Jubilee Post News & Views
Dr. Seema Javed
Tonight President Biden will be sworn into office after having run on the strongest climate platform of any incoming president, received the most votes of any incoming president, and, with the 5 January special elections in Georgia, Democrats will control the White House.
All of this sets Biden up to take bold action on climate change starting on day one, in addition to his promise to rejoin the Paris Agreement. Shortly after Inauguration, some early announcements on climate action domestically and internationally are expected, including possible early statements related to Biden’s pledge to zero out power sector carbon by 2035; moves to reinstate Obama-era standards on car fuel efficiency, power plant emissions, and methane.
Moves to rejoin the Paris Agreement (the US would again be party to the Agreement 30 days later ; a signal of US intention to join the Kigali Amendment; and a clear directive that climate is a top foreign policy priority for the US. Moves to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline permit, and reinstate Obama-era standards on car fuel efficiency, power plant emissions, and methane regulations are expected by climate campaigners all over the world.
They are also anticipating arly statements related to Biden’s pledge to zero out power sector carbon by 2035 and decarbonize the nation’s transportation system.
The United States – through foreign investments, trade relations, development assistance, diplomacy, regulations and corporations – has its hands in a series of projects related to the expansion of fossil fuels, as well as, the ability to influence the protection or destruction of critical ecosystems. These projects and the destruction of these ecosystems are the equivalent of carbon bombs – they would result in greenhouse gas emissions that make it almost impossible to limit global warming to safe levels. The new administration has various opportunities to either detonate or disarm these carbon bombs. Here are a few global carbon bombs that Biden could tackle, which he and/or VP Harris have spoken about in the past:
Argentina: Vaca Muerta – The US encourages fracking and oil and gas production in Argentina through international development financing, which last time around went for Vaca Muerta projects. Several US senators, including Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, signed a petition against it. Biden could direct federal development agencies to instead limit financing only to projects that support clean energy.
Canada: Tar sands – Biden has spoken out against the Keystone XL pipeline, calling it ‘”tar sands we don’t need.” A key promise of Biden’s presidential campaign was the commitment to cancel Keystone XL, and he is expected to cancel the pipeline permit on his first day in office. He could also halt a new project to bring Canadian tar sands into the U.S. through Minnesota, the proposed Line 3 pipeline that is growing in opposition.
Brazil & Indonesia: Rainforest destruction – Biden has stated that he’d hold Brazilian Pres. Bolsonaro accountable for deforestation, perhaps through rallying other countries to provide $20B to support Amazon protection. Local Brazilian groups stress that it must be done in a way that acknowledges and respects Brazilian sovereignty over its portion of the Amazon. Biden could also provide incentives and support to stop illegal deforestation and expansion of oil palm plantations in Indonesia. Indonesia has a moratorium on forest clearing for new palm oil plantations, but enforcement is uneven and the U.S. could help enhance that.
Ending Fossil Fuel Subsidies Overseas: Biden could shift the U.S. support of overseas energy from fossil fuels to a “clean growth first” approach. From 2010-2019 U.S. Export-Import Bank directed more than 90% of its funding for overseas energy projects to fossil fuels, and recently provided a US$5 billion loan to Total’s Mozambique LNG project. Biden has signaled that he would eliminate overseas fossil fuel subsidies and push other G20 countries, including China, to do the same. This would follow a similar move from UK Prime Minister Johnson in December 2020.
( Author is Environmentalist, Independent Journalist & strategic communicator)
