Biden Faces Multiple Crises. How Will Climate Change Rank Among Priorities?

Aside from immigration, perhaps no other area of federal policy has been more impacted by the Trump administration than the environment.  So far, Biden has assembled a diverse group for his climate team, but can his vision unite the progressive and establishment wings of the Democratic party?

Listen: As Biden gets the nation’s environmental regulations back on track, what will his climate team prioritize first?

Guests:

Lisa Friedman is a reporter on the climate desk for the New York Times, focusing on climate and environmental policy in Washington. Friedman says that the team of people that Biden has assembled for his administration’s environmental work is a diverse group with a lot of legislative experience. “What you have at the top are people who have been in government before, who don’t have a learning curve, and can hit the ground running,” she says.

In the overall approach to climate policy, Friedman notes that there’s a big push to incorporate sustainability as a means to propel the nation’s economy. “As I cover the Biden administration, it is incredibly clear that the way they are looking at climate change completely intersects with economic development,” she says of the administration’s plans that have been shared thus far. Part of this approach, Freidman explains, is investing upfront in systems that could pay off later. “There’s going to be new regulations that will reverse rollbacks from the Trump administration (and) go further than the Obama administration but what (Biden’s team is) focusing on now… is putting money into everything from electric vehicles to efficiency,” says Friedman. 

Nick Schroeck is Associate Dean of Experiential Education and Associate Professor at Detroit Mercy School of Law. He notes that although the Trump administration rolled back a good deal of environmental regulation, “fortunately a lot of (what was stripped) can be reversed.” He adds that, “what’s exciting is that this focus on climate change… will have a lot of benefits to Great Lakes region.”

“I think you’ll see a focus on trying to transition sources of electricity away from dirtier fuels toward more renewables like wind and solar,” says Schroeck of what he anticipates will come from Biden’s climate team. He points out that this administration will likely focus on environmental racism and justice, which could really help residents in places like Detroit. “The benefits of environmental justice is that when we shut down old coal-fired power plants… that has real benefits and improves air quality which translates into better health for citizens,” says Schroeck. combating