Action on climate emergency is critical, but Biden was wrong to declare a mistake
The following is an excerpt from what blog post to maintain.
As left-wing buildings renew pressure on President Joe Biden to declare a national climate emergency, it’s time to act #slogan Entries on this phrase relate both to the broader use of “emergency” in the climate context and to what the president and other leaders can or should do under laws such as the National Emergencies Act of 1976.
I have no objection to this statement. This is a good starting point for a solution-focused discussion. What is your definition? Who is facing an emergency? What forces, local and global, are driving it? What remedies are there?
I’m with longtime climate activist Bill McKibben (his latest news) and Princeton ’22 Hannah Reynoldsin the country) on the gravely fractured and dangerous state of humanity’s relationship with energy and climate.
Climate emergencies abound—most of them still potential Vulnerability Emergencies. Without vigorous action to slow warming by cutting and absorbing heat-trapping gases, largely the result of a global fossil fuel binge, humanity would absolutely face what James Howard Kunstler described in 2005 as “long-term emergency(That’s why he’s on my webcast today with authors Erica Gies and Eric Sanderson).
But I disagree with McKibben, Reynolds and dozens of others about the merits, politics and practice of Biden moving from his current appropriate rhetoric — saying we are in a state of emergency and why — to formal steps.
read In-depth reports and other background Produced at the Brennan Center by Goitein et al. I also appreciate this visual starting point for the center:
So join me today at 1pm and you’ll meet journalist Erica Gies, author of “Water Always Wins,” a global tour pointing out the existential threats that arise when people forget the reality in the title, as well as building more Much respectful relationship with water, and Eric W. Sanderson, senior ecologist for the Wildlife Conservation Society, best-selling book “Mannahatta.”
