Biden’s victory opens a window on climate, equality and public health

The time has come for millions of people in the United States and around the world to wait: The Associated Press has announced that the United States has a new leader.

Stopping the spread of COVID-19 and helping workers and businesses struggling should be the first priority of President-elect Joe Biden. As it builds a better future, it has pledged to take bold steps to restore America’s shabby social fabric, develop a clean and equitable economy, and tackle the existential threat of climate change.

This is a difficult task, especially after such close elections and a divided government in Washington, which is why Biden must choose policies that will bring America back to work. and bring us closer – policies that are comprehensive and not polarizing. If this happens, it may open a window of opportunity for progress in all three areas.

The Environmental Protection Fund has three policy priorities that can help make this possible.

Meet moment 1: Empower a better America

It’s time to dump her and move on. A recent Hart Research poll found that 63% of candidates in the 2022 Senate support a move to more electric trucks, buses and cars – including a majority of independents and a large number of Republicans.

The new administration must quickly monitor the availability and use of electric trucks, buses and passenger cars and invest in catering infrastructure, with an emphasis on the communities that do the most damage to the environment. And it should strengthen our transition to renewable energy and modernize our electricity grid to make it cleaner and more durable.

Growing American innovation and building our productive base will be attractive across the political spectrum.

Building on this effort with a bipartisan call, Biden could deliver on his promise to create 1 million clean transport-related jobs and millions of cleaner energy over the next four years.

Our goal must be the transition to 100% clean electricity and 100% clean new car sales. American innovation can offer new cars with 100% zero emissions by 2035 and new trucks and buses with 100% zero pollution by 2040.

Taking these steps can also offer significant health benefits and possibly save 20,000 lives a year, reducing pollution that causes asthma attacks, heart disease and other serious health problems.

For too long, economic and political choices have isolated Black and Latino communities and exposed them to higher levels of deadly pollution. A well-designed clean transport and energy plan – which takes into account current pollution loads and underlying health risks – can bring fair benefits from clean transport investments.

2. Take the lead again: Take responsibility for climate change

We are on an urgent timetable for reducing climate pollution. There is no other time to lose.

Biden vowed to reinstate the United States in the Paris climate agreement on the first day of his term. A substantial new US commitment to an ambitious and credible emission reduction target will require continued effort.

The European Union, China, Japan and Korea have recently accelerated their timetables to zero by 2050 (or 2060 in the case of China) and expect the United States to make a similar ambitious commitment – something that will soon turn out to be. 45-50% reduction in duration compared to 2005 levels by 2030.

Credibility requires monitoring: not only to take strong action under existing legal principles and make climate, clean energy and environmental justice central to economic stimulus and recovery investment, but also to push for bilateral support to reduce it. climate pollution throughout the economy.

This is what it takes to achieve clean zero emissions by 2050 – without letting more air pollution into the air than we can remove – and to avoid the worst effects of climate change.

The fastest thing we can do to slow down the heating rate right now is to reduce the amount of methane from the oil and gas industry. Methane is a powerful pollutant that accounts for more than a quarter of today’s heating.

The Trump administration has withdrawn vital methane protections when we need it most – a step back so big that even the big oil companies are opposed to it. Harmonious methane policy in North America and Europe can have a significant impact on the climate, and US leadership is urgent in preparing for COP26.

Leadership also means restoring science to the position it deserves at the heart of environmental decision-making.

Restoring America’s scientific integrity begins with strong, well-informed leaders in the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and independent scientific experts on federal advisory committees that ensure the best available

The EPA must rebuild its scientific staff and return to the protection of the environment and public health. NOAA needs to cleanse itself of past political interventions and ensure that the government will again provide objective information on climate change.

Only when we accept our responsibility for the global climate, pursue and fund science and bring the right experts to the table will we be able to regain US leadership in providing sustainable environmental solutions.

3. Repair the damage: Protect our communities

America’s safety standards for clean air, water and toxic chemicals have been shattered after four years of backlash by the Trump administration.

No matter the party, no one wants dirty air or water. However, babies, children, pregnant women, workers and the elderly face increased health risks from Trump policies, such as low-income and non-white communities, as well as communities closer to sources. pollution. faces higher pollution loads over a long period of time.

It’s time to not just repair the damage, but rebuild for the better. This means developing protections that fully cover the cumulative effects of exposure to pollution, health inequalities and economic inequality.

The new administration should make full use of its existing environmental mandate to strengthen protection for high-risk communities and individuals, while expanding report data collection to better characterize the effects of pollution on health and the risks to health. related to climate change.

This includes extending air and water monitoring, especially in higher risk areas. Most importantly, the government must honor its commitment to extend Executive Order 12898, which President Clinton signed 26 years ago. It requires the EPA to collaborate, support and participate fully in management decisions with heavily affected communities.

The Biden government also has a historic opportunity to support our rural fisheries and agriculture communities by investing in climate-friendly food systems.

Our rural economies have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, trade wars and the changing climate. Jobs, food security and sustainable natural resources such as water, forests and coasts will be vital to our future economic and environmental health as a nation.

Investing in natural infrastructure now on our farms and on our shores, building tools for prosperity in the face of changing climate, and developing policies to help farmers and fishermen manage future conditions will put the United States at the forefront. both here and abroad.

By taking these priorities as our guide, we can turn this historic opportunity into tangible progress for healthier communities, more jobs and less climate pollution. It is not enough to make up for lost four years, we must rebuild a healthier and fairer America than ever before.

A new day. Let’s own it.