving up gas. Under Mr. Biden’s leadership, fossil fuel jobs have grown faster than clean jobs, and U.S. oil production has hit record highs, according to a Reuters report that tracks records on fossil fuels. Harris hasn’t released an energy policy plan, but his campaign has said he won’t ban fracking if he’s elected president.
Manage infrastructure
Democrats are proposing new roads, bridges and ports that can withstand the worst effects of climate change. By 2023, the United States is facing a record-breaking $28 billion climate disaster. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, passed under the Biden administration, provides $50 billion to protect against extreme weather.
The fate of thousands of construction projects started under Mr. Biden will depend on who ends up in the White House. Some Republicans have said they oppose continuing to fund the measure.
Promote “America’s global climate leadership”
Democrats want the US to lead the way in the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy.
“As Democrats, we believe the United States has an important role to play in solving the climate crisis, and we have an obligation to help other countries do this work,” the party’s platform said.
One of the ways the U.S. played its part in this role was by negotiating and signing the Paris climate agreement in 2016, during the last months of former President Barack Obama’s administration. Under the accord, countries agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in an attempt to slow the rise in global temperatures. After taking office in 2021, former President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the agreement, and Mr. Biden signed an order to re-sign on the first day of his presidency.