Joe Manchin Just Cooked the Planet

[Uncle Joe]

(snip)

From a climate point of view, the importance of these climate policy measures is impossible to overstate. In order to have a decent chance at maintaining a habitable planet, scientists agree that the world needs to zero out carbon pollution by 2050. And to have any shot at that, we have to start moving now. Every year, every month, every hour of delay makes that goal more difficult to achieve, and increases the risks of accelerated climate chaos that will make this past summer of hellish wildfires, storms, and droughts look like the good old days.

The zero carbon by 2050 goal is not a political slogan or environmentalist’s dream. It is what the best scientists in the world are telling us we need to do to avert climate catastrophe. It is also the basis for Biden’s goal of a 100 percent clean energy grid by 2035, and a 50 percent reduction in CO2 pollution by 2030. For Biden, taking strong action on climate is not just important in itself. It is also key to giving the U.S. climate negotiators something to bring to the table at the upcoming Glasgow climate talks, which begin on October 31st. After President Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris climate deal, the rest of the world has looked at the U.S. with distrust. Passage of strong climate measures in Congress before the Glasgow meeting would not only rehabilitate America’s standing as a nation that takes its contribution to solving the climate crisis seriously, but give U.S. negotiators leverage to push other nations to take action.

For Biden, and for the world, it all rests on the ability to get the reconciliation bill through Congress. With Republicans not willing to do anything, this was the only chance they had to get climate policy through. It was a gamble, but it was a gamble they had to take.

But Manchin is fucking it all up. To him, climate is a tomorrow problem. As he said recently on CNN’s State of the Union: “What’s the urgency?”

(snip)


https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/joe-manchin-reconcilation-bill-big-coal-1235597/

[NoMoreRepugs]

1. ManChin is no friend to Earth.

[liberalla]

2. O.M.G. What's the urgency???

He really said that??

Wow...

[SharonAnn]

3. It was urgent in 2000 but we got GWB and an end to conservation and reduction of pollution.

[rickyhall]

5. It was urgent in 1970. It gets worse by the day.

[in2herbs]

6. Several months ago someone on DU posted a video from an animal show in the 50s and the

well-known host of that show was warning us about the changing climate back then!!!

[DBoon]

9. It was urgent in 1980

but we got Reagan who took the solar panels off the White House

[2naSalit]

4. The pair of obstructionists...

Are so tone deaf it makes my ears ring all the way over here.

[marie999]

7. Too late, we should have started at least 60 years ago.

Scientists have known about climate change since the 1800s. I have a very low opinion of humans as a whole. Absolutely nothing of consequence will be done to slow down climate change.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

8. You can't spell "Manchin" without "C O A L"