Article Author:
Associated Press
Seth Borenstein, Matthew Daly and Michael Phyllis ()
Over the decades in the face of increasing natural disasters and sustained global warming After taking no action, Congress wants to make clean energy so cheap in every aspect of life that it can hardly resist. The House is poised to pass the Transformation Act on Friday, which would provide more spending than any country ever in a single push to combat climate change.
Friday's expected action comes 34 years after a leading scientist grabbed headlines warning Congress of the dangers of global warming. Since then, there have been 308 weather disasters, costing each country at least $1 billion. The record for the hottest year was broken ten times by him, and wildfires have devoured an area larger than Texas.
At the heart of the much-delayed bill, single-handedly pushed by Democrats in a tightly divided Congress, would accelerate the expansion of clean energy such as wind and solar. is to use incentives to stimulate investors. Accelerate the transition away from oil, coal and gas, the main drivers of climate change.
The United States releases the most heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere and burns cheaper and dirtier fuel than any other country. is designed to significantly lower the already plummeting costs of renewable energy in homes, highways and factories. Together, they could cut America's carbon emissions by about two-fifths by 2030, and cut electricity emissions by up to 80%.
Experts say it's not enough, but it's a great start.
"This law is a true game-changer. It will create jobs, cut costs, make America more competitive, and reduce air pollution," he said for the first time 40 years ago. Former Vice President Al Gore, who held a hearing on ``The momentum this law will bring cannot be underestimated.''
US action urges other countries to do more, especially China and India, which are the two largest carbon emitters alongside the US. there is a possibility. As a result, the price of renewable energy could fall globally, experts said.
Because the specific legislative process through which this compromise was formed limited it to budget-related actions, the bill does not regulate greenhouse gas emissions and deals primarily with spending, most of which is is done through tax credits. As well as rebates to industry, consumers and utilities.
Investment is more effective in promoting clean energy than regulation, says Leah Stokes, professor of environmental policy at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The climate bill is likely to spur billions of dollars in private investment, she said.
The bill promotes important technologies such as batteries. Clean energy manufacturing will get a big boost. It is cheaper for consumers to make climate-friendly purchasing decisions. There are tax credits to make electric vehicles more affordable, support for low-income earners with energy efficiency upgrades, and incentives for rooftop solar and heat pumps.
There are also incentives for nuclear power plants and projects aimed at capturing and removing carbon from the atmosphere.
The bill aims to ensure that poor and minority communities that have borne the brunt of pollution benefit from climate change spending. Farmers will be helped to switch to climate-friendly practices and funded to encourage energy research and electric heavy trucks to replace diesel.
The Superfund program, which is used to cover the cleanup costs of the country's most polluting industrial sites, could earn more from higher taxes on oil.
The Rhodium Group research firm found that the bill would dramatically change the arc of future US greenhouse gas emissions, dropping from 24% to 35% by 2030. By comparison, according to Rhodium partner John Larsen, who estimates it will be reduced by 31% to 44% by 2005 without an invoice. According to an upcoming rhodium report, his power to clean the grid will jump from his less than 40% today to 81% by 2030, from 60% he said.
"It's not as big as I'd like it to be, but it's bigger than anything we've ever done," says Senate ambience leader. Senator Brian Schatz of the Hawaii Democratic Party said to the Caucus. “A 40% reduction in emissions is unlike anything the United States has ever achieved.â³
This is a decisive change for US policy and emissions, but it remains an official US target.
Not everyone was impressed.
It used to be," said Niklas Horn, co-founder of Germany's New Climate Institute. "The United States has a long way to go in tackling climate change, starting with very high emissions levels."
According to Brian O'Callaghan, principal investigator at Oxford Economics. , US spending still lags behind Italy, France, South Korea, Japan and Canada, given the country's historic carbon emissions, Oxford University's Recovery Project. He pointed out that the bill does nothing to deliver on America's broken promise of billions of dollars in climate change aid to poor countries.
President Joe Biden has frequently said America is back in the fight against climate change, but other leaders are skeptical that there is no law to support his claims.
You may be disappointed. Americans looking to buy electric vehicles may find many models ineligible for rebates until more parts are made in the United States. Local disputes over the location of new renewable energy projects could also hinder the pace of construction, some experts said. The environmental justice community is concerned about being asked to accept new carbon capture projects.
Republicans who voted unanimously against the bill in the Senate said it would increase energy costs for consumers, and House Republican leader Steve Scalis said that a Green New Deal would "make dozens of A slush fund that claims to be wasting billions of dollars.
Rhodium's Larsen, who compiled the billing figures, said this would save consumers up to $112 a year in energy costs.
"As long as I've been in this game, progress on climate change has always been at a higher cost to consumers. That's not how this bill works," Larsen said in an interview.
Democrats were unable to vote in a evenly-divided Senate, and Sen. I had shattered my hopes for a long time. But two weeks before him, in the face of public shaming by environmental groups and sharp criticism from his own colleagues, he has cut drug costs, targeted inflation and boosted renewable energy. surprised Washington by announcing its support for a bill to Since the deal was announced on July 27, Manchin has been an enthusiastic supporter of its completion. Senator Kristen Cinema (D-Arizona) had a crucial 50th ballot, allowing Vice President Kamala Harris to close the Senate vote gap.
The result was a 755-page bill to spend money without directly consuming fossil fuels, much to the dismay of the left. Gore said the fossil fuel industry has been conducting a "highly unethical campaign to deceive the world over" for decades, calling into question the science of climate change. I was.
The industry will face increased royalties and new fees for certain excess emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. However, the fossil fuel industry remains a powerful force, ensuring opportunities for expansion on state lands and offshore before renewables are built there.
Nevertheless, "the undeniable consequence of this will be a real expansion of wind and solar," said Harrison Fell, a professor of energy policy at North Carolina State University. rice field.
On a muggy summer day in 1988, Jim Hansen, NASA's top climate scientist, told Congress that carbon dioxide was heating up. It brought the decades-old concept of transformation to public attention for the first time. up to the earth. That year was the hottest on record. With it now being the 28th hottest year in a row, Hansen said he hopes his warnings about climate change won't come true.
"It's a shame that our political system has taken so long to react," said longtime climate change activist Bill McKibben, who said that the fossil fuel industry had a big impact. He added that he was giving too much power. “However, this will help spur action elsewhere in the world.
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