What’s At Stake
Here’s a quick crib sheet on the climate change and the election
Here’s a quick reminder about the environmental stakes in the election. I’ve tried to stick with the facts here — you’re free to decide which way the cut.
| ISSUE | TRUMP |
BIDEN |
|
| Problem of climate change | ” I don’t know that it’s man-made… I don’t wanna give trillions and trillions of dollars.” |
Biden “has long appreciated the enormity of climate change and has always believed that we have a moral and economic imperative to address it.”
|
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| Carbon emissions by cars and trucks | Rolled back Obama requirements. Requires 40mpg in 2025 rather than 55mpg under Obama rule. |
Invest in 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations. Ambitious fuel economy standards will “accelerate the adoption of zero-emissions light- and medium duty vehicles”
|
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| Renewable energy | On wind power: “If you have a windmill anywhere near your house, congratulations, your house just went down 75 percent in value. And they say the noise causes cancer, you tell me that one, okay?”
|
Biden will impose a Energy Efficiency and Clean Electricity Standard based on best state standards. |
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| Carbon emissions from powerplants | Replace Obama’s Clean Power Plan with the Affordable Clean Energy rule, which will reduce emissions by 3% as of 2030.
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Biden pledges “a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035” |
|
| International Agreements | Withdrew from Paris Agreement. |
Will “recommit the United States to the Paris Agreement on climate change” and “lead an effort to get every major country to ramp up the ambition of their domestic climate targets.” |
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Depending on your own view of climate change and energy policy, you can draw your own conclusions.
About Dan
Dan Farber has written and taught on environmental and constitutional law as well as about contracts, jurisprudence and legislation. Currently at Berkeley Law, he has al…
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