Robinson Meyer, a climate reporter for The Atlantic, writes about the awkward place American environmentalists find themselves due in part to the war in Europe that has created an international energy crisis and historically high fuel prices at home.
Meyer writes that “progressive climate proposals,” such as the Green New Deal and Joe Biden’s climate plan contained in the Build Back Better Act, are no longer applicable in today's economic and political climate.
Each was rooted in a diagnosis of the 2010s economy—and each, unfortunately, is looking more and more out of date.
He lists three reasons related to the changing conditions of the domestic economy, availability of natural resources, particularly fossil fuels, and energy security. Take the middle one for example:
The second idea was that the world was awash in fossil fuels. America’s fracking boom had deluged the country in cheap petroleum, and gas prices could be expected to stay low indefinitely. Climate activists diagnosed that the planet’s biggest problem was an excess of oil and natural gas on global markets, which meant that, in every circumstance, activists should strive to “keep it in the ground.”
Yet Meyer doesn't condemn the greens' approach. Instead, he calls for moderation.
Climate activists remain correct in their essential diagnosis: In order to avoid catastrophic changes to the climate system, most undrilled fossil fuels must remain in the ground. But for the next few years, climate policy will require a subtler hand than advocates have been used to providing.
Furthermore, he suggest they get on board, to some extent, with the Biden plan to increase liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to Europe.
If Europe’s democracies believe that their ability to import natural gas from a non-Russia country is essential to their survival, then American climate advocates should find a way to help them—without cutting a blank check to U.S. natural-gas producers or extending the gas system’s lifetime into the 2030s.
Can environmentalists adjust to the new paradigm of emerging from a pandemic and a war in Europe amidst record inflation and gasoline prices at their highest inflation-adjusted level since 2014, where oil exports from the world's third largest producer were embargoed by President Biden nearly two months ago and the European Union is set to follow?
“Putin’s war has all but ensured that the path to decarbonization will not be a straight line,” adds Myer. “But if advocates navigate this moment carefully, then the U.S. and the EU can find a shortcut, not a detour.”
Hat tip to Jordan Weissmann, a Slate senior editor who referenced Myer's piece in his April 1 article describing Biden's new approach to oil production, “The Big Idea Behind Joe Biden’s Plan to Bring Down Gas Prices.”
Related in Planetizen:
- U.S. to Help European Union Achieve Energy Security, April 3, 2022
- Democrats Take Steps to Address Climate Change in 116th Congress [Green New Deal, source article also by Robinson Meyer], January 2, 2019
- Keep it in the Ground – 2018, September 10, 2018
- Can Climate Change be Addressed by Halting Drilling on Federal Lands? November 11, 2015
Waging War on High Gas Prices
America is not at war, but that didn't stop President Joe Biden from calling the largest release of oil from the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve that he authorized on March 31 to lower oil prices, a 'wartime bridge.'
Banning Russian Oil
President Biden announced a ban on the importation of Russian energy on Tuesday in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. He warned that gasoline prices will go even higher as a result. Europe will not be joining the ban.
Is $7 a Gallon for Gas on the Horizon?
Global oil prices may skyrocket when the European Union, which receives about one third of its oil from Russia, enacts a partial ban on importing Russian oil at the end of the year to stop financing Russia's war in Ukraine.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association