Climate Change, Green Economies, and the Future of the Paris Climate Agreement
by Julie Ann Racino
September 9, 2019
CNN hosted a 7 hour debate on Climate Change with US 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidates on September 4, 2019. From 8 pm to 11 pm, I listened to our former Vice President Joseph Biden (nearing his retirement), Elizabeth Warren who has served in US Senate with Bernie Sanders, Bernie Sanders who narrowly missed the historic Democratic nomination to Hillary Clinton in 2016, Pete Buttigieg "commonly referred to as Mayor Pete", Beto O'Rourke deep in electoral politics in Texas, and Cory Booker who held my attention until he took on Christmas on CNN with "special privileges" with Chris Cuomo.
Anderson Cooper, Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon hosted and moderated the debate between 8-11 pm EST with questions/ inquiries from the audience.
Bernie Sanders: $16 trillion plan compared to the billions in fossil fuel subsidies. He argued for saving the planet for future generations, supporting wind, geothermal and solar energy (and tax credits), addressing nuclear energy (20% of US, 70% of France), guaranteeing income for fossil fuel transitions (supported by AFL-CIO), Medicare for All, filibuster reform which blocks climate action, building homes after natural disasters, and working together to stop the weapons of mass destruction.
Joe Biden: Surprisingly, Biden stated no further coal plants and close coal plants in America, then use of electric vehicles, climate change sciences, controlling climate emissions, including high speed rail, supported the Paris Climate Agreement ("signed by President Obama"), new wind and solar energy, and continuing his position on fracking from Pennsylvania Governor. His personal story was on asthma, "the driving force behind the American Lung Association/jar2019".
Elizabeth Warren: Supports a carbon tax, two plans costing $1 and $2 trillion, and suggests light daily tracks in the world. For some reason, she will follow Gov. Jay Inslee, on getting tough with the timelines, 2028 on no new buildings, then auto vehicles, and by 2035 full electrical generation (with nuclear energy replaced) for renewable energy. Warren wishes to reduce the carbon footprint, believes in science and research and development, and wants auto industries to experience a new innovation similar to the catalytic converter.
She believes in saving the planet, green manufacturing ($17 trillion green world market), real jobs, worker and racial justice, and changing energy consumption patterns.When a Blue New Deal on making a living from the ocean was proposed from the audience, Warren said: "Count me in!" In addition, as stewards of the land, Warren will address communities under displacement and cultural erasure.
Pete Buttigieg: Indicated that national governments have failed, and cities are living up to standards around the world. He supports carbon tax on fossil fuels, ag(riculture) stability (citing R&D in Department of Agriculture, net zero emission farms), Douglas plan toward health equity and community planning, electrical vehicles (development and use), regulatory requirements, and displaced workers from communities of color. He expressed concern regarding the Trump trade wars which are affecting rural America. In addition to federal investment, Pete Buttigieg supports generational, gender and racial justice and personal action (e.g., bikes to work as Mayor, takes the subway). He is an Afghanistan war veteran.
Beto O'Rourke: In support of the Paris Climate agreement (2015/2016), and well beyond (jar/2018 Warsaw, Poland, COP24) with plan for net zero green emissions by 2050. He supports legally enforceable environmental justice, cap and trade instead of a carbon tax, net zero emissions on public lands, and US being indispensable on the world stage. Citing the "lives of fellow Americans", he agrees to keep our obligations, with mitigation grants, disaster responses, housing close to work, investments in solar panels, regenerative agriculture, and support for people of color. He believes that climate can "be our first moment" (Winston Churchill) to lead the world, unite across party lines (environment), and transition the economy.
Cory Booker: Important to look at what we are doing legislatively on climate; climate change has a disproportionate effect on people of color. Booker has proposed a Climate Stewardship Plan to enrich our heritage and deal with the climate crisis, and to explore (traditional, Dutch) windmills and new sources of revenue. He supports the use of cover crops in agriculture to pull carbon out of the air, urban gardens and addressing food deserts ("good and healthy"), clean drinking water, jobs on the farms from prisons, ban offshore drilling (absolutely) and fracking, independent family farmers, low income vulnerable communities, and embraces the possibility of cleaning up nuclear energy post Japan's Fukisima, Yucca Mountain, and (New Jersey's) Long Mile Island.
Similar to Obama's critical use of the Voting Rights Act, Booker is particularly concerned about voter suppression and gerrymandering "which effect voting in America/jar". "Democracy is a verb-we must act". If elected as US President, "I will ask you to do more". However, he assured everyone that "Booker does not want to take away your hamburger" (he's a vegan and for freedom); indeed,"whatever you want to eat, go ahead and eat it". However, "We are going to be the change we want to be" and one more time must be in, (America's premiere world fast food restaurant) "McDonalds is not a healthy food system". "If America can compete, we can win." Booker is a civil rights activist and calls for a "moral imagination on climate".
Also featured were Democratic candidates Amy Klobaucher, Senator from Minnesota, Andrew Yang featured as an economics guru, Julian Castro who was featured in a New York Times article as former Mayor of San Antonio and US HUD Appointee, and Kamala Harris who took on Joe Biden on integration and busing "in California". Booker, Yang, Castro and Harris are considered "traditional minority candidates" (i.e. "former protected classes") as "American blacks/African Americans, Asian Americans and Hispanic Americans. Women, of course, are in "gender discrimination" classes (Klobaucher, Warren, Kamala-dual status), and Buttigieg in "LGBT discrimination" classes. Julian Castro explained that the US cannot withdraw from the Paris Climate Accords earlier than November 2020 (which is post-elections, 2020/jar).
References:
Bacot, A. H. and Damer R.A. (2000). Administration of state environmental policies. In: J. J. Gargan, Handbook on State Administration (pp. 591-612). NY, NY: Marcel Dekker, Inc.
Clinton Global Initiative. (September 22, 2014). 2014 Plenary: Confronting Climate Change is Good Economics. NY, NY: Clinton Foundation, Livestream Productions.
Cooper, Anderson, Cuomo, Chris and Lemon, Don. (September 4, 2019). Climate Change: Democratic Candidates Town Hall. Washington, DC: CNN.
Friedman, Lisa. (September 4, 2019). Julian Castro defends record on fracking at Climate Forum. New York Times Online.
Johnson, B. (2007). International environmental health programs. Environmental Policy and Public Health (pp. 325-377). NY, NY: CRC Press. http:/www.crcpress.com
Nicholaus, Peter. (July 27, 2016). Clinton wins historic nomination. Sanders puts rival over top in landmark movement. The Wall Street Journal, CCLXVIII, No. 22, p.1.
Popovich, Nadja, Albeck-Ropa, Livia, and Pierre-Louis, Kendra. (August 29, 2019). 84 Environmental rules being rolled back under Trump Administration. New York Times Online.
Racino, Julie Ann. (December 31, 2015). Environment and Climate Change: From earth summit world leadership to today's sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. SENRA Newsletter, American Society for Public Administration, pp. 1-4.
Sengupta, S. and Yardley, J. (2015, September). Pope Francis addresses U.N., calling for peace and environmental justice. New York Times Online.
United Nations. (2015, September 25-27). Sustainable Development Goals Summit 2015. NY, NY: United Nations. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/
The US Postal Service offers a variety of holiday stamps which include Christmas (e.g., the Madonna, wreaths), and newer Kwanza (a created holiday by African Americans, celebrated in American public schools) and Dwali (an Indian celebration). To my knowledge, a world religions stamps (e.g., Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism) was not suggested, though the post office hosts a range of collections from US states (e.g., Nebraska, South Dakota), to sports and literary figures (e.g., Henry David Thoreau), to charitable causes (e.g., breast cancer research, Special Olympics, national parks) and political and governmental leaders (e.g., John F. Kennedy and George H.W. Bush). Check your local postal office or online. Julie Ann Racino, Community and Policy Studies, 2019 Greetings to Cory Booker!
ReplyDeleteDuring the US 2016 Presidential campaign, the Green Party which nationally supported a 100% agenda with solar, water and wind paired with a foreign policy agenda that was extreme anti-Israel, "wishy-washy" on Russian invasion of the Ukraine, and anti-NATO (e.g., protection of sovereignity of Poland). Similar "integrated policies" were found in Europe as the political parties of Europe are shifting and realigning today. None of the candidates mentioned the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations which were endorsed in an International Assembly by American Society of Public Administration. Julie Ann Racino, ASPA, International, 2019 "UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities"
ReplyDeleteEuropean Union Charter of Fundamental Rights is available online: dignity, freedom equality, justice, solidarity, and citizens' rights as guiding principles of Articles 1-50. When the UK withdraws from the European Union, "it withdraws from human rights negotiated agreements" (e.g., Article 45: Presumption of innocence and right to defense; Article 6: Right to liberty and security. Article 9: Right to marry and found a family. Article 17: Right to property.). Julie Ann Racino, ASPA, 2019
DeleteHearings in Washington, DC this week on Ukraine-US-Russia which by the way are not planned to address the "Russo-Ukranian war" reported as beginning in 2014 (2012) under the President Obama administration. His Ambassador (who was dismissed by Trump) was not asked about Crimea, detention of Ukranian soldiers by Russia, invasion and destruction of Donbass, ongoing deaths and human rights reports to UN, international vs. Russian-annexed waterways (UN Law of the Sea), "government beheading" Kashoggi-style, and even attacks on the Ukranian language (Slavic vs. Russian Cyrillic). Julie Ann Racino, ASPA International, 2019
DeleteA report on May 7, 2019 from the European Union (A resilient Energy Union with 2 forward looking climate change policy) indicated that the EU played a leading role in brokering the "historic, ambitious and global Paris Climate Agreement between 195 countries" (November 2015). EU plans on a 40% cut in emissions by 2030. The article continues: "The EU and its member states (countries) remain the largest providers of public climate finance, including the multi-lateral climate funds, and non contributed 20.4 billion euros in climate finance by 2017." 2016 marked the introduction of the Clean Energy for All Europeans Act (smart money). Key gas infrastructure in development between Poland and Lithuania (interconnector), Finland and Estonia (Balticonnector), state aid for liquid natural gas terminal (Lithuania), and Poland through Denmark (northern corridor). That's economic and monetary union. Julie Ann Racino, ASPA, SENRA, Budget and Finance, 2019
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ReplyDeleteViewed 1/28/2019 during impeachment hearings of US President Donald J. Trump, and post World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland which the US President was invited as a plenary speaker. Inclusion and Disability Panels were featured in 2019 and 2020 at the latter. Julie Ann Racino, American Society for Public Administration, 2020
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