Reacting to the biggest climate legislation of my lifetime
At 5:38 in the morning, I’m underneath a mosquito net refreshing my news feed.
I’m in Bujumbura, Burundi, having spent most of the week in remote locations across the country. A country the U.N. had just named the most food insecure nation in the world. The farming families I met completely embodied climate vulnerability.
As rain grew unpredictable and dry seasons grew longer, these hungry communities were about to get even hungrier… if not for some serious environmental healing.
My return to Bujumbura meant a return to decent internet access. I refreshed my feed to see that back home, the U.S. Senate had done it–the most significant piece of legislation to address climate change had advanced.
I’m a climate storyteller, but political advocacy has never been my favorite vehicle. I recognize its importance, but it’s harder to feel empowered when you’re always waiting on lawmakers to finally get it together.
And yet, pulling those political levers is a necessary part of the work. If you do the math, you’ll see that relying on our good behavior as individuals isn’t enough. To mitigate a climate catastrophe, we need that systemic change.
Two weeks ago, it all seemed out of reach.
The narrative was going to be about how close we were to averting crisis, if not for one, maybe two senators. I was feeling a tweet by Hank Green:
In spite of it all, I’ve remained a climate optimist… and I don’t think that comes from a place of naivete. I see the effect climate change is already having on people, like the many I met in Burundi.
But I’ve also seen how emissions have fallen in many countries, how fossil fuels have already peaked and are in decline, and how projections that used to have us charted for 4º of global warming see that number closer to 2.5º– a number that is still way too high, but one that reminds me that we’re capable of moving the needle.
We’re going the right direction, just not at the right speed.
In the U.S., this has happened in spite of the lack of federal policy. In 2009, Congress failed to pass Waxman-Markey, the last big attempt at climate legislation. However, we’ve reduced emissions by even more than that bill was projected to, thanks to state and local action, corporate shifts, and changing social norms.
Because my hope doesn’t really come from the government, it feels weird when it’s occasionally delivered through that vehicle. It’s like watching a scrawny player off the bench hit a game winning home run. Not how I saw it happening, but if it wins us the ballgame…
In short- the combination of policies in this package of legislation set us on a new path. Our previous trajectory saw us reducing emissions by 27% in 2030.
The new number? 42% emissions reductions.
This was the largest investment the U.S. ever made against the climate crisis, a bold win for the planet.
Here’s what I especially like about the bill:
+ Transportation accounts for over a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.- this bill both incentivizes the move towards cleaner vehicles while producing enough energy to meet the demand.
+ It does similar things with greenhouse gas emissions from homes. People will get credits of $7,500 for an EV, $2,000 for a heat pump, 30% the cost of rooftop solar, and $9,000 for home insulation.
+ Most components of the bill both lower emissions as well as living expenses for most people. It reinforces the idea that environmental and financial health support one another. 41% of inflation is driven by fossil fuels.
+ $60 billion is allocated towards environmental justice. This includes $2 billion for farmers who have faced discrimination… largely reparations for Black farmers who have been excluded from USDA loans.
+ $11 billion is going towards restoring and protecting forest and marine ecosystems
+ The bill addresses methane and methane leaks, a short-acting, highly-potent greenhouse gas that probably requires even more urgency than carbon. One of the few changes the bill will create through penalties, rather than incentives.
+ Invests nearly $300 million in sustainable aviation fuel… which can reduce emissions by 50-80%. We’re long overdue for a cleaner way to get around internationally.
And of course, there are some things that could be better:
+ Without investments in e-bikes or public transportation, this plan still maintains our dependence on cars, and doesn’t really advance all the other benefits of walkable cities.
+ Indigenous land sovereignty and management is unaddressed.
+ This bill allows oil and gas exploration from fossil fuel companies.
BUT- for every ton of emissions that are expected from those provisions, the rest of the bill helps avert 24 tons of emissions. And it leaves us with the opportunity to fight against pipelines and pollution generating activities. The bill creates an environment that makes oil leases more expensive and less profitable.
I am unapologetically excited about this bill.
Thanks to the decrease in pollution, it’s estimated to directly prevent nearly 4,000 deaths from respiratory illnesses. It is also likely to create 1.5 million jobs. And it will likely do all this quietly, in the background of our everyday lives, without most of us noticing a shift.
The bill has its flaws and compromises, which will set the stage for future battles to be had. It also leaves more work to be done. The 40% emissions reduction is great, but not enough.
But what I’m excited about is that it renders the work possible.
We’re likely living in the most critical decade for climate action.
What happens now determines whether places like Burundi can continue some of the impressive strides against poverty in my lifetime or plunge into famine. It determines whether or not many of the animals in my kids’ picture books will be extinct by their adulthood, or whether they’ll get to join the efforts for their survival.
And I’d choose that world any day over the one where our generation’s inaction has already rendered their efforts fruitless.
Hours after seeing the bill pass the Senate, we left the city. We went over the Mugere River on a bridge that allowed us to see where children bathed, women washed clothes, and bamboo protected the water source.
Signs of life.
Our separation is an illusion. Decisions made on one side of the globe are often felt on the other.
What happens upstream changes everything. The concept of leaving it better felt so tangible.
I thought of the kids I met here. Then of my own kids back at home. I was eager to reunite with them soon enough. There is more work to be done to leave them with a healthy planet. But now, we get to build off the work that has been done to put that much more within reach.