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Flurry of US Climate Actions Unnoticed by Voters

Flurry of US Climate Actions Unnoticed by Voters

Tim Mohin
10 May

AP Photo/Susan Walsh

The US has issued a raft of new climate policies in recent months as the Biden administration attempts to shield progress against any future government backtracking.

This week alone, the EPA finalized a rule that will increase methane reporting and the proliferation of methane-detecting equipment for more accurate reporting. Reducing methane emissions is a key part of the Biden administration's climate action plan, and the update to the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program will help achieve this goal. EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said, “As we implement the historic climate programs under President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, EPA is applying the latest tools, cutting-edge technology, and expertise to track and measure methane emissions from the oil and gas industry.”

Also, this week, President Biden announced new subsidies to reduce emissions from air travel. To access the tax credits, companies need to prove that their sustainable aviation fuel has 50% less emissions than jet fuel.

These policies are the latest in a long list of climate actions, including the Inflation Reduction Act, EPA rules to phase out coal-fired power generation by 2039, rejoining international climate agreements (e.g., the Paris Agreement and the Global Methane Pledge), and strict new limits on vehicle emissions. All told, the Administration has approved $1.6 trillion in climate and infrastructure spending. However, only 17% has been spent so far.

Voters Unaware of Biden’s Climate Wins

Source: Politico

Despite presiding over the most progressive period ever for climate policy in the US, most voters remain unaware of Biden’s environmental progress, and those who know about it don’t think it is working.

Source: Politico

A recent poll from CBS News/YouGov found that more than half of people under 30 knew nothing at all (28%) or very little (31%) about Biden’s climate policies. A similar Politico poll found that although the majority of people were aware of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), less than a quarter of them think the IRA has impacted them positively, and only 25% think it has brought more jobs to their community.

Biden is putting these environmental achievements at the center of his re-election campaign to hopefully galvanize youth voters, but so far, they seem to be falling on deaf ears.

The 11th Hottest Month In A Row

Source: Reuters

With El niño now behind us, scientists were expecting a drop in global temperatures. On the contrary, April marked the 11th hottest month in a row, and ocean temperatures recorded their 13th hottest month.

The repercussions of this year's heat records are beginning to take their toll. Global floods hit Kenya, Texas, and Brazil, and extreme heat across South East Asia brought misery to millions. Marine animals, from penguins to coral, have also been suffering.

Scientists have now conceded that we will blast through the 1.5C climate target and have concluded that we are headed for at least 2.5C of warming.

Peak Power Sector Emissions Reached

Source: Ember

New research from Ember revealed a rosy outlook for renewables. The main takeaway from the Global Electricity Review 2024 was that 2023 was the year that emissions from electricity generation peaked. Renewables accounted for 30% of global electricity generation, and solar and wind power had record growth in 2023. Dave Jones, one of the report's authors, said, “The renewables future has arrived… Solar, in particular, is accelerating faster than anyone thought possible.”

UK’s Climate Action Unlawful

Leon Neal/Getty Images

Once the poster child for progress toward net zero, the UK’s fall from grace on climate action has been widely reported. Now, the UK High Court has found the UK’s plan to reach net zero unlawful.

The court ruled that the UK government has 12 months to create new climate policies aligned with their emissions reduction goals and pay back two of the three campaigning groups. Sam Hunter Jones, a lawyer for ClientEarth, said, “No more pie in the sky — this judgment means the government must now take credible action to address the climate crisis with a plan that can actually be trusted to deliver.”

Climate Super Funds Rise

Image by John Tully Washington Post

This week, Vermont approved two new bills, which cemented its position as a leading state for climate action. One will require utilities in the state to be 100% renewable by 2035. The other was the US’s first approval of a “climate super fund.”

The idea behind climate super funds is to tax high-carbon emitting industries to create a fund that will compensate for climate-related damages. The Vermont fund will allocate the fees to businesses in Vermont based on their emissions from 1995 to 2024.

New York State is close to approving a similar policy after its version passed through the state Senate this week. The bill (S2129A) would lock in a 25-year fund of $3 billion per year paid for by oil and gas companies. The fund would pay to remediate climate-related damages, and at least a third would be earmarked for disadvantaged communities.

The views expressed on this website/weblog are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.

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