Monday, August 09, 2021

It's getting hot out there

Still breathing? Want to increase your chances of surviving fire or flood or pestilence as the world warms?

Do something!

David Roberts (Grist, Vox, Volts substack) has long been my go-to guy on matters of climate. So I believe him when he says this is it for this decade on climate legislation insofar as what might come out of Washington. Once the Senate passes the bi-partisan physical infrastructure fig leaf, Dems will whack into shape the really big Biden agenda in a second bill which they plan to pass without Republican votes by "budget reconciliation" -- and that's where the climate stuff goes.

If things go well, the legislation will include a clean energy standard (CES) and clean energy tax credits, which together would revolutionize the US electricity system. If things don’t go well, there will be no substantial climate legislation for many years to come. 
... when it comes to decent climate policy, it’s all about the [50+Kamala votes] reconciliation bill. There won’t be another bill this big while Democrats control Congress, and they won’t control Congress for long. [2022 looks tough for Dems.] What Democrats are able to get through in the reconciliation bill is likely to be the last big federal climate legislation for a decade at least.
Everybody paying attention knows this. And so everybody will be trying to get their wish list into this bill. And a lot of it's great: extending the $300 monthly child payments, increasing the generosity and affordability of Obamacare, making the corporations pay their fair share.

But if we don't get real climate measures into this, we're well and truly screwed.

Find out more about what that means, what must be included in the bill, and who to call from this link.  

Passage of this package is our remaining shot for meaningful climate mitigation.

1 comment:

Joared said...

More people who say there's nothing they can do should read this.