Biden plans to fight climate change in a way no U.S. president has done before

Joe Biden is preparing to deal with climate change in a way U.S. president has done before – by mobilizing his entire ministration to take on challenge from every angle in a strategic, integrated way. strategy is evident in people Biden has chosen for his Cabinet and senior leership roles : Most have track records for incorporating climate change concerns into a wide range of policies, and y have experience partnering across ncies and levels of government.Those skills are crucial, because slowing climate change will require a comprehensive and coordinated “all hands on deck” approach.

We did that with energy when I was goverr of Coloro, and I can tell you it isn’t simple. Energy policy isn’t just about electricity. It’s about how homes are built, how y generate power and feed it into grid and how transportation, industrial and agriculture sectors evolve. It’s about regulations, tre rules, government purchases and funding for research for invation. Coordination and collaboration among ncies and different levels of government is crucial.

A coordinated approach also helps ensure that vulnerable populations aren’t overlooked. Biden has committed to help disvantd communities that have too often borne brunt of fossil fuel industry pollution, as well as those that have been losing fossil fuel jobs. Biden-Harris team’s depth of experience will be vital as y take over from a Trump ministration that has been stripping government ncies of ir expertise and eliminating environmental protections. With Democrats gaining control of both House and Senate , Biden ministration may also have a better chance of overhauling laws, funding and tax incentives in ways that could fundamentally transform U.S. approach to climate change.

Here are some of biggest challenges ahe and what “all hands on deck” might mean.Dealing with all those climate policy rollbacks

From its first days, Trump ministration began trying to nullify or weaken U.S. environmental regulations. It h rolled back 84 environmental rules by vember 2020, including major climate policies , and more rollbacks were being pursued, according to a New York Times analysis of research from Harvard and Columbia law schools.Many of se rules h been designed to reduce climate-warming pollution from power plants, cars and trucks. Several reduced emissions of methane , a potent greenhouse gas, from oil and gas production. Trump ministration also moved to open more land to more drilling, mining and pipelines .Some rollbacks have been challenged in court and rules n reinstated. Ors are still being litigated. Many will require going through government rule-making processes that take years to reverse.

Pressuring or countries to take actionBiden can quickly bring U.S. back into international Paris climate agreement, through which countries worldwide agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions driving global warming. But reestablishing nation’s leership role with international climate community is a much longer haul.

Former Secretary of State John Kerry will le this effort as special envoy for climate change, a new Cabinet-level position with a seat on National Security Council. Or parts of government can also pressure countries to take action. International development funding can encour climate-friendly actions, and tre agreements and tariffs can establish rules of conduct.

Cleaning up power sector Biden-Harris climate plan aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions from power sector to net zero by 2035.While 62 major utilities in U.S. have set ir own emission reduction goals, most leers in that sector would argue that requiring net zero emissions by 2035 is too much too fast.

One problem is that states are often more involved in regulating power sector than federal government. And, when federal regulations are passed, y are often challenged in court , meaning y can take years to implement.Reducing greenhouse gases also requires modernizing electricity transmission grid. federal government can streamline permitting process to allow more clean energy, like wind and solar power, onto grid. Without that intervention, it could take a dece or more to permit a single transmission line.

What to do about vehicles and buildings.

power sector may be easiest sector to “decarbonize.” transportation sector is ar story.Transportation is w nation’s leing emitter of carbon dioxide . Decarbonizing it will require a transition away from internal combustion engine in a relatively short amount of time.

Again, this is a challenge that requires many parts and levels of government working toward same goal. It will require expanding carbon-free transportation, including more electric vehicles, charging stations, better battery techlogy and clean energy. That involves regulations and funding for research and development from multiple departments, as well as tre agreements, tax incentives for electric vehicles and a shift in how government ncies buy vehicles. EPA can facilitate se efforts or hamstring m, as happened when Trump EPA revoked California’s ability to set higher emissions standards – something Biden ministration is likely to quickly restore.

or “hard to decarbonize” sectors – buildings, industry and agriculture – will require sophistication and collaboration among all federal departments and ncies unlike any previous efforts across government.

A new comprehensive climate bill

best way to tackle se sectors would be a comprehensive climate bill that uses some mechanism, like a clean energy standard , that sets a cap, or limit, on emissions and tightens it over time. Here, problem lies more in politics of moment than anything else. Biden and his team will have to convince lawmakers from fossil fuel-producing states to work on se efforts.

Democratic control of Senate raises chances that Congress could pass comprehensive climate legislation, but that isn’t a given. Until that happens, Biden will have to rely on ncies issuing new rules, which are vulnerable to being revoked by future ministrations. It’s a little like playing chess without a queen or rooks.

Years of delays have allowed global warming to progress so far that many of its impacts may soon become irreversible. To meet its ambitious goals, ministration will need everyone, progressives and conservatives, state and local leers, and private sector, to work with m.

(IM CREDITS:AP)