Harris' antagonism toward the fossils is a double edged sword: IF she follows through with even half of her promises, it will be very good news indeed for the climate. However, and this is a HUGE however, let's not forget the "golden rule:" those with the gold make the rules. Thanks to the Neanderthals on the Supreme Court, those piles of money that the fossils are sitting on will be put to use against Ms. Harris, and that is no small challenge. Our work is definitely cut out for us.
As the saying goes and as the article states, talk is cheap. But there is room for encouragement with Harris. Assuming she is even the nominee and wins, let's hope she really goes after the fossil fuel industry. A man can dream, right?
She backed Sierra Club in a successful lawsuit against the Region Transportation Plans that increased emissions with freeway expansion and backed lawsuits against cities that didn’t zone for density in downtowns. She also backed another successful Sierra Club lawsuit against a San Diego county climate action plan that didn’t use priced parking as a feasible mitigation to meet its claimed reduction in emissions.
Great writeup! I think a lawsuit against fossil fuel companies would happen in any next Democratic administration, the momentum for one is too strong among Democrats imo, but you make an excellent point her prosecutorial record gives her unique insight and strength here.
Harris has a long way to go before anyone can even begin to think she may push on any climate agendas It's all well and good to speculate but, first, she has to win the election. With the U.S right full of racist, misogynist men, that hill will get steeper if she is selected at the DNC. The trolling has already started.
I wish her luck and will support her but I am not holding my breath just yet.
It gives me great hope that we could have a president who will hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for its fraud and manipulation to delay addressing its climate pollution, and who accepts the basic fundamentals of climate economics (as long as pollution is free we'll fail to achieve important climate goals - carboncashback.org/carbon-cash-back).
"She supports a carbon tax on polluters. The U.S. has never put a price on carbon, but in 2019, Harris pledged to tax polluting industries and give the majority of the funds to environmental justice communities."
Even more powerful than giving the money from a carbon polluters fee to EJ communities is giving the money to everyone in equal shares each month. No means testing, efficient, fair to everyone. This supports a high carbon price, and the higher the carbon price, the more powerful an emissions reducer it is, so the better off the most harmed communities will be.
And there is money that can be spent on EJ also: if we use a CBAM to rebate us exporters, we don't have to rebate fossil fuel exports. Significant money would be raised by not rebating fossil fuel exporters, and it would be very appropriate to use that money to provide assistance to the communities who have been most affected by that polluting industry's dirty deeds.
I'm thrilled that the tide is turning and it looks like we may finally be able to do the most powerful thing there is to address climate change: close the growing US carbon price gap. bit.ly/carbon-price-gap-pdf.
Harris' track record on fossil fuels can help bring young people back to the polls in November, and we need them to win the election in November. Check out my Substack post tomorrow that explains why this is true.
Harris' antagonism toward the fossils is a double edged sword: IF she follows through with even half of her promises, it will be very good news indeed for the climate. However, and this is a HUGE however, let's not forget the "golden rule:" those with the gold make the rules. Thanks to the Neanderthals on the Supreme Court, those piles of money that the fossils are sitting on will be put to use against Ms. Harris, and that is no small challenge. Our work is definitely cut out for us.
As the saying goes and as the article states, talk is cheap. But there is room for encouragement with Harris. Assuming she is even the nominee and wins, let's hope she really goes after the fossil fuel industry. A man can dream, right?
She backed Sierra Club in a successful lawsuit against the Region Transportation Plans that increased emissions with freeway expansion and backed lawsuits against cities that didn’t zone for density in downtowns. She also backed another successful Sierra Club lawsuit against a San Diego county climate action plan that didn’t use priced parking as a feasible mitigation to meet its claimed reduction in emissions.
Great writeup! I think a lawsuit against fossil fuel companies would happen in any next Democratic administration, the momentum for one is too strong among Democrats imo, but you make an excellent point her prosecutorial record gives her unique insight and strength here.
Harris has a long way to go before anyone can even begin to think she may push on any climate agendas It's all well and good to speculate but, first, she has to win the election. With the U.S right full of racist, misogynist men, that hill will get steeper if she is selected at the DNC. The trolling has already started.
I wish her luck and will support her but I am not holding my breath just yet.
It gives me great hope that we could have a president who will hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for its fraud and manipulation to delay addressing its climate pollution, and who accepts the basic fundamentals of climate economics (as long as pollution is free we'll fail to achieve important climate goals - carboncashback.org/carbon-cash-back).
"She supports a carbon tax on polluters. The U.S. has never put a price on carbon, but in 2019, Harris pledged to tax polluting industries and give the majority of the funds to environmental justice communities."
Even more powerful than giving the money from a carbon polluters fee to EJ communities is giving the money to everyone in equal shares each month. No means testing, efficient, fair to everyone. This supports a high carbon price, and the higher the carbon price, the more powerful an emissions reducer it is, so the better off the most harmed communities will be.
And there is money that can be spent on EJ also: if we use a CBAM to rebate us exporters, we don't have to rebate fossil fuel exports. Significant money would be raised by not rebating fossil fuel exporters, and it would be very appropriate to use that money to provide assistance to the communities who have been most affected by that polluting industry's dirty deeds.
I'm thrilled that the tide is turning and it looks like we may finally be able to do the most powerful thing there is to address climate change: close the growing US carbon price gap. bit.ly/carbon-price-gap-pdf.
Harris was my first choice in the 2020 primary. Her environmental record is a good base from which to make future plans.
Harris' track record on fossil fuels can help bring young people back to the polls in November, and we need them to win the election in November. Check out my Substack post tomorrow that explains why this is true.
LFG!