I support Bernie Sanders for President because: Climate Change

It is better to show up than to give up.

 — Bernie Sanders

A lot has been made here at Dkos about the importance of “pragmatism” and avoiding “overly ambitious” goals (aka, alternately “ponies”, “Unicorns”, “rainbows”, “magic”, “delusion”).  I don’t see it that way.  

It’s about vision.  Limiting your vision means limiting what you attempt, and limiting what you attempt means limiting what you can achieve.

 — Delphine

When it comes to politics, for me climate change is the most pressing issue.  I often despair that we are already too late to address it.  We need an “FDR tackles the Depression/JFK promises the moon” commitment to find solutions, and there is no time  for incrementalism or holding back because people “aren’t ready”.  The Paris accords are fantastic — but totally voluntary, don’t really commit us to limiting temperature rise to 2 degrees, and even 2 degrees is too much.  

x YouTube Video x YouTube Video

We don’t have time to stand around and pat our leaders on the back for Paris.  This isn’t time for polite talk and holding our teacups with pinky fingers raised.  It’s already getting late.  Paris was merely a start that should have happened a couple decades ago, and a relatively toothless one at that.  And Bernie Sanders wasn’t, and isn’t, afraid to say so, even knowing he’d get called “rude” for it.  Because he’s right.  

I support Senator Sanders because:  Climate Change.

Below are Bernie Sanders’ vision, policy proposals, and actions (in block quotes) with regard to the environment and climate change, aka #peoplebeforepolluters.  These strategies are logical, pragmatic, and achievable.  There’s no time to worry that it’s too difficult to work with republicans — we MUST work with them, and we MUST NOT sacrifice our planet by proposing less ambitious solutions that will allow climate catastrophe and that they won’t vote for anyway.  

As far as paying for it, it’s built into the plan.  But if we can come up with trillions of dollars for drone strikes and no fly zones, we can surely afford these solutions.  In the end it’s all about will, because we can make the money available.  We can reach to achieve what’s necessary, and not just what’s easy.  It’s called “leadership”.

We will act boldly to move our energy system away from fossil fuels, toward energy efficiency and sustainable energy sources like wind, solar, and geothermal because we have a moral responsibility to leave our kids a planet that is healthy and habitable.

                                                                                                — Senator Bernie Sanders

GOALS:

Cut U.S. carbon pollution by 40 percent by 2030 and by over 80 percent by 2050 by putting a tax on carbon pollution, repealing fossil fuel subsidies and making massive investments in energy efficiency and clean, sustainable energy such as wind and solar power.

Create a Clean-Energy Workforce of 10 million good-paying jobs by creating a 100% clean energy system. 

Return billions of dollars to consumers impacted by the transformation of our energy system and protect the most vulnerable communities in the country suffering the ravages of climate change. 

STRATEGIES

End the stranglehold of the Extraction Industry:

Ban fossil fuels lobbyists from working in the White House. End the huge subsidies that benefit fossil fuel companies. Create a national environmental and climate justice plan that recognizes the heightened public health risks faced by low-income and minority communities. Bring climate deniers to justice.

Recently called for the Department of Justice to investigate Exxon Mobil, which may have not only known about the dangers of climate change, but has spent millions of dollars to spread doubt about the causes and impacts of burning fossil fuels.

Sponsored the “End Polluter Welfare Act”, which would save taxpayers $135B over ten years by: 

Ending Oil, Gas, and Coal Tax Breaks Ensuring Taxpayers Get a Fair Return On Energy Resources Owned by the American People Prioritizing Clean Energy in Federally-Supported Research and Development Activities:  Channels federal research activities at the Department of Energy, ARPA-E and other agencies towards clean energy solutions and away from fossil fuels, which should be funded by industry, not taxpayers

Accelerate a “Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels”

Embrace a science-based standard for carbon pollution emissions reductions. Put a price on Carbon (Hint:  “How will he pay for this?”) Protect the health of our children. Create clean, domestic energy alternatives to power our cars and trucks.  Ban Arctic oil drilling.  Ban offshore drilling.  Stop dirty pipeline projects like the Keystone XL.  Stop exports of liquefied natural gas and crude oil.  Ban fracking for natural gas.  x YouTube Video Ban mountaintop removal coal mining and invest in Appalachian communities.  Close the loopholes that allow the chemical, oil and gas industries to pollute our air and water.  Increase fuel economy standards to 65 miles per gallon by 2025.  Protect public lands by promoting natural resource conservation and habitat preservation. 

Back in August 2011, Bernie was the first national politician to publicly oppose Keystone XL, because he saw that it would move us in exactly the wrong direction, toward greater dependence on fossil fuels, specifically tar sands oil, but also on one of the dirtiest and most expensive fossil fuels imaginable. Bernie was again the first presidential candidate to oppose the Bakken oil pipeline that would cross Iowa and the first to oppose the Northeast Energy Direct Pipeline that would bring fracked natural gas through New Hampshire. 

Co-sponsored the historic 2015 “Keep it in the Ground Act” (with Sen. Jeff Merkley and Patrick Leahy), which would prohibit future leases on public land to extract fossil fuels, including gas, oil, and coal and ban offshore drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans.

Sponsored the Climate Protection Act of 2013 (with Barbara Boxer), which would impose a fee on $20 per ton carbon emissions at their source, such as coal mines, raising the price of fossil fuel energy, rising 5.6 percent per year for 10 years, with three-fifths of the money would be refunded to U.S. residents.

The tax would raise an estimated $1.2 trillion over a decade and reduce greenhouse gas emissions 20 percent from 2005 levels. Three-fifths of the tax would be rebated to “every legal U.S. resident,” which might make it more politically feasible than if it went to the government.

The rest of the money would go to incentives for clean energy and research.

A version of the “fee and dividend”* idea is a favorite of NASA climate scientist James Hansen and climate activist Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org

*(Hint:  “How will he pay for it?”)

Invest in Clean, Sustainable Energy

​Work toward a 100 percent clean energy system and create millions of jobs.  Provide a massive and sustained investment in clean energy technology development and implementation Invest in advanced renewable fuel technology and keep our energy dollars at home. Invest in solar energy and put money back in the pockets of consumers.  Invest in making all American homes more energy efficient. Support American workers moving into clean energy jobs.  Invest in an affordable energy storage solution Build geothermal power plants to create full time family-wage jobs for operations, engineering, maintenance, and administration. Utility-Scale Clean Energy Generation Enable greater consumer choice in energy. Begin a moratorium on nuclear power plant license renewals in the United States. Bernie believes that solar, wind, geothermal power and energy efficiency are proven and more cost-effective than nuclear – even without tax incentives – and that the toxic waste byproducts of nuclear plants are not worth the risks of the technology’s benefit. Provide global clean energy funding to vulnerable countries.

Co-wrote (with Bob Menendez) the 2007 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program, which, after being funded in 2009 (through ARRA) has “provided $3.2 billion in block grants to cities, communities, states, U.S. territories, and Indian tribes to develop, promote, implement, and manage energy efficiency and conservation projects that ultimately created jobs”.  This grant helped to install over 9,500 solar systems and perform energy upgrades on approximately 86,000 buildings

Sponsored (with Ron Wyden) the Residential Energy Savings Act of 2013, which sought to establish a voluntary loan program to provide support to states, U.S. territories, and Indian tribal governments in establishing or expanding programs that provide to residential property owners or tenants financing for energy efficiency upgrades of residential buildings.

Sponsored (with Rep. Keith Ellison) the 2015 Low Income Solar Act which would provide $200M in loans and grants for solar installation in low income areas.

Sponsored the 2015 Clean Energy Workers Just Transition Act which would provide $7B for benefits and services to workers who have lost their jobs or have experienced a reduction in wages or hours due to the transition to clean energy.

Revolutionize our Electric and Transportation Infrastructure

Build electric vehicle charging stations.  Build high-speed passenger and cargo rail.  Make our cities more walkable and take more cars off the road.  Update and modernize the energy grid.

​Introduced the (January) 2015 Rebuild America Act, which invests $15B to improve rail and $10B to modernize the power grid and for broadband​

Lead the International Community to Solve Climate Change and Prevent International Conflict

Think Beyond Paris — the Paris agreement is non-binding and subject to attack via TPP lawsuits.  In the first 100 days of Bernie’s Presidency, he will convene a summit of the world’s best engineers, climate scientists, policy experts, activists and indigenous communities  to chart a course toward the healthy future we all want for our families and communities. Lead

Plan for Peace — be ready for global conflict and unrest caused by resource insecurity due to climate change

Why Bernie Sanders is (and has been) a leader on Climate Change

He’s the only candidate who says Climate Change is our biggest threat.

Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org, says “The planet is happy that Bernie Sanders is running for President” and regarding Sanders’ Energy Plan:

That guy @BernieSanders is at it again, insisting on saving the planet. Pretty damned good plan berniesanders.com/...

2014 People’s Climate March

The Obama administration specifically cited Efficiency Vermont, Bernie’s home state’s green energy program, as a model for utilities around the country.  

According to Climate Hawks Vote, Sanders was the top Senator on Climate change in 2013/14 (a year before he decided to run for President). He knows what he’s talking about and he isn’t afraid to call people out. Agreed to The Nation’s request to refuse support of greenhouse-gas emitters for the 2016 race Served on the Senate Environment and Public Works and Energy and Natural Resources Committees. 100% score from Defenders of Wildlife

Bernie Sanders’ stance on sustainability and Climate Change is bold and visionary while grounded in science and offering practical solutions.  It won’t happen on day one.  It’s somewhat detailed (and supported by legislation that is already written) but not set in stone.  His vision, which I share, is a compass.  He knows about the naysayers — hell, he’s had to sit and listen to Inhofe, FFS.  He understands that completely rebuilding our energy infrastructure without fossil fuels will be hard work, and acknowledges it will be disruptive to workers in the extraction industry.  But he knows there is also a silver lining in that we already have the technology to move toward that vision, that the challenge is also an opportunity to lead, grow jobs, and live healthier lives.  And he knows we really don’t have a choice in this if we want to save ourselves and secure a future for our children and grandchildren.  

I support Bernie Sanders because:  Climate Change.  

I’m hoping my fellow Sanders’ supporters will post diaries about why they support Senator Bernie Sanders for President, too.