By ALEXA ST. JOHN and MELINA WALLING, Related Press
Amid a barrage of climate-infused climate disasters akin to flooding and hurricanes, together with the shattering of heat records,wildfires and lots of Americans growing concerned about the planet’s warming, local weather change was barely mentioned throughout the presidential debate.
When requested the only debate query on local weather Tuesday night time, Vice President Kamala Harris stated, “younger individuals of America care deeply about this problem,” and added that the US has elevated domestic production of oil to historic highs, a truth that can contribute to international warming. Harris’ opponent, former President Donald Trump, didn’t reply the query, as an alternative saying incorrectly that the administration of President Joe Biden and Harris is “constructing huge auto vegetation in Mexico, in lots of circumstances owned by China.”
Whereas local weather was not entrance and middle, statements made by both candidates — on fracking, vitality coverage and renewables, supplied home windows into main local weather coverage points. What to learn about key local weather matters lined — and never lined — throughout Tuesday’s debate.
Fracking
Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is a drilling technique used to extract oil and pure gasoline from deep underground bedrock utilizing a extremely pressurized liquid. The method is a part of what allowed the U.S. to become the world’s top producer of oil. As of March, the nation produced extra crude oil than any nation ever for the past six years, in accordance with the Power Data Administration.
On Tuesday, Trump falsely stated about Harris: “If she received the election, fracking in Pennsylvania will finish on Day 1,” arguing that her administration would hurt the state and nation’s economic system. With out a regulation authorised by Congress, a president can solely ban fracking on federal lands, which make up about 2% of the state of Pennsylvania, the place the controversy happened.
Harris stated throughout her 2020 marketing campaign for president that she opposed fracking. However recently, together with throughout the debate, Harris stated she wouldn’t ban the follow if she is elected. Although Harris stated her values haven’t modified, the dialogue of fracking was notable as a result of the drilling technique doesn’t align with efforts to change to scrub vitality, which Harris additionally says she champions.
Oil and pure gasoline are fossil fuels, the burning of which produce greenhouse gases akin to carbon dioxide and methane that heat the planet.
Power coverage
Through the debate, Harris additionally referred to as for funding in “numerous” sources of vitality, “so we cut back our reliance on overseas oil.”
After Trump pulled the U.S. from the Paris Settlement on local weather change throughout his first time period, the Biden-Harris administration reentered the worldwide pact aimed toward lowering emissions. The administration additionally set a target to slash U.S. emissions 50% by 2030 and put forth coverage to speed up clear vitality tasks and shift away from fossil fuels.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation, handed in 2021, has provisions associated to local weather change, and the 2022 Inflation Discount Act is probably the most sweeping local weather regulation within the nation’s historical past, pouring billions of {dollars} into the clear vitality workforce that has prompted a massive buildout of manufacturing facilities. It consists of manufacturing tax credit for electrical energy produced from renewables, together with wind and photo voltaic.
However these insurance policies alone received’t be sufficient for the U.S. to succeed in its purpose of chopping carbon air pollution in half, nor do they cease the fossil gasoline trade from having alternatives to increase on federal lands earlier than renewables might be constructed.
Renewable energies
Through the debate, Trump falsely claimed that beneath Harris there would “be no fossil fuels” and the nation would “return to windmills.” At one level, Trump referred to as himself a “fan” of photo voltaic however then criticized photo voltaic farms that take up massive plots of land.
Solar energy might be generated on a big or small scale, however even the biggest photo voltaic farms use a tiny fraction of the land used for agriculture within the U.S. Specialists say wind and photo voltaic, each clear energies, shall be key to tackling the greenhouse gasoline emissions which are fueling the local weather disaster, inflicting substantial damages to people and ecosystems alike.
Final 12 months, 30% of the world’s electricity was produced with renewables and the U.S. has committed to tripling renewables by 2030 in an effort to do its half in addressing local weather change.
Some key points not mentioned
Allowing of recent vitality tasks within the U.S. has not gotten a lot consideration all through the election cycle, however it’s essential as a result of it will probably make or break the nation’s capacity to fulfill clear vitality targets.
Wind and solar energy can contribute thousands and thousands of {dollars} in tax income per 12 months to rural communities, an Associated Press analysis found. However first these tasks must get authorised in native governments, a course of out of the federal authorities’s management. Misinformation runs rampant, and communities can flip towards these tasks.
As an illustration, wind builders instructed the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in a January report a minimum of 1 / 4 of functions to construct wind tasks have been canceled within the final 5 years, with native guidelines and neighborhood opposition cited as among the main causes.
In the meantime, throughout the debate, insurance coverage solely bought a quick point out by Harris, as a part of a dig at Trump.
“The previous president has stated that local weather change is a hoax,” she stated. “And what we all know is that it is rather actual. You ask anybody who lives in a state who has skilled these excessive climate occurrences, who now could be both being denied dwelling insurance coverage or it’s being jacked up.”
Residents residing in areas susceptible to disasters like flooding and wildfires are having a hard time getting insurance in any respect, and federal insurance policies may force people to pay more, an AP evaluate discovered.
Electrical autos additionally bought little consideration Tuesday, although Trump raised the concept of all important minerals coming from China, which would come with lithium and nickel. China at present dominates global EV battery production. Although EVs can run on clear electrical energy, mining for his or her batteries is an environmental and human rights concern.
Biden has created U.S. tax credit for EV purchases. Whereas Trump has stated the present administration’s efforts have resulted in an EV “mandate,” that isn’t true. Automakers do must promote some electrical autos to fulfill Environmental Protection Agency standards, however these laws can be met with extra fuel-efficient gasoline-powered vehicles.
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The Related Press’ local weather and environmental protection receives monetary assist from a number of personal foundations. AP is solely answerable for all content material. Discover AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, an inventory of supporters and funded protection areas at AP.org.
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