Score another one for Joe Biden
In a 2019 interview with GQ, environmental activist Greta Thunberg explained, “I have promised myself that I’m going to do everything I can for as long as I can” to combat the climate change crisis. She added that Trump is “obviously not listening to the science and the scientists and the experts.” Fortunately, U.S. leadership has since changed, and President Biden has shown that he, too, is going to do everything he can for as long as he can toward this vital effort.
With 2023 coming to an end, the Biden-Harris administration released an analysis on Tuesday highlighting data that show how Biden’s Investing in America agenda has been producing benefits for Americans. In addition, new forecasts indicate these investments are poised to be even more effective than thought, “putting the United States even closer towards its goals of addressing climate change, promoting energy security, and generating steady, stable economic growth.”
Biden signed his Investing in America agenda into law in 2021 and 2022, through legislation such as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Inflation Reduction Act, and more. Not only have these strategic public investments included the largest-ever investment in lowering carbon emissions in U.S. history, but they have also provided “unprecedented investment certainty to the private sector.” This, in turn, has translated into “tangible outcomes and progress” toward meeting Biden’s climate goals.
Also on Tuesday, the White House offered a promising update on a related initiative: the American Climate Corps. Since launching the Corps in September, nearly 50,000 Americans have already signed up to get information about joining. The Corps is described as a groundbreaking, workforce training and service initiative that aims to prepare young people for good-paying jobs in the clean economy. With a plan to form the first cohort by next summer, the White House announced the launch of virtual listening sessions, a new partnership across seven Federal agencies, and new information on how communities can utilize funding from Biden’s Investing in America agenda to place more young people into environmental justice careers through the Corps.
Unlike under the former guy’s “leadership,” the Biden-Harris administration continues to prove it is doing everything it can for as long as it can to save the environment, to paraphrase Thunberg. As the White House noted in its update, “While Republicans in Congress continue to deny the very existence of climate change, the Biden-Harris Administration will continue to deliver on the most ambitious climate agenda in history.” This is a stark reminder of why the results of next year’s election may prove critical to our existence.
Ron Leshnower is a lawyer and the author of several books, including President Trump’s Month