Original article from: New York Times
If elected, Joe Biden and his allies are preparing to pass climate change legislation, piece by piece — knowing full well that the candidate’s $2 trillion plan would be a tough sell.
Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s $2 trillion plan to fight global warming is the most ambitious climate policy proposed by a leading presidential candidate, a political lightning rod spotlighted on Thursday night when the Democratic nominee acknowledged during a debate that it would “transition” the country “from the oil industry.”
But no one knows better than Mr. Biden, the former vice president, that it almost surely will not be enacted, even if his party secures the White House and the Senate. Thirty-six years in the Senate and the searing experience of watching the Obama administration’s less ambitious climate plan die a decade ago have taught him the art of the possible.
LEFT VIEWPOINTS
A climate change strategy must be a global effort
- An ambitious climate plan is a must. However, even if the U.S. creates an ambitious goal and sticks to it, it won’t be enough. It’s a global problem, and a global solution is required. Without a global carbon tax, the goals are unlikely to be met. The Paris Climate Accord was a good step, but it lacked teeth. It relied on trust, and trust will not keep countries compliant. What is needed is an international agreement that punishes countries that fail to meet climate targets and rewards those that do. If a government backs out, it should face harsh economic sanctions from every other government.
- Those who deny climate change should not have their viewpoint considered for any climate change plan. Deniers who attack the Green New Deal or Biden’s plan, are not doing arguing in good faith. They don’t have an alternative plan because they deny the problem.
- The science is clear that humans are the cause. One-third of the CO2 in our atmosphere is CO2 that was emitted from human-activity. One-half of the CO2 humans emitted happen in the past 30 years. It’s accelerating, and there is no natural way for that much CO2 to enter the atmosphere that quickly.
CO2 emissions are accelerating
One-third of the CO2 in our atmosphere is CO2 that was emitted from human-activity. One-half of the CO2 humans emitted happen in the past 30 years.
One gallon of gasoline weighs about 6.3 lbs. Yet, when it is combusted it produces 20 lbs of CO2. This is because the carbon in the fuel mixes with oxygen. To combust a pound of fuel, it combines with about 21 pounds of air.
