Over the past year and a half, I’ve been dissecting every comment I could find in the press from Senator Joe Manchin about climate change. With the fate of our planet at stake, his every expression had global significance. But his statements were like a weather vane, blowing in all directions. It is now clear that Mr Manchin has wasted what little time this Congress had left to make real progress on the climate crisis.
Since early 2021, Congressional Democrats and President Biden have worked relentlessly to negotiate a climate policy package. When Build Back Better passed the house last fall, it included $555 billion in clean energy and climate investments. After four decades of stalemate in Congress, Democrats were ready to finally pass a major climate bill, with the approval of 49 senators. But yesterday, one man set fire to the deal, and with it the climate: Mr. Manchin.
By stringing along his colleagues, Mr. Manchin wasn’t just wasting the time of lawmakers. He also postponed crucial regulations that would reduce carbon pollution. Wary of disrupting delicate negotiations, the Biden administration held back on using the full power of its executive authority on climate over the past 18 months, probably hoping to secure legislation first.
The stakes in delay could not be greater. Last summer, as climate negotiations dragged on, record-breaking heat waves hundreds of Americans killed. Hurricanes, wildfires and floods ravaged the country from coast to coast. Over the past 10 years, the worst climate and weather disasters have cost Americans more than a trillion dollars — far more than Democrats had hoped to spend to stop the climate crisis. With each year that we postpone, the climate impacts continue to grow. We don’t have a month, let alone another year or ten years, to wait for Mr. Manchin to negotiate in good faith.
Climate investments in the bill ranged from incentives for clean power such as wind and solar to support for electric vehicles. They were essential to meeting President Biden’s goal of halving carbon pollution from 2005 levels by 2030 — the United States’ contribution to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The failure of Congress to act means that, at best with the policies we already have in place, we will only get 70 percent from the way there.
After months of stop-and-start discussions, with Mr. Manchin repeatedly walking away from negotiations, Congress is largely running out of time. Democrats are due to approve their reconciliation package this summer, and despite weeks of efforts by Majority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer and his team, Mr. Manchin has now refused to agree to climate spending. While he claimed in a West Virginia talk show on Friday that it wasn’t over, that “we’ve had good talks, had good negotiations,” this is ambiguity; he just doesn’t want to be held accountable for his actions. He has consistently said one thing and done another.
Mr Manchin’s refusal to agree to climate investments will hurt the economy he claims to protect. The package would have built up domestic production, supportive more than 750,000 climate jobs per year. It would also have fought inflation, making utility bills more affordable for ordinary Americans. This is particularly ironic since Mr. manchin said inflation was the main reason why he wasn’t comfortable supporting clean energy tax incentives at this point.
In the past year, Mr. Manchin has taken more money of the oil and gas industry than any other member of Congress — including all Republicans — according to federal documents. A Times investigation found that he also personally benefited of coal, earning him about $5 million between 2010 and 2020 — about three times more a year than his Senate salary. Coal has made Mr. Manchin a millionaire, even if it has poisoned the air his own constituents in West Virginia breathe.
As Upton Sinclair put it, “It’s hard to make a man understand something when his salary depends on not understanding it.”
But one thing I’ve never understood about Mr. Manchin is how he looks his grandchildren in the eye. While he may leave his descendants with a lot of money, they will also inherit a broken planet. Like other young people, Mr. Manchin’s grandchildren will grow up knowing that his legacy is climate destruction.
The climate and the world are changing. What challenges will the future bring and how should we respond to them?
We still have a president who cares deeply about the climate crisis. It is clear that President Biden plan to move forward quickly to protect Americans from pollution through executive measures. This will make a serious dent in the glaring gap we now face in achieving its crucial climate goals.
And there are 49 more senators and hundreds of representatives who understand the gravity of this moment. If more Democrats are elected this fall, especially in the Senate, we may have a window for federal climate legislation next year.
Other Democratic leaders are not waiting for Congress to intervene. California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a budget bill this month with a historic: $54 billion in climate investments. New York State continues its ambitious plans to reduce carbon this decade. And in Washington State, Governor Jay Inslee leads a total decarbonisation mobilization: from milestone building regulations to bold climate goals.
Private individuals don’t have to wait either. While the climate bill would have helped millions of Americans pay for cleaner technologies faster, many Americans can already switch.
Most electric vehicles are now cheaper than gas-powered cars, starting on the first day. And the longer you drive it, the more savings it generates: Inflation didn’t hit EV drivers so hard because it has hit people with gas-powered cars. No wonder sale for EVs are through the roof and many automakers are schedule to go all-electric.
For those who prefer two wheels, affordable electric bikes are now widely available. And they’re fun: I jump on my own e-bike to get some exercise while shopping.
We can also work to eliminate fossil fuels from our homes, installing induction stoves and switching from gas or oil fired furnaces and hot water tanks to heat pumps. This is not only good for the planet, but also for our health. recent scientific studies have shown that we inhale carcinogens when we cook on gas. And even when a gas stove is turned off, it still leaks toxic substances into our homes.
In the long run we are going to win. Fossil fuels are simply too expensive, dirty and dangerous.
But with climate change, speed is everything. And Mr. Manchin’s actions will slow our pace. Many of the people and places we hold dear will face the consequences of his moral corruption.
A few days ago I was watering my Southern California garden when a hummingbird approached. It flew within inches of my hand and was delighted when I sprayed its iridescent feathers. The West is in the midst of yet another climate catastrophe – the worst drought in over a millennium – and the bird needed water. In its own way, this little creature told me that our hotter planet is less safe than it used to be.
Keep your kids close to you tonight. Leave some water for the birds. And make a plan to call on your elected leaders to demand climate action, dismantle your fossil fuel furnace, or buy an e-bike. The climate crisis is getting worse and Congress is one vote short of saving us. We will have to save ourselves.