By Daniel Shapiro’23 President Biden has taken massive steps forward on the imposing threat of the mounting climate crisis. “A cry for survival comes from the planet itself. A cry that can't be any more desperate or any more clear,” Biden said in his inaugural address. “To overcome these challenges - to restore the soul and to secure the future of America - requires more than words.” In the first few months of his presidency, Biden has taken crucial steps towards making America a more climate-friendly nation, such as killing the long-embattled Keystone XL pipeline. President Biden recently unveiled a new 2 trillion dollar proposal to revamp the economy of the United States.
“Nature has to be protected if the environment is to survive,” sophomore Sam Zaslow-Braverman said. Crucially, the plan will include 100 billion dollars in funding to improve existing power lines and encourage a shift to clean energy. However, the plan will meet with some opposition. In an interview with the Washington Post, libertarian-leaning Brian Riedl said, “there is virtually no path to getting Republican votes. It’s too big, too expensive and chock full of tax increases that are nonstarters among Republicans.” The plan also does not do nearly enough to adequately prepare the nation for the oncoming threat of the climate crisis. “I think it is good that we are making steps, but we need to a lot more if we want to actually combat climate change effectively,” sophomore Boaz Fox said. The plan has a good starting point, but it is just the starting point. Scott Detrow and Tamara Keith from NPR said that one of these starting points mentioned is spending “billions on rebates and tax incentives to encourage Americans to purchase electric vehicles, and [Biden] proposes paying for the transition of thousands of transit and school buses from diesel to electric. At the same time, he wants incentives for state and local governments to build electric vehicle charging stations to power those new cars and buses.” This is good, but in order for the future of the planet to be secure, the plan has to go farther than it currently does in this form. If this proposal is passed into law, it would be a major change for the infrastructure and climate economy of the United States. The likelihood of that happening however is slim. According to NPR, “Democrats have a slim House majority and control the Senate only because of Vice President Harris’ tie breaking vote. With Republicans already voicing concerns about the proposal’s cost and corporate tax hikes, Democrats may once again have to force major legislation through complicated Senate procedures that could drastically narrow its scope.” The proposal in its current form will most likely have a much narrower field of effect by the time it actually gets through the bureaucracy. The mere fact that this proposal was even suggested and taken seriously at all is a sign of major change when it comes to the consideration of the planet’s health in our laws and in our lives.
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