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Climate action in Washington — or not

President Joe Biden is pushing forward his climate agenda from the White House as action stalls in Congress.
President Joe Biden is pushing forward his climate agenda from the White House as action stalls in Congress.

Recent congressional action on climate change stalled after Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin pulled his support for a bill that would have created $300 billion in new subsidies for alternative energy and electric cars. Manchin pointed to country-wide inflation and the bill’s high price tag to justify his decision.

Unable to push his climate policy through Congress, President Joe Biden instead took action from the executive office, though he fell short of declaring a full-on “climate emergency.”

From The Guardian:

Biden’s actions include $2.3bn in funding to help communities prepare for heatwaves, droughts and floods, new guidance that allows the federal government to help provide cooling centers and air conditioning, and new planned offshore wind energy leases for the Gulf of Mexico coast.

The politicking comes as America and the world suffer through the deadly effects of climate change, including sweltering heat waves and devastating droughts.

We look at the politics at play as the federal government fights over environmental policy, then zoom out for a global picture.

 

Copyright 2022 WAMU 88.5

Avery Kleinman