Former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is seen on October 19, 2015 in Madrid, Spain. Denis Doyle / Getty Images
President-elect Joe Biden announced Monday that former Secretary of State John Kerry will sit on his National Security Council (NSC) as Special Presidential Envoy for Climate.
<p>Kerry's appointment was announced alongside other key foreign policy and national security roles and signals that the Biden administration plans to make fighting the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a> an integral part of its foreign policy.</p><p>"This marks the first time that the NSC will include an official dedicated to climate change, reflecting the president-elect's commitment to addressing climate change as an urgent national security issue," the transition team said in a statement.</p>
<div id="7aab6" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4bff71c40172c15736f73fe73ed18078"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1330967606585593857" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Today, I’m announcing the first members of my national security and foreign policy team. They will rally the world… https://t.co/bAisIQk5P6</div> — Joe Biden (@Joe Biden)<a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/statuses/1330967606585593857">1606162380.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Kerry has a long history of engaging in climate diplomacy, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/11/23/kerry-climate-change/" target="_blank">The Washington Post reported</a>. He has represented the U.S. at every major climate conference for the past 30 years and, as Secretary of State under President Barack Obama, played a key role in negotiating the 2015 <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement" target="_self">Paris agreement</a>. More recently, he started the organization <a href="https://worldwarzero.com/" target="_blank">World War Zero</a> to unite people from all political persuasions and walks of life around the goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Kerry also co-chaired the Biden campaign's climate task force with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), which was designed to make policy suggestions and bridge the gap between party moderates and supporters of Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.</p><p>"The work we began with the Paris Agreement is far from done," Kerry <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnKerry/status/1330945088080457731" target="_blank">tweeted</a> in response to his appointment. "I'm returning to government to get America back on track to address the biggest challenge of this generation and those that will follow. The climate crisis demands nothing less than all hands on deck."</p><p>Biden's choice of Kerry won wide approval from environmental groups.</p><p>"The big question has been, 'How serious is the new administration about climate change?'" senior <a href="https://www.edf.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Environmental Defense Fund</a> (EDF) vice president Nathaniel Keohane told <a href="https://grist.org/politics/with-john-kerry-envoy-biden-plans-to-tackle-climate-change-abroad/?utm_campaign=sprout&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_content=1606165955" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Grist</a>. "This is a tremendously important signal. It says that the Biden administration is committed to making climate change front and center in terms of how we engage with the world."</p>
<p>While Kerry is seen as a moderate, according to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/23/john-kerry-biden-climate-envoy-appointment?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1606170161" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>, his role on the campaign's climate task force has earned him the respect of the more progressive wing of the climate movement.</p><p>"He was quite the diplomat in terms of trying to make sure that all sides were represented and that we could reach compromises that we could all live with," Alabama environmental activist and panel member Catherine Coleman Flowers told The Washington Post. "He had a good understanding of the climate crisis."</p><p><a href="https://www.sunrisemovement.org/?ms=SunriseMovement" target="_blank">Sunrise Movement</a> co-founder Varshini Prakash also spoke favorably of Kerry's role on the panel.</p><p>"I served with Sec. Kerry this summer on the Biden-Sanders taskforce and one thing is clear: he really does care about stopping climate change. That's something we can work with," she <a href="https://twitter.com/VarshPrakash/status/1330948342776557568?s=20" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tweeted</a>. "An encouraging move from the Biden team — now I'm keeping my eyes peeled for a domestic equivalent!"</p>
<p>Biden is expected to name a White House climate policy coordinator in December who will focus on domestic climate policy, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/23/climate/john-kerry-climate-change.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The New York Times reported</a>.</p><p>However, the effectiveness of both roles may depend on whether Republicans retain control of the Senate after the Georgia runoff elections in January. Kerry's position does not require Senate confirmation, but he may have a harder time convincing other countries to take more aggressive action if the U.S. does not seem to be pulling its weight. Diplomatically, he faces a challenge no matter what, given President <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/donald-trump" target="_self">Donald Trump</a>'s decision to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/paris-agreement-us-withdrawal-2648618695.html" target="_self">withdraw the U.S.</a> from the Paris agreement Kerry helped negotiate. While Biden intends to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/paris-climate-agreement-biden-2648649350.html" target="_self">rejoin the agreement</a> immediately upon taking office, the U.S. departure still burned the international community.</p><p>"Kerry's challenge is 'fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me,'" Rachel Kyte, dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, told The New York Times.</p>
<p class=""><em>Correction: A previous version of the headline stated that John Kerry is the first-ever climate envoy. That is incorrect, as the Obama administration also had a climate envoy. Kerry is the first full-time climate official to sit on the National Security Council. </em></p>From Your Site Articles
- A-List Celebs, Politicians Join John Kerry's World War Zero ... ›
- John Kerry: Not Addressing Climate Change Will Lead to 'Utter ... ›
- 'Neanderthals' in Power Won't Deal With Climate Crisis, Says John ... ›
- How Biden and Kerry Can Rebuild America’s Climate Leadership ›
- Joe Biden Appoints Climate Crisis Team - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
'Finally': In Potential Nod To Biden Win, Federal Reserve Applies To Join Climate Network for Central Banks
12 November 2020
Climate
Jerome Powell (R) takes the oath of office as he is sworn-in as the new chairman of the Federal Reserve (FED) by Randal Quarles (L) vice chair for supervision, at the Federal Reserve Building in Washington, DC on Feb. 5, 2018. SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images
By Jessica Corbett
In a decision seen by some as a subtle acknowledgement of President-elect Joe Biden's victory even as President Donald Trump still refuses to concede, the Federal Reserve has applied to join what Bloomberg called "the climate change club for central banks," a group that requires participation in the Paris climate agreement.
<p>"We have requested membership. I expect that it will be granted," Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Randal Quarles said during a Senate Banking Committee hearing Tuesday, Bloomberg reported. Quarles added that the Fed may become a member of the Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS) before its annual meeting in April.</p><p>Launched in late 2017, the NGFS sets out to bolster the world's efforts to meet the goals of the Paris agreement and "to enhance the role of the financial system to manage risks and to mobilize capital for green and low-carbon investments in the broader context of environmentally sustainable development," <a href="https://www.ngfs.net/en/about-us/governance/origin-and-purpose" target="_blank">according to</a> its website.</p>
<p>The primary <a href="https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement" target="_blank">goal</a> of the Paris deal, which took effect in 2016, is to "strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius."</p><p>Just over a year ago, the Trump administration began the one-year process of withdrawing the United States from the agreement; the U.S. exit <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/04/us-officially-quits-paris-accord-amid-election-uncertainty-progressives-say-make" target="_blank">became official</a> last week, the day after the general election. While Biden has vowed to rejoin the deal, progressives around the world are urging him to go far beyond that and serve as a <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/09/biden-urged-be-climatepresident-taking-these-10-game-changing-steps-first-10-days" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">#ClimatePresident</a>.</p><p>Bloomberg's Akshat Rathi suggested on Twitter Wednesday that by seeking NGFS membership, "the Fed tacitly accepts that Biden has won the presidency."<br></p>
<div id="3e95e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="661730efd6d56c7910fb7cbd0e3b7a48"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1326502869382651905" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Um... the Fed tacitly accepts that Biden has won the presidency.
Fed has requested membership of the NGFS, which… https://t.co/lO1Z0l6gQU</div> — Akshat Rathi (@Akshat Rathi)<a href="https://twitter.com/AkshatRathi/statuses/1326502869382651905">1605097903.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Although Biden's win may be a factor, earlier this year, before the U.S. officially ditched the Paris agreement, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell suggested the country could join the NGFS, Newsweek <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/federal-reserve-acknowledge-joe-biden-election-win-1546678" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">noted</a> Wednesday.</p><p>"We have been looking at joining in one form or another and talking to them about that," Powell said in late January. "We probably will do that at some point."</p><p>According to Newsweek:</p><blockquote>Powell's remarks led to some speculation the Trump administration might alter its approach to climate change, with the <em>Financial Times</em> reporting on January 31 that some at the Fed had been privately pushing for membership of the banking group.<br>"The Fed's interest is another sign of the importance of the work of the NGFS," Bank of France governor François Villeroy de Galhau told the <em>FT</em> at the time. "It's a coalition of the willing. Climate risk is clearly a part of financial risk."</blockquote><p>Quarles' comments about NGFS membership came a day after the Fed formally acknowledged for the first time that climate change potentially threatens the stability of the financial system and urged banks "to have systems in place that appropriately identify, measure, control, and monitor all of their material risks, which for many banks are likely to extend to climate risks."</p><p>"The Federal Reserve is evaluating and investing in ways to deepen its understanding of the full scope of implications of climate change for markets, financial exposures, and interconnections between markets and financial institutions," the central bank said in its semiannual <a href="https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/financial-stability-report.htm" target="_blank">report</a> on financial stability.</p>
<p>Politico <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/10/fed-climate-change-risk-435685" target="_blank">pointed out</a> that the report followed related comments by Powell and was welcomed by another key leader at the Fed:</p><blockquote>Powell said last week that the "science and art" of incorporating climate change into financial regulation is new but that the Fed is "very actively in the early stages" of getting up to speed and working with officials around the world.<br>"I welcome the introduction of climate" into the semiannual report, Fed Governor Lael Brainard, who heads the central bank's financial stability committee, said in a statement. "A lack of clarity about true exposures to specific climate risks for real and financial assets, coupled with differing assessments about the sizes and timing of these risks, can create vulnerabilities to abrupt repricing events."</blockquote><p>Alan Zibel, research director of Public Citizen's Corporate Presidency Project, which focuses on corporate influence and conflicts of interest in the Trump administration, also praised the Fed's inclusion of climate risk in the analysis but noted that it "is a latecomer to this party and is still propping up the oil industry (and other giant corps) through huge purchases of debt."</p>
<p>Public Citizen, Friends of the Earth, and BailoutWatch <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/10/01/100-billion-lifeline-while-most-americans-are-being-left-behind-report-details" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">released</a> a report in late September titled Big Oil's $100 Billion Bender that showed "how the U.S. government provided a safety net for the flagging fossil fuel industry." The report said the Fed's emergency financing during the Covid-19 pandemic is "forestalling the demise of an industry that has always relied on government largesse."</p><p>Last month, as Common Dreams <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/10/21/merkley-unveils-pioneering-bills-make-financial-institutions-stop-bankrolling" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a>, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) introduced legislation to prevent banks and international financial institutions from financing fossil fuels. David Arkush, director of Public Citizen's Climate Program, declared that he "is showing real leadership by introducing the first-ever bills to cut the money pipeline fueling the climate crisis."</p><p>When unveiling the pair of bills, the senator referenced a September <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/09/09/while-trump-commission-warns-climate-risk-financial-system-recommendations-fall" target="_blank">report</a> from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission warning that the climate emergency endangers the U.S. financial system. In response to the report, Arkush said that "U.S. financial regulators have the authority to help mitigate the climate crisis, and they need to use it. The best way to protect anything from climate change, whether people in wildfire or flood zones or giant banks, is to stop climate change."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/11/finally-potential-nod-biden-win-federal-reserve-applies-join-climate-network-central" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
- Will We Be Able to Reverse Trump's Climate Damage? - EcoWatch ›
- Former Federal Reserve Governor Rebukes Fed for Fossil Fuel Bail ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
AdamRadosavljevic / Getty Images
A good backup generator can help you keep your home running smoothly, even in the event of a major power outage. And, when you choose a solar generator, you can power your home using clean, renewable energy from the sun. By contrast, gas and diesel generators burn fossil fuels, and are extremely loud and spew harmful emissions into the atmosphere. Here are the best solar power generators available today that can provide a cleaner alternative for home generators.
<h2>Our picks for the top solar generators</h2><p><em>Each product featured here has been independently selected by the writer. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em></p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Best Overall - <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Inverter-Generator-Generators-Emergency/dp/B08MBDN4VK" target="_blank">Goal Zero Yeti 6000X</a></li><li>Best Portability - <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Powerbox-Portable-Outdoor-1075WH-Generator/dp/B01N6BCDZD" target="_blank">Renogy Lycan Powerbox</a></li><li>Best for Camping - <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083KBKJ8Q/?tag=best-solar-generator-20" target="_blank">Jackery Explorer 1000</a></li><li>Most Affordable - <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Westinghouse-iGen600s-Portable-Generator-Lithium-ion/dp/B08SJ8JBBC/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&m=A2MDFVW08TGIW8&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&qid=1614289724&s=merchant-items&sr=1-2" target="_blank">Westinghouse iGen600s</a></li><li>Fastest Charging- <a href="https://www.amazon.com/EF-ECOFLOW-Portable-Station-Generator/dp/B083FR3762" target="_blank">EcoFlow DELTA</a></li><li>Best for Larger Appliac - <a href="https://www.amazon.com/BLUETTI-Portable-Station-Generator-Emergency/dp/B08MZJW9Y5" target="_blank">MAXOAK Bluetti AC200P</a></li><li>Most Powerful - <a href="https://www.pointzeroenergy.com/product/titan-solar-generator/" target="_blank">Point Zero Energy Titan</a></li></ul><h2>How we reviewed the best solar generators</h2><p>There are a number of factors we considered when choosing which solar power generators to recommend, including:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><strong>Battery capacity.</strong> Battery storage capacity is an important ranking factor. A greater battery capacity means the generator can store more energy, which ultimately means it will last longer without requiring a recharge. This is measured in watt-hours (Wh).</li><li><strong>Power output. </strong>When your generator is up and running, it will put out a certain amount of energy, measured in watts. It's important to select a generator that offers enough watts for you to power your essential home appliances.</li><li><strong>Inverter rating. </strong>The <a href="https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/solar-energy-glossary#direct_current" target="_blank">inverter</a> is a critical part of any backup power generator. Basically, this is the component that turns solar energy into AC (alternating current) electricity. Inverter rating, along with battery capacity, determine how much power you can get from your home backup generator.</li><li><strong>Expandability. </strong>In order for your backup generator to function, you'll need some way of charging it. And if you plan to rely on solar energy, that means using solar panels. Expandability means that you can add solar panels to your generator as needed, making it easier to absorb more sunlight for energy.</li><li><strong>Number of outlets. </strong>How many devices or appliances do you need to charge? The functionality of your backup generator will be determined by how many outlets or ports are available.</li><li><strong>Price.</strong> Of course, as you look for the best home backup generator, one of the most crucial considerations of all is your budget. We've sought to emphasize generators that offer maximum value.</li></ul><p>Based on these criteria, we've determined the solar backup generators that offer the most consumer value.Check out our complete list of recommendations below. You can also read our complete review of the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/best-solar-energy-companies-2650809962.html" target="_blank">best solar energy companies</a> for rooftop home solar systems.</p><h2>The best solar energy generators</h2>
<h2>How does a solar generator work?</h2><p>Solar generators <a href="https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/how-does-solar-work" target="_blank">capture energy from the sun</a> using photovoltaic solar panels, and store it in a built-in battery. Note that in order to absorb the sun's energy, your portable generator will need solar panels. These are typically sold separately, or as a package with the unit, so you'll need to factor in this additional cost. Solar panels contain solar cells, which are typically made of monocrystalline or polycrystalline silicone that acts as a semiconductor.</p><p>Once the sun's energy is stored in the battery, it is converted into AC energy. This happens via a component known as an inverter. AC power is required for most of your household appliances, as well as for charging devices like your phone, laptop, or tablet that normally require a wall charger or AC outlet.</p><h2>Can a solar generator power my whole house?</h2><p>Generally speaking, a rechargeable solar generator won't be able to power your entire house if you lose power. With that said, even a smaller generator can be used to power key devices or appliances, sometimes for days at a time depending on its power consumption. For instance, you can keep your refrigerator up and running, and/or ensure plenty of sustained use for medical devices, like CPAP machines.</p><p>With an especially robust generator, you may also be able to connect to core circuits, running multiple appliances at one time.</p><p>So, while having an emergency power supply from a solar generator may not mean that you can go about your life just like you would normally, you can at least keep the lights on at home, run your air conditioner, or ensure your perishable food items remain fresh until your electricity comes back on.</p><h2>What are the benefits of a solar generator?</h2><p>There are a number of advantages you can anticipate from an emergency generator, especially when you choose to go solar. Consider:</p><p><strong>You can minimize the disruption of a power outage.</strong></p><p>Again, inclement weather can cause power outages that last for hours, sometimes even days. During that time, you can use a backup generator to keep your essential appliances and devices up and running. This level of preparedness can offer ample peace of mind.</p><p><strong>Solar generators offer a clean alternative to other energy sources.</strong></p><p>Most generators are powered by fossil fuels, which means they emit a lot of noxious emissions. If you want a clean power source and a minimal environmental footprint, these solar solutions are just the ticket. They are also much quieter than traditional gas or diesel generators.</p><p><strong>They can be very cost-effective in the long run.</strong></p><p>While the initial purchase price of a solar generator may seem steep, keep in mind that sunlight is free. You don't have to worry about buying fuel or any additional expenses associated with your solar unit.</p><h2>Find the solar generator that's best for you</h2><p>Disaster preparedness begins by identifying a reliable power source, and if you want that power source to be clean and renewable, solar generators are ideal. Take a moment to explore the options and find the generator that's right for you.</p><p><em><strong>Josh Hurst </strong></em><em>is a journalist, critic, and essayist. He lives in Knoxville, TN, with his wife and three sons. His writing on natural health, nutrition, and supplements has appeared in Health, Shape, and Remedy Review.</em></p>
Goal Zero Yeti 6000X
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTc5OTIxMS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3NDY0MTU0MH0.DESPf736lfPascaXVa9R6mJQNSv5sI8U8yB4gu1tDmM/img.png?width=980" id="534d0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="832f91baeadf06dc4410b8261cf7ef4a" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="400" data-height="400" />Goal Zero
<p>The <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Inverter-Generator-Generators-Emergency/dp/B08MBDN4VK" target="_blank">Yeti 6000X</a> is actually a portable power station that can be used for off-grid camping or powering an RV. With 6,000 watt-hours and two 2000W AC charger ports, it will give you plenty of power for your home. With a home integration kit, it's easy to use the Goal Zero Yeti 6000X to power essential circuits.</p><p><strong>Why buy: </strong>Though it isn't exactly cheap, the Yeti 6000X power station is a great all-purpose backup generator, including a top-of-the-line charge controller and two robust AC outlets that make it easy for you to keep your household essentials up and running. It can even power a full-size refrigerator or microwave.</p>
$5000
Renogy Lycan Powerbox
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTc5OTIwMS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MTM3NjI1N30.EDSdmpiGcknKhn94YhJLnyJUEn3zxWo9vGzmT2c4Zcs/img.png?width=980" id="0cab1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c5c9cd60d3ab98503fd3ad5e32909229" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="400" data-height="400" />Renogy
<p>Renogy produces several different power stations and chargers, but we especially like the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Powerbox-Portable-Outdoor-1075WH-Generator/dp/B01N6BCDZD" target="_blank">Lycan Powerbox</a>, a solar power solution that's only a little bit bigger than a suitcase. It comes with an easy-grip handle and heavy-duty wheels, making it one of the most portable solar generators around while still offering 1200W of output, which is enough power for most electronic devices and some appliances.</p><p><strong>Why buy:</strong> The Lycan Powerbox can provide 1075 watt-hours of continuous power without the noise or fumes associated with gas generators. It offers great portability and includes an LCD display and easy, intuitive controls that allow you to switch between DC power and AC power as needed, as well USB ports and 12 volt car charger ports.</p>
$1300
Jackery Explorer 1000
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTc5OTE3NS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMTA3MDIwNX0.bTHIOQjgpXbREPl1C9qHAtcXkJ-uKXhWfNZYoD-bjjA/img.png?width=980" id="e2b71" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c5f59c32bc198c9ea57ac1c35a25ec4b" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="400" data-height="400" />Jackery
<p>The <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083KBKJ8Q/?tag=best-solar-generator-20" target="_blank">Jackery Explorer 1000 portable power station</a> is one of the best all-around options, equally suited for outdoor activities and for emergency power readiness. Though it's rated for 1,000 watts, it can actually get closer to 2,000. The lithium battery pack offers a capacity of 1,200 watt-hours, and Jackery's professional MPPT technology makes it easy to get your unit fully charged in a relatively short span of time (usually just eight hours if you have two panels going).</p><p><strong>Why buy: </strong>Jackery is one of the leading names in outdoor equipment and in clean energy products. This portable power station is a great pick for campers and can also be a very effective home backup power solution for small appliances and electronics thanks to its pure sine wave inverter AC outlets.</p>
$1000
Westinghouse iGen600s
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTc5OTE2OC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0Nzg2OTg0Nn0.gQOrdLgsS7ZBw5ccrVoCXHqYvZ5JZIOA282ltOO8kHY/img.png?width=980" id="f5e59" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="369df3dc290b5be3708f7e424b072f4e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="400" data-height="400" />Westinghouse Outdoor Power
<p>Westinghouse is another company that specializes in solar powered generators, most of which are more ideally suited for camping trips. Their <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Westinghouse-iGen600s-Portable-Generator-Lithium-ion/dp/B08SJ8JBBC/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&m=A2MDFVW08TGIW8&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&qid=1614289724&s=merchant-items&sr=1-2" target="_blank">iGen600s</a> portable generator, however, offers a wattage of up to 1,200 peak watts, which can certainly function as a decent emergency backup for certain household appliances and small devices.</p><p><strong>Why buy: </strong>For a portable yet still very versatile solar generator, Westinghouse is a company to keep on your list. The iGen600 power system can run a mini fridge for up to 42 hours or a CPAP machine for up to 46 hours thanks to its lithium-ion battery that offers 592 Watt-hours of energy and a long battery life.</p>
$499
EcoFlow DELTA
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTc5OTE2MC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3NzYzOTAxNn0.ZFdqRPZfKPd_vOGK8FEUVY_3git-ATlmAvKSqQk47aM/img.png?width=980" id="991f2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e60ae1ca24865db60be46fe486c9c8a9" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="400" data-height="400" />EcoFlow
<p>The <a href="https://www.amazon.com/EF-ECOFLOW-Portable-Station-Generator/dp/B083FR3762" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">EcoFlow DELTA power station</a> is a wonderfully rugged, dependable backup generator that can help meet your power needs during a blackout. For one thing, the charging time is incredible; you can potentially go from zero to 80 percent in under an hour with a wall outlet. Should you ever find yourself facing a power outage, this is an emergency energy solution you'll be really thankful for.</p><p><strong>Why buy:</strong> The DELTA station from EcoFlow offers a lot of value and usability; in particular, it has one of the fastest recharging times of any solar generator, which may be reason enough for you to choose it over the competitors. The DELTA unit offers 13 ports, meaning it's compatible with pretty much any device or appliance you could ever need to charge.</p>
$1399
MAXOAK Bluetti AC200P
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTc5OTE1MC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MDEzMjAwNn0.qU0EE--tgolDhaaU-EumYLOs_jtFd9L4SWvDhP4PySk/img.png?width=980" id="aa450" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7eb54f1dd0974c5fe4a9920bdbfe98c1" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="400" data-height="400" />Bluetti
<p>For a heavy-duty emergency power solution, look no further than to MAXOAK, and particularly to a product called the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/BLUETTI-Portable-Station-Generator-Emergency/dp/B08MZJW9Y5" target="_blank">Bluetti AC200P</a>. With a 2000 Watt-hour capacity, this is one of the most robust solar generators you'll find anywhere.</p><p><strong>Why buy:</strong> MAXOAK's Bluetti AC200P is the one you're going to want for really heavy-duty home energy backup. With massive AC inverters that offer up to 4800W surge capacity, it can provide more than enough power to fuel all your most critical home appliances, even some HVAC units. Also note the two-year warranty, a generous consumer protection.</p>
$2000
Point Zero Energy Titan Solar Generator
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTc5OTEzMi9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NjY5NzcwMH0.urU8n-Yghr4O-LzDr_nAath6k8XMFZrCGU5JISwbwp8/img.png?width=980" id="93ad7" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8526191ca3bffa4638b69e80d61809ce" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="400" data-height="349" />Point Zero Energy
<p><a href="https://www.pointzeroenergy.com/product/titan-solar-generator/" target="_blank">Point Zero Energy</a> is one of the foremost names in disaster preparedness, and when you take a look at their product specs, you'll see why. Their Titan model solar generator offers almost twice the storage of similarly priced units with a high-capacity 2,000-watt-hour battery capacity and 3,000 watt high-efficiency inverter.</p><p><strong>Why buy: </strong>On a purely technical level, this is the beefiest generator on our list, though of course, it's also one of the priciest. The unit is made with high-efficiency components, meaning it doesn't waste a lot of energy running the system; instead, it just supplies you with plenty of functional electricity when you need it the most.</p>
$2995
Read More
Show Less
A rainbow is seen over windmills in Oahu, Hawaii. Naomi Rahim / Getty Images
By Dan Farber
With the next president of the United States finally decided, we can now begin moving on to the work at hand.
<p>Joe Biden's election creates an exciting opportunity for climate action. But there's one clear hurdle: Unless the January runoff elections in Georgia for two Senate seats deliver surprising success to the Democrats, President-elect Biden will face a Senate led again by Mitch McConnell. That narrows the range of available policy instruments, but Biden should still be able to make real progress.</p><p>He has the advantage of the tide moving in the direction of clean energy. Market forces are shifting strongly away from fossil fuels and toward renewables and energy storage. State governments are moving in the same direction. And public opinion has shifted, with more people recognizing the importance of climate change and the benefits of clean energy. The trick will be to leverage these trends into faster and larger changes.</p><p>I'd advocate a three-pronged approach to take advantage of these trends: (1) aggressive use of established regulatory tools; (2) funding to improve and deploy new technologies; and (3) government support for state and private sector climate efforts.</p><p>The first prong was utilized heavily by the Obama administration.</p>
<p>Like Obama Biden needs to make aggressive use of existing law. Given a 6-3 conservative Supreme Court, it would be best to <a href="https://legal-planet.org/2020/10/27/climate-policymaking-in-the-shadow-of-the-supreme-court/" target="_blank">avoid</a> anything that looks legally innovative and instead push as hard as possible on legally established channels.</p><p>That would mean strictly regulating conventional pollution from fossil fuels, using the Clean Air Act as well as other environmental statutes. Additional avenues include ramping up standards for methane emissions, cutting back on leasing public lands for fossil fuels, and higher fuel-efficiency standards.</p><p>There will be industry resistance to these efforts, but economic trends may help dampen that.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDc3NDAzOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3NDgwOTI1MX0.HHPXh5fysephFW3jlBbE1HYREvTVNPqTpB7bnVm06Q4/img.jpg?width=980" id="7f6e7" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="49a6ad7ff81ac80bdaecfa3736ee1baf" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="768" data-height="576" />
Wind turbines. Photo: Shawn Meng, Oregon Department of Agriculture (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
<p>The second prong is legislative.</p><p>Although a GOP or 50-50 Senate will be a challenge, some kinds of legislation may have a chance of sneaking through.</p><p>Sen. Lisa Murkowski has an <a href="https://www.utilitydive.com/news/comprehensive-senate-energy-bill-draws-industry-bipartisan-support-but-la/573326/" target="_blank">energy bill</a> she has been trying to get to the floor that seems to have bipartisan support. The bill focuses on spending for research and demonstration projects. Even when the GOP controlled Congress during the first two years of Trump's presidency, Congress voted to increase funding for renewable energy for the Defense Department and to increase funding for research into innovative new energy technologies.</p><p>If Murkowski and fellow Republican Sen. Susan Collins can be brought on board, it may also be possible to adopt energy-related amendments to must-pass bills.</p><p>Finally, increased funding for adaptation-related spending by FEMA, the Defense Department and the Army Corps of Engineers may also be feasible.</p><p>The third prong involves climate efforts outside the federal government.</p><p>During the Trump administration, many states increased their use of renewable energy and a smaller group have adopted serious carbon reduction targets. The federal government can defend these efforts in court; can provide states technical resources; and can use its regulatory powers over energy markets to reinforce state climate programs.</p><p>We've also seen a serious movement by investors away from fossil fuels and toward renewables. The federal government can support these trends through its regulation of financial markets.</p><p>And the power of presidential jawboning should not be underestimated. Presidential appeals to business leaders can carry considerable clout, as can public praise or shaming.</p><p>Even if Biden is handicapped by the lack of Senate control, a lot can still be done. And the climate crisis is too urgent for us to pass up any available tool for addressing it.</p>
<p><em><a href="https://therevelator.org/author/danfarber/" target="_blank">Dan Farber </a>teaches environmental law and directs the Center for Law, Energy and the Environment at the University of California, Berkeley. <br/></em></p><p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://therevelator.org/biden-climate-farber/" target="_blank">The Revelator.</a></em></p>From Your Site Articles
- Biden Urged to Take 10 Immediate Steps to Address Climate Crisis ... ›
- Green New Deal Champion AOC Will Serve on Biden Climate Panel ... ›
- Biden Announces $2 Trillion Climate and Green Recovery Plan ... ›
- 12 Trump Attacks on the Environment Since the Election - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Trending
Now that the campaign season is over, what do we do with all those political yard signs? Trash them? Keep them for memories' sake? Florida beekeeper Alma Johnson has a better idea: donate them to help keep her honeybee hives warm.
<p>"I saw the politician signs and I said, 'What a great opportunity,'" Johnson told <a href="https://www.fox13news.com/news/sarasota-beekeeper-upcycling-political-signs-for-sweet-purpose" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fox 13</a>. "I'd rather use those than having to go buy corrugated plastic from Home Depot and add more to the landfill too."</p><p>Johnson told <a href="https://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2020/11/09/still-have-political-signs--here-s-how-you-can-help-save-the-bees" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bay News 9</a>, "These signs are the perfect size to keep <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/bees" target="_self">bees</a> warm, and ward off pests."</p><p>The apiarist, who owns <a href="https://www.sarasotahoney.com/" target="_blank">Sarasota Honey Company</a>, upcycles corrugated <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/plastics" target="_self">plastic</a> signs to keep hives at their ideal constant 98 degree temperature, reported <a href="https://www.sarasotamagazine.com/news-and-profiles/2020/11/recycle-political-signs-help-honeybees" target="_blank">Sarasota Magazine</a>. Signs placed at the base of beehives help with ventilation, control humidity, and act as a shield against cool night drafts that can chill the queen bee and babies.</p>
<p>Unlike a solid wood board, corrugated plastic also prevents fungal infections, Johnson told the magazine.</p><p>Foam boards also don't upcycle for bees well because it's the spaces in the plastic signs that provide the best, chemical-free pest protection, she told Fox 13. Johnson cuts the plastic signs into squares and seals the bottom on one side. The little corrugated holes are filled with oil and apple cider vinegar to act as a natural trap for pests that threaten the bees like hive killing beetles and mites, the bee keeper explained.</p><p>"They don't care if it's a Trump sign or a Biden sign. They hold no loyalty to any party," she joked to Fox 13.</p>
<p>The Sarasota Honey Company plans to distribute the campaign signs to other neighboring beekeepers to help keep their bees safe as well, <a href="https://www.mysuncoast.com/2020/11/07/suncoast-business-has-sweet-use-unwanted-campaign-signs/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ABC 7</a> reported. Other bee farms in the Tampa Bay area are mimicking Johnson's idea and collecting and distributing political signs through local beekeepers associations, reported <a href="https://www.cltampa.com/news-views/local-news/article/21146204/tampa-bay-beekeepers-can-use-your-old-political-signs-to-save-the-bees" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CL Tampa</a>.</p><p>"It is a way of bringing people together and guess what, the byproduct of that coming together is a sweet life, honey," said Johnson, reported <a href="https://www.wfla.com/news/sarasota-county/sarasota-woman-recycles-old-political-signs-to-keep-bees-warm-in-wintertime/amp/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">WFLA</a> reported.</p>
<p>In St. Louis, MO, a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/recycling" target="_self">recycling</a> working group is tackling the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/plastic-pollution" target="_self">plastic pollution</a> problem in a different way. They are encouraging people to recycle corrugated political signs as well as yard signs used to congratulate graduates, St. Louis Public Radio reported.</p><p>"We don't want to send that stuff to a landfill if there's still useful life remaining in a material," recycling group member Jean Ponzi told the Public Radio.</p><p>The group has coordinated efforts because current recycling systems are not equipped to handle the material even though it is valuable to recyclers, she said in the report.</p><p>In Grand Rapids, MI, the local democratic party office collected signs for local candidates in case they want to reuse them to run again, reported <a href="https://www.wzzm13.com/article/tech/science/environment/how-to-recycle-political-signs/69-9e3a06c8-8af0-4c96-bcbc-ee68947fd2c7" target="_blank">ABC 13</a>. <a href="https://www.recyclebycity.com/chicago/brief/3-ways-to-reuse-or-recycle-yard-signs" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Recycle by City: Chicago</a> suggested a few alternative uses such as painting over them for personalized celebratory signs and upcycling them into durable storage options because no local recycler would take the signs.</p>
From Your Site Articles
- This Dutch City Has Transformed Its Bus Stops Into Bee Stops ... ›
- 15 Organizations and Initiatives Helping to Save the Bees - EcoWatch ›
- Bees Face 'a Perfect Storm' — Parasites, Air Pollution and Other ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Trump’s Frack Attack Against President-Elect Biden Fails in Pennsylvania Gas Counties
11 November 2020
Politics
President Donald Trump watches a video of Joe Biden as he holds a Make America Great Again rally in Erie, Pennsylvania on October 20, 2020. Saul Loeb / AFP / Getty Images
The Trump campaign's efforts to attack President-elect Joe Biden and win Pennsylvania by claiming he would ban fracking failed, while Biden's climate message appears to have boosted turnout, according to reporting from multiple outlets.
<p>Biden not only won Pennsylvania overall, but — while Trump still won in areas with significant fracking operations — Biden improved on Clinton's 2016 performance against Trump in eight of Pennsylvania's top-10 gas-producing counties.</p><p> "Climate change as a voting issue has soared in the past five years particularly among Democrats and among independents," Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale University Program on Climate Change Communication, told E&E. </p><p>"This absolutely was a crucial issue for constituencies he needed to carry him over the top: young people, Latino voters and suburban women, all of whom care more about climate change than other groups." </p>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive: </strong></p><p><a href="https://www.eenews.net/energywire/2020/11/10/stories/1063718141?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=99573790&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--W2aX2ViQNW10HKOT3RDQyQphzzKK1x4ZtoGk1sHal2_BBsARx3Hx-rG53mX34hTvG35vFhvwAy0-Q3wBzbBnlXo-R3nCkdQbTw_iERyWWAJGiPsg&utm_content=99573790&utm_source=hs_email" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="" target="_blank">E&E</a>, <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/morning-energy/2020/11/09/entering-the-biden-era-791466?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=99573790&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--SQKruMYeNB-_omzySdAB6zd5yBJD_YZmNTPZzYsiGyS9G71XygIlBQ6T14TESjUJSUcZ50pNnVoy1J0Q_2E7cCv2FfCtdCguERenOy5firZHEQnc&utm_content=99573790&utm_source=hs_email" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="" target="_blank">Politico</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/bidens-stance-against-fossil-fuels-didnt-turn-away-voters-in-pennsylvania-and-other-key-states-148891?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=99573790&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8ejLg8h7pcjp0HxRQXZxZBAF0csuSPWxOyWuro9qKhfVZq_nKXmiXVzCcqy92UU17blKR8tHXahJtKjBD3dCSIcUhzzhd7M-4O86HF0ohRGpjwiv4&utm_content=99573790&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>, <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/df6bd3a7-27d7-493a-b407-fa367b43ebd6?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=99573790&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9AlHGf8eg5hX6cfzbk6QNOcDv4SpCYmeCfZaIvW3hYBkUmSKJzG92xx91_jfdHjxB6xnZEmoBj1hKGP9zY0AD1NEn25d1VE_DqrxNarU1Ou5IDD5Y&utm_content=99573790&utm_source=hs_email" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="" target="_blank">FT</a> </p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, and sign up for daily </em><a href="http://climatenexus.us4.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=7c84c08aaa" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
- Unprecedented Investigation Finds PA Prioritizes Fracking at ... ›
- Shocking Documents Reveal Fracking Health Complaints Swept ... ›
- Pennsylvania Fracking Water Contamination Much Higher Than ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Among the victories came one for wolves, too. steve felberg / Pixabay
By Tara Lohan
Election Day 2020 — the day before the United States officially left the Paris climate agreement — didn't deliver an immediate rebuke to President Trump or relief for environmentalists.
That would have to wait.
<p>"The election hasn't produced the outcome that the planet badly needed," Bill McKibben of 350.org <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-a-warming-planet/the-election-outcome-will-make-sweeping-climate-action-harder" target="_blank">summed</a> up in <em>The</em> <em>New Yorker</em> the following day.</p><p>But as the votes continued to be counted in battleground states, the mood shifted from despair to hope, and finally, on Nov. 7, to celebration when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were pronounced victors.</p><p>So much was riding on this election — and not just in the United States.</p><p>"There is no pathway to meaningful global climate action without our federal government playing a prominent part," <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/159958/vote-election-2020-climate" target="_blank">wrote</a> Mary Annaïse Heglar in <em>The</em> <em>New Republic</em> just before the election.</p><p>A Biden-Harris victory doesn't undo all the environmental harm caused by the Trump administration and its <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/climate-environment/trump-climate-environment-protections/" target="_blank">125 rollbacks of environmental protections</a>, but it provides a much-needed opportunity to restore scientific integrity and take action on climate change, environmental justice, biodiversity and other pressing concerns.</p><p>That's good news. And looking down the ballot there were also other environmental victories — as well as some places where ground was lost. Here are the biggest takeaways:</p>
The Good Stuff
<p>Few big-ticket wins were clear early except for the fact that Democrats held onto the House of Representatives — an expected but not inconsequential victory. And although their majority slimmed, several new additions will be a boon for environmental issues.</p><p>One of those is progressive Cori Bush, who cruised to victory in Missouri's 1st congressional district. She's the first Black woman from the state to be elected to Congress. The nurse, pastor and Black Lives Matter activist is also a <a href="https://coribush.org/environmental-justice-and-the-green-new-deal" target="_blank">Green New Deal supporter</a>.</p><p>In gubernatorial fights, Washington's climate champion Jay Inslee won re-election. So did Democrat Roy Cooper in North Carolina, which <em><a href="https://www.eenews.net/energywire/2020/11/04/stories/1063717739" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">E&E News </a></em><a href="https://www.eenews.net/energywire/2020/11/04/stories/1063717739" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">called</a> a significant victory in the state's push for clean energy.</p><p>Mark Kelly flipped a Senate seat blue in Arizona, and so did John Hickenlooper in Colorado.</p><p>Hickenlooper, a <a href="https://coloradosun.com/2020/09/18/hickenlooper-fracking-oil-gas-colorado-us-senate-race/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">booster of the fracking industry</a> during his time as Colorado governor, is not exactly beloved by environmentalists in the state. But his defeat of Cory Gardner was hailed by the League of Conservation Voters, which called Gardner one of "<a href="https://www.lcv.org/article/lcv-congratulates-john-hickenlooper/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">worst anti-environmental candidates</a>" running this year. It was also the <a href="https://coloradosun.com/2020/11/04/colorado-history-democrats-election-sweep/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">first time in 84 years</a> that Democrats swept all statewide races in Colorado.</p><p>Along with those victories came one for wolves, too. Colorado voters passed <a href="https://therevelator.org/wolf-reintroduction-colorado/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Proposition 114</a>, which will require the state Parks and Wildlife department to develop a restoration and management plan for the reintroduction of gray wolves. It comes less than a week after the Trump administration <a href="https://therevelator.org/wolves-lose-protection/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">removed federal protection</a> from gray wolves across the country.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDc2MzExNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2OTcwNTg3Nn0.l4ewZYnWl6IqHehY6ACqVB-HetZfp-jvYeRB6o2R-a4/img.jpg?width=980" id="a3126" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="49065da2be8de60c030fe9f13b0ad207" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1920" data-height="1080" />
Photo by Steve Felberg/Pixabay (CC)
<p>In other statewide races, <a href="https://therevelator.org/environment-2020-ballot/" target="_blank">Nevada's Question 6</a>, which would require electric utilities to get 50% of their electricity from renewables by 2030, was approved by voters. But how much that helps the state's clean energy future is a matter of debate. Nevada has already passed similar legislation. Enshrining this benchmark into the state constitution could help protect it from future rollbacks — or it could make efforts to raise the target even harder.</p><p>Much further down the ballot, <a href="https://legal-planet.org/2020/11/05/climate-candidates-notch-victories-in-major-city-council-races-across-western-u-s/" target="_blank">climate champions made gains</a> in city council positions in major cities such as Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco and Portland.</p><p>Denver also approved an increase in sales tax to help fund <a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2020/11/03/denver-election-results-2a-2b-taxes-homeless-environment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">climate and clean energy initiatives</a>. And Columbus, Ohio passed a measure that would help the city secure <a href="https://www.yesforissue1.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">more locally sourced renewable energy</a>.</p><p>"City leadership is <a href="https://c40-production-images.s3.amazonaws.com/other_uploads/images/955_C40_Report_US_Cities_Get_Job_Done.original.pdf?1480607660" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">important</a> for advancing climate action but new research <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/pledges-and-progress-steps-toward-greenhouse-gas-emissions-reductions-in-the-100-largest-cities-across-the-united-states/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">finds</a> U.S. cities falling behind," Daniel Melling, communications manager for the UCLA Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, <a href="https://legal-planet.org/2020/11/05/climate-candidates-notch-victories-in-major-city-council-races-across-western-u-s/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">wrote</a> for Legal Planet.</p>The Bad Stuff
<p>An anticipated, decisive retaking of the Senate by Democrats never materialized, and whether it remains in Republican hands won't be decided for a bit. Two Georgia races are headed to a January runoff.</p><p>If Republicans do hang on to the Senate, that will mean any bold new climate legislation — or likely any meaningful environmental legislation at all — coming out of the House will be stymied, especially <a href="https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/elections/kentucky/2020/11/03/mcconnell-wins-senate-seat-will-he-be-majority-leader/6057995002/" target="_blank">if Mitch McConnell retains his role as Senate leader</a>.</p><p>Meanwhile several Republican senators with dismal environmental records will be back, including Iowa's Joni Ernst, Mississippi's Cindy Hyde-Smith, Alabama's Tommy Tuberville and Roger Marshall from Kansas. Lindsay Graham, who has a <a href="https://www.thestate.com/news/local/environment/article245783790.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">mixed at best record when it comes to climate legislation</a>, also returns.</p><p>While Colorado may have seen a blue wave, <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/montana-election-results/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Montana was awash in red</a>. A Republican sweep across the state included a victory by coal-industry ally Greg Gianforte, who took the governor's mansion out of control of Democrats for the first time in 16 years.</p><p>Gianforte previously said he "would advocate as governor for increased port capacity on the West Coast to get coal to market," <a href="https://www.eenews.net/energywire/2020/11/04/stories/1063717739" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a><em> E&E News</em>. Montana coal production <a href="https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/2020/09/21/coal-production-montana-saw-21-decline-last-year/5858642002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">fell 21%</a> during the pandemic.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDc2MzExMC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NDg1NzA5Mn0.IIOGycSqTuKYCni7dzepLdEzP7O0GvGPmiqCJxo8s78/img.jpg?width=980" id="56a25" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a08cf410c208f598be1fb669c9d37c38" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="768" data-height="527" />
Coal train loading at Spring Creek mine, Montana. Photo: WildEarth Guardians, (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).
<p>"Montana didn't just go Republican on Tuesday," <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/montana-election-results/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">wrote</a> Gwen Florio in <em>The Nation</em>. "It went deeply conservative Republican." The effect of that will be felt not just on energy policy, but the fate of public lands and wildlife, <a href="https://missoulian.com/news/local/elections-forecast-big-changes-for-landscape/article_95775cb0-df9c-539a-b666-a0c55c4c725d.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">including sage grouse and grizzlies</a>.</p><p>In a new low, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia became <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Marjorie_Taylor_Greene#Campaign_themes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the first QAnon conspiracy theory believer elected to Congress</a>. In addition to a record of racist statements, she ran on a platform that included blocking the Green New Deal.</p><p>Democrats had hoped to make a small gain in Texas. But even $2.5 million in backing from Michael Bloomberg couldn't get Democrat Chrysta Castañeda elected to the Texas Railroad Commission, which oversees issues related to oil and gas — a state race that has worldwide impact.</p><p>The race was won by Jim Wright, whom the <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jim-wright-texas-railroad-commission_n_5fa04ce8c5b60e7e37d0da2c" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Huffington Post</a> describes as "a hardcore climate change denier and owner of an oil-field services company."</p><p>The oil industry may have also garnered a victory in Alaska. There Measure 1, which would raise taxes on some North Slope oil companies, is trailing by a wide margin.</p><p>But when you tally it all up at the end of the day — or week, really — even McKibben had to concede that overall things are looking up.</p><p>"It could have gone much better," he <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/trump-is-out-of-a-job-because-so-many-did-the-work" target="_blank">wrote</a> on Nov. 7. "(Specifically, a deadlocked Senate will make action on the dominant issue of our lifetimes, <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-a-warming-planet/the-election-outcome-will-make-sweeping-climate-action-harder" target="_blank">climate change</a>, more difficult to address than it should be.) But <em>it went."</em></p>
<p><a href="https://therevelator.org/author/taralohan/" target="_blank"><em>Tara Lohan </em></a><em>is deputy editor of The Revelator and has worked for more than a decade as a digital editor and environmental journalist focused on the intersections of energy, water and climate. Her work has been published by The Nation, American Prospect, High Country News, Grist, Pacific Standard and others. She is the editor of two books on the global water crisis. </em><em><a href="http://twitter.com/TaraLohan" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>http://twitter.com/TaraLohan</em></a></em></p><p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://therevelator.org/election-2020-environment/" target="_blank">The Revelator</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
- These Races Will Shape How U.S. Elections Affect Climate Progress ... ›
- Four Environmental Fights on the 2020 Ballot - EcoWatch ›
- 7 Environmental Takeaways From the 2020 Election Season ... ›
- Gray Wolf Recovery and Survival Require Immediate Action By the Biden Administration - EcoWatch ›
- Massachusetts Legislature Sends Bipartisan Climate Bill to the Governor - EcoWatch ›
- How Ossoff and Warnock’s Georgia Senate Wins Impact the Climate - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris salute the crowd after being declared the winners of the presidential election on Nov. 7, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware. ANDREW HARNIK / POOL / AFP via Getty Images
Former Vice President Joe Biden defeated sitting President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election Saturday and is now set to become the 46th president of the United States.
<p>The election results, reported by several outlets including <a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wins-white-house-ap-fd58df73aa677acb74fce2a69adb71f9" target="_blank">The Associated Press</a>, pave the way for a dramatic shift in U.S. policy on the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a> and the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coronavirus" target="_self">coronavirus</a> pandemic. While Trump repeatedly <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-rejects-us-climate-report-2621629346.html" target="_self">denied the reality</a> of climate change and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-coronavirus-misinformation-2647879036.html" target="_self">downplayed the severity</a> of COVID-19, both Biden and Vice President <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/kamala-harris" target="_self">Kamala Harris</a> emphasized tackling the two crises with a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/science/" target="_self">science</a>-based approach during their victory speeches Saturday.</p><p>"Americans have called on us to marshal the forces of decency and the forces of fairness. To marshal the forces of science and the forces of hope in the great battles of our time," Biden said during his speech in Wilmington, Delaware Saturday. "The battle to control the virus, the battle to build prosperity, the battle to secure your family's health care, the battle to achieve racial justice and root out systemic racism in this country, and the battle to save our planet by getting the climate under control."</p>
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="929e6f16c4e4a15ed8221feedd2b6175"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1AfNYztas2c?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<h3>COVID-19</h3><p>In his speech, Biden promised to hit the ground running on controlling the pandemic, which has killed more than 237,000 U.S. residents and infected nearly 10 million, according to The Associated Press. He said he would name a group of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/public-health" target="_self">public health</a> experts Monday to be ready to guide his administration's coronavirus response once he takes office Jan. 20.</p><p>On Monday, Biden named the 13-member <a href="https://buildbackbetter.com/press-releases/biden-harris-transition-announces-covid-19-advisory-board/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board</a>. It will be co-chaired by former Bush Sr. and Clinton Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. David Kessler, former Obama Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy and Yale public health expert Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith.</p><p>Other notable members include surgeon and writer Dr. Atul Gawande and former Trump administration whistleblower Dr. Rick Bright. Bright was <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/doctor-bright-coronavirus-trump-drug-2645811981.html" target="_self">reassigned</a> from his position at the Health and Human Services Department after he objected to Trump's pushing of the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for COVId-19.</p><p>"The inclusion of Bright, who said that he was met with skepticism by Trump administration officials when he raised concerns in the early throes of the pandemic about critical supplies shortages, is a clear signal of the contrasted direction that Biden intends to take his administration when it comes to dealing with the pandemic," <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/09/politics/biden-coronavirus-advisers-experts-rick-bright/index.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CNN's Sarah Mucha pointed out</a>.</p><p>Biden is also expected to reverse Trump's <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-world-health-organization-2646129342.html" target="_self">departure</a> from the World Health Organization upon taking office, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/biden-first-executive-orders-measures/2020/11/07/9fb9c1d0-210b-11eb-b532-05c751cd5dc2_story.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Washington Post reported</a>.</p>
<h3>Climate Change</h3><p>Even before a winner was declared in the election, Biden <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/paris-climate-agreement-biden-2648649350.html" target="_self">reaffirmed his commitment </a>to rejoining the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement" target="_self">Paris climate agreement</a> on the first day of his presidency. His win means the Trump-initiated U.S. departure, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/paris-agreement-us-withdrawal-2648618695.html" target="_self">which went into effect Tuesday</a>, will be short lived.</p>
<div id="c7c8c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6482a6d7dbb8e573ba852f7de1b6b91b"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1325188023257083904" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">For anyone who doesn't know, @CFigueres Christiana Figueres is a key architect of the Paris climate accords, which… https://t.co/g6IfvsYMWE</div> — Bill McKibben (@Bill McKibben)<a href="https://twitter.com/billmckibben/statuses/1325188023257083904">1604784420.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Biden's climate plan includes a $2 trillion dollar investment in greening infrastructure and achieving a zero-carbon energy sector by 2035, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/11/07/biden-climate-change-monuments/" target="_blank">The Washington Post reported further</a>. However, this will be difficult to pass if Republicans maintain control of the Senate, something which will be decided by two run-off elections in Georgia in January. If the Senate stays in Republican hands, Biden will have to rely more on executive actions to fulfill his climate agenda. He has promised to reverse the Trump administration rollback of 100 Obama-era environmental and public health regulations. He can limit oil and gas drilling on public lands, restore federal vehicle emissions standards and stop fossil fuel pipelines such as the controversial Keystone XL from being built, among other measures.</p><p>"Joe Biden ran on climate. How great is this?" Obama-era Environmental Protection Agency head and current <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/" target="_blank">Natural Resources Defense Council</a> leader Gina McCarthy told The Washington Post. "It'll be time for the White House to finally get back to leading the charge against the central environmental crisis of our time."</p>
<p>There is evidence that Biden really does have a climate mandate from voters: 74 percent of Biden voters said that the climate crisis was a very important factor in their choice, according to <a href="https://morningconsult.com/exit-polling-live-updates/#section-77" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Morning Consult</a>.</p><p>Climate was also a key issue for the young voters who turned out for Biden by a large margin and may have played a deciding role in battleground states, as <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/06112020/young-voters-climate-change-environmental-justice-joe-biden" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">InsideClimate News reported</a>.</p><p>"I fundamentally believe this is the first climate election, as far as climate playing a huge role during the election even with everything else going on," <a href="https://www.climatepower2020.org/" target="_blank">Climate Power 2020</a> Executive Director Lori Lodes told <a href="https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2020/11/09/stories/1063718033?utm_campaign=edition&utm_medium=email&utm_source=eenews%3Aclimatewire" target="_blank">E&E News</a>. "There's not going to be another election in U.S. history, another presidential election, where climate does not play as big or bigger of a role. This is only the beginning."</p>
From Your Site Articles
- How Joe Biden's Climate Plan Compares to the Green New Deal ... ›
- Does Biden's Climate Plan Make Sense? - EcoWatch ›
- Biden Reaffirms Commitment to Rejoining Paris Agreement ... ›
- Biden Urged to Take 10 Immediate Steps to Address Climate Crisis - EcoWatch ›
- Biden Urged to Take 10 Immediate Steps to Address Climate Crisis - EcoWatch ›
- Biden Win Puts World ‘Within Striking Distance’ of 1.5 C Paris Goal ›
- Biden-Harris Climate Plan: ‘Not Trump’ Is Not Enough ›
- 5 Years After Paris: How Countries’ Climate Policies Match up to Their Promises - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Trending
Green New Deal Champion Chloe Maxmin Unseats Powerful GOP Incumbent in Rural Maine
07 November 2020
Politics
John Lamparski / Getty Images
By Julia Conley
The results of the U.S. Senate race this week in Maine — won by four-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins after Democrats poured $50 million into challenger Sara Gideon's campaign — may have given the impression that a Trumpian right-wing agenda has an iron grip on the state's more conservative rural voters, but the victory of Democratic state Rep. Chloe Maxmin, a progressive champion who ran on the promise of a Green New Deal and offering a "politics as public service" in a strong GOP district, tells a much different story.
<p>Two years after winning a seat in the state House of Representatives, representing conservative, rural District 88, Maxmin secured a win in her challenge to state Senate Republican Leader Dana Dow. As in her first campaign for elected office, Maxmin won over voters in state Senate District 13 — where residents <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/results-maine-senate.html" target="_blank">chose Collins </a>over Gideon — by engaging deeply with her community and <a href="https://chloe.mainecandidate.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">offering a platform</a> focused on climate action, investing in universal broadband access, and treating healthcare as a human right. </p>
<p>Maxmin's campaign was focused on providing help to people in a part of Maine where many feel disillusioned by politics and neglected by leaders in the state legislature and Washington, D.C. — but her energy was spent less on convincing voters to back a progressive agenda and more on giving them a platform to talk about their own experiences.</p><p>"When I talk to folks, I mostly listen, I don't show up and talk about myself," Maxmin told Common Dreams on Thursday. "I really try and listen and make sure that the voices that I hear are reflected in our campaign ... The work that we do on our side is to really think about campaigns differently, because we see them as one of the primary ways that we can start building a new type of politics. So we didn't use any party consultants. We designed all of our mailers, palm cards, postcards ourselves. We're all about authentic conversation and just had dozens and dozens of volunteers writing postcards or having conversations with voters and using the same style of just listening, and not going around saying, 'You should vote for Chloe because of this,' but trying to understand where people are at."</p><p>"My sense is that people really saw that we were doing it differently and that I could be in office differently, too," she added.</p><p>When the COVID-19 pandemic hit earlier this year, the Maxmin campaign further stepped up its commitment to engaging directly with voters, enlisting 200 volunteers to check on voters' wellbeing.</p><p>"Maxmin called upon her volunteers to reach out to every senior in her district and her network of campaign volunteers provided food, assistance with prescription drugs and identified transpiration needs," Marie Follayttar, director of the progressive grassroots group Mainers for Accountable Leadership, told Common Dreams. "Chloe is both a community organizer and an elected official. Not only is Chloe willing to listen to the people where they are — at their dinner table or at their door — she is demonstrably responsive to their needs and leverages the organizing structure of her campaign to assist her in accomplishing mutual aid work."</p><p>Other Democratic campaigns in the state, Follayttar noted, "could have done this as well. We transform lives by being present in them and building community to support one another. We move into legislative action by turning the concerns heard at the door into legislation."</p><p><span></span>Maxmin, who introduced <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2019/10/19/were-not-polarized-everywhere-maine-democracy-and-green-energy-win-big" target="_blank">the state's Green New Deal</a> in 2019, with the <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/04/16/great-example-local-organizing-maine-afl-cio-signs-greennewdeal" target="_blank">notable backing </a>of the state AFL-CIO, and co-founded the fossil fuel divestment campaign Divest Harvard while in college, won applause from national climate action campaigners at 350.org and Friends of the Earth.</p>
<div id="0d2d5" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b4c2cdc6328f9c94bb65f389a2037ca9"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1324037287127252993" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Hats off to new Maine State Senator Chloe Maxmin, a true climate champ who managed to beat the incumbent Senate Minority Leader.</div> — Bill McKibben (@Bill McKibben)<a href="https://twitter.com/billmckibben/statuses/1324037287127252993">1604510063.0</a></blockquote></div>
<div id="9ee73" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="af2a00b60ef3fad71bd5cb93c84f1cdc"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1324084291199029248" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Congrats to progressive champion (and Friends of the Earth board member) Chloe Maxmin! https://t.co/qKVceZQAfu</div> — Friends of the Earth (Action) (@Friends of the Earth (Action))<a href="https://twitter.com/foe_us/statuses/1324084291199029248">1604521269.0</a></blockquote></div><p>"Just seeing the amazing news that Chloe Maxmin — who was a young leader of Divest Harvard — has won a seat in the Maine State Senate!" exclaimed Thelma Young-Lutunatabua, an organizer with 350.org, on Wednesday. "Youth of the climate movement gaining political office!"</p><p>Maxmin's tactic of engaging authentically with voters in reminiscent of "<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/09/15/groundbreaking-study-shows-deep-listening-over-100-times-more-effective-winning" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">deep canvassing</a>," a method of campaigning used by the national grassroots network People's Action and found to be 102 times more effective at winning over undecided voters than a typical brief interaction during a door-knocking or phone-banking campaign.</p><p>"Deep canvassing differs from traditional campaign tactics because it relies on soul," People's Action Director George Goehl told Common Dreams<em>.</em> "In a deep canvass conversation, you break down your walls and the canvasser and voter really connect with one another. This is the kind of organizing that changes hearts and minds."</p><p>Maxmin told Common Dreams that her campaign led her to "thousands" of similar interactions.</p><p>"I had thousands of conversations with people," she said. "And it's so interesting when you have that kind of breadth to your exposure of humanity, just the themes that you hear. And it was really, really consistent—rarely hearing direct issues, mostly hearing about how people are so frustrated with everyone and everything on both sides and just hating the negative campaigning."</p><p>Mike Tipping of Maine People's Alliance, an affiliate of People's Action, credited Maxmin's ability to connect with voters across party lines, stressing that Maxmin ran a campaign she defined as "bipartisan" rather than "progressive" because issues that matter to voters in her rural district are important to people of all political beliefs. </p><p>"These are universal progressive values," Tipping told Common Dreams<em>.</em> "Too often we talk about these things in a partisan lens, but overwhelmingly people believe we need to tax the wealthy, that we need to raise the minimum wage, that we need sick days, paid family leave, healthcare access that's real, that everyone can see a doctor when they need to. Those are not limited to a party. And when you build a multi-race, multi-class coalition like Chloe did ... That's how you win in those places."</p><p>In "Rural Runner," a short film by Forest Woodward about Maxmin and her campaign manager, Canyon Woodward, Maxmin is seen knocking on doors in rural Maine, talking to voters about how their lives could be impacted by a Green New Deal for the state and other progressive legislation. </p><p>"Every year we keep electing the same kind of folks," she says in the film. "They tell us the same things, they act the same way, we elect them, they get into the state House, and they break the same promises and we're left with the same disillusionment that we had before."</p>
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/473942482" width="100%" height="480" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4e637980c1062805b99e6bfec753d3f6"></iframe><p>In 2018, Maxmin began her campaign in House District 88 as an underdog, 16 points behind her opponent, but credited her tireless face-to-face campaigning with securing victory.</p><p>"What Chloe and I have done is pretty simple," said Woodward in "Rural Runner," which was filmed as the team was beginning Maxmin's campaign for the state Senate race. "We put one foot in front of the other, we listen, we show up every day rain or shine, we do our best. We never really know what we're capable of unless we try."</p><p>After becoming the first Democrat ever to win House District 88 at the age of 26, Maxmin introduced her state's own Green New Deal, <a href="https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/maine-passes-state-level-green-new-deal" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">centering</a> the legislation on a just transition for workers in the fossil fuel sector and investing in solar installations for newly-built schools. </p><p>In the State House, she has also sponsored legislation to provide access to rural public transportation, an issue she campaigned on this year and <a href="https://chloe.mainecandidate.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">called</a> "the great equalizer in rural communities." Maine Senate District 13 has been <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Maine_State_Senate_District_13" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">represented</a> by Republicans for most of the last decade. </p><p>While the national Democratic Party often express wariness about engaging with voters in traditionally conservative areas about issues erroneously deemed "left wing," such as far-reaching action to solve the climate emergency, Maxmin's winning campaigns suggest Democrats can find more success with rural voters by being unapologetic proponents of policies aimed at helping working people.</p><p>"She is no shrinking violet and didn't try and moderate herself or be anyone other than who she is, and I think voters responded to that," Tipping said.</p><p>During the campaigns Maxmin and Woodward have run together, they <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2018/11/02/what-rural-maine-house-race-can-teach-left" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">wrote</a> in an article for The Nation in 2018, "We dig into the local, cultivating relationships and utilizing the resourcefulness of our rural communities to build a rooted movement... We see that rural America is alive and beautiful, eager to be heard and remembered."</p><p>"Many have welcomed us into their homes and honored us with stories of family members who are registering to vote just for our campaign, who are voting Democrat for the first time, who have never voted in a midterm but now are because our movement gives them hope," they continued.</p><p>"We view our campaign as a movement, built on shared values and authentic conversations," Maxmin and Woodward wrote. "We build real political power, with lasting muscle for the long fight, with an inside-outside movement that elects authentic representatives to fight for everyone and continues to organize beyond the election to maintain pressure on our politicians."</p><p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/06/i-mostly-listen-offering-blueprint-democrats-green-new-deal-champion-chloe-maxmin" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>. </em></p>
From Your Site Articles
- 7 Environmental Takeaways From the 2020 Election Season ›
- What Are the Implications of Election Results on the Food Movement ... ›
- 81% of Voters Support a Green New Deal, Survey Finds - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Phil Roeder / CC BY 2.0
By John R. Platt
Well, that was interesting … and hair-raising. At press time the harrowing presidential race of 2020 remains too close to call, as do a few key congressional and Senate seats. The Senate may not even settle out until January, when Georgia will hold runoff elections and we'll find out which party controls that house of government.
But while we wait — patiently or otherwise — for those votes to be tallied, let's take a moment to step back and look at several big-picture environmental takeaways from the election season.
<h3>1. Climate Change Came Calling</h3><p>Despite the lack of real policy debate — let's face it, this was less an election of ideas and more a contest of ideologies — <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-crisis">climate</a> change played an unexpected and thankful role. That started most noticeably in the unannounced climate question during the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/sep/30/presidential-debate-climate-crisis-question-trump-biden-analysis" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">first presidential debate</a>. After that several <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/29/us/elections/biden-leans-into-climate-change-with-two-new-ads.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">political ads</a> made climate an issue, and some Democrats stumped on it. We didn't see any speeches <em>solely </em>about climate, but Biden and Harris brought it up strongly several times during the last days of the campaign.</p><p>And yes, the very real risks of climate change played a role in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/01/climate/polls-what-voters-think-climate-global-warming.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">driving people to the polls</a>. A survey conducted last month found that 58% of Americans were either "very concerned" or "somewhat concerned" about the threats of climate change. That included 90% of voters who favored Biden at the time. Biden and Harris spoke to that, and voters listened. Life lesson: When you talk about and take seriously issues that affect peoples' lives, they lend you their ears.</p><p>This growing support for climate action means that if Trump ultimately wins reelection, and then continues to ignore climate (as he obviously would), there will be prices to pay on the international stage starting in January and again at the polls in 2022.</p>
<h3>2. The Forgotten Crisis</h3><p>But the extinction crisis did not get any real play in this election, even from <a href="https://www.rollcall.com/2020/02/21/not-on-the-candidates-radar-the-sixth-great-extinction/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">progressive Democrats</a>. Considering the oversized role of wildlife trafficking in the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, preserving <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/biodiversity">biodiversity</a> will need to become a major policy initiative moving forward.</p><p>Luckily many environmental organizations made this a key call during the campaign, so we can expect to see some progress on this if Biden is confirmed as the next president. (If not, expect more Trump attacks on the Endangered Species Act and other wildlife policies.)</p>
<h3>3. Equality</h3><p>Racial inequality was one of the main themes of the election, but the candidates did little to address income inequality, the <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/peteraldhous/political-violence-inequality-us-election?bftwnews&utm_term=4ldqpgc#4ldqpgc" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">greatest driver of political and social unrest</a> in this country. If we don't take dramatic action about that soon, it will give further strength to the Proud Boys, QAnon conspiracy junkies and their extremist ilk — and that will spill out into environmental issues like livestock ranching, public lands protection and environmental justice.</p><p>Fortunately the presidential and vice-presidential debates, and Democratic candidates themselves, made a big deal out of other issues related to inequality, such as racism, LGBTQA+ rights and women's rights. Unfortunately, the fact that nearly half the country voted to reelect a racist misogynist — and many other candidates who rode on his coattails — does not bode well for the future. These are all issues that have <a href="https://therevelator.org/racial-environmental-justice/" target="_blank">deep environmental implications</a>, so we as a people and as a country need to do a lot better.</p>
<h3>4. Suppression</h3><p>People like to vote. And record numbers turned out this year, even amidst the pandemic. But who knows how many more votes would have been counted — and how many races would have had different outcomes — if not for the <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/10/29-ways-trump-and-the-gop-are-making-it-harder-to-vote/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">29 Republican techniques for voter suppression</a> used during this election?</p><p>So come on, Republicans, stop trying to prevent our citizens from doing their democratic duty. If you can't play fair, get out of the game. (And while you're at it, stop suppressing science related to pandemics and climate change, 'K?)</p><p>Everyone else: Watch your back. The same Republican-appointed, Federalist Society loyalist judges who have ruled (and may yet rule) on so many of this year's voting lawsuits will soon find cases about climate change and other environmental threats on their dockets.</p>
<h3>5. Fossils</h3><p>The Democratic Party needs to refine its messaging on oil and gas. It's got some decent policies — such as ending subsidies and stopping development on federal land — but that doesn't ease the fears of people terrified by a forced transition in their lives and careers. The evidence is clear that these industries not only harm the planet and peoples' health, they're also failing financially. The faster we transition those jobs, the less pain we'll all feel when oil, gas and coal collapse like a house of cards.</p>
<h3>6. Faux News</h3><p>Speaking more broadly, the media landscape remains hopelessly bifurcated, and that seeds division within the country, reaching from politics to basic information such as COVID-19 safety measures and crises like climate change. That needs to change. To address this issue, education standards should include teaching media literacy — and all adults should be encouraged to learn how to spot disinformation and bias. (It's telling that <a href="https://medialiteracyweek.us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Media Literacy Week 2020</a> was held the week before the election.)</p><p>It's all a bit bigger than this, obviously. Most people self-identify as belonging to — or diverging from — one political party first, then pick the media outlet that supports that worldview. But the right-wing media notoriously spreads more disinformation about environmental issues, so finding a way to break that chokehold will go a long way toward bridging that divide.</p>
<h3>7. Money, Money, Money</h3><p>An obscene amount of money was collected and spent on this election — a record <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2020/10/cost-of-2020-election-14billion-update/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">$14 billion</a>, according to OpenSecrets, which tracks political spending.</p><p>On the one hand, we saw an amazing increase in small, individual donations. That's great.</p><p>But corporations and PACs poured cash into candidates' coffers (either directly or in support of their campaigns), and it felt like most of that went to fund blatantly dishonest campaign ads.</p><p>And what's the ultimate cost of those donations? Will special interests return with their hands out? We'll never know for sure, since most of those dollars (on both sides of the political aisle) are hidden from the public record, although it's certainly happened before. That needs to change if we ever hope to transform this economy and save the planet.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://therevelator.org/environmental-takeaways-2020-election/" target="_blank">The Revelator</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
- Covering the 2020 Elections as a Climate Story - EcoWatch ›
- 5 Key Environmental Ballot Measures to Track at Your Election ... ›
- Want the Youth Vote? Prioritize Climate Change - EcoWatch ›
- Four Environmental Fights on the 2020 Ballot - EcoWatch ›
- The Biggest Environmental Wins and Losses of the 2020 Election - EcoWatch ›
- 12 Trump Attacks on the Environment Since the Election - EcoWatch ›
- Where Do We Go From Here? - EcoWatch ›
- How Ossoff and Warnock’s Georgia Senate Wins Impact the Climate - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Trending
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris greet supporters in Wilmington, Delaware on August 20, 2020. Olivier Douliery / AFP / Getty Images
On Nov. 4, the U.S. officially left the Paris climate agreement, but its departure may be short lived.
<p>Former Vice President <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/joe-biden" target="_self">Joe Biden</a>, who took the lead Friday morning in the crucial battleground state of Pennsylvania according to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-georgia-elections-1243852669c8384493850f528534b2c7" target="_blank">The Associated Press</a>, has reaffirmed his commitment to immediately rejoining the accord if he wins the 2020 presidential election against incumbent <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/donald-trump" target="_self">Donald Trump</a>.</p><p>"Today, the Trump Administration officially left the Paris Climate Agreement. And in exactly 77 days, a Biden Administration will rejoin it," Biden tweeted late Wednesday.</p><p>The two candidates have taken opposite stances on how to address the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a>. Trump has <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-california-biden-climate-science-2647658093.html" target="_self">repeatedly</a> <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-rejects-us-climate-report-2621629346.html" target="_self">denied</a> climate science and worked to roll back climate policies put in place by the Obama administration, including standards for <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/clean-power-plan-trump-epa-2638927020.html" target="_self">power plant</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-fuel-efficiency-proposal-2592345279.html" target="_self">vehicle emissions</a>. He has appointed former energy lobbyists to head both the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/interior-secretary-bernhardt-oil-2634420948.html" target="_self">Department of the Interior</a> and the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/andrew-wheeler-epa-confirmed-2630358470.html" target="_self">Environmental Protection Agency</a>, and has completed or started the process of rescinding almost 100 environmental regulations, according to a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/climate/trump-environment-rollbacks-list.html" target="_blank">New York Times tally</a>.</p>
<p>Biden, meanwhile, has <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/biden-climate-plan-green-new-deal-2648128471.html" target="_self">promised</a> to spend $2 trillion over four years to boost green jobs and infrastructure and achieve a carbon-free power sector by 2035 and net-zero emissions country-wide by 2050. While his plan is less ambitious and comprehensive than the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/green-new-deal" target="_self">Green New Deal</a>, it has received qualified praise from progressive climate activists who worked with his campaign on a Biden-Sanders Unity Task Force and helped improve the plan's ambitions.</p><p>Some of those same activists saw Biden's recommitment to the Paris agreement as a positive sign for his future administration's climate action.</p><p>"Pretty cool that<a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden" target="_blank"> @JoeBiden</a>'s most confident statement yet about being the next President of the United States is about Day 1 action to address the climate crisis," <a href="https://www.sunrisemovement.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sunrise Movement</a> co-founder and political director Evan Weber tweeted. "Biden has a climate mandate, and our movement will make sure he acts on it."</p>
<p>Meteorologist and climate journalist Eric Holthaus also <a href="https://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/1324159769268101120" target="_blank">noted</a> that climate change was featured on Biden's transition website.</p><p>"The American people will determine who will serve as the next President of the United States. Votes are still being counted in several states around the country," the <a href="https://buildbackbetter.com/" target="_blank">site reads</a>. "The crises facing the country are severe — from a pandemic to an economic recession, climate change to racial injustice — and the transition team will continue preparing at full speed so that the Biden-Harris Administration can hit the ground running on Day One."</p><p>The Paris agreement was passed in 2015 as a pledge to limit global warming to well below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and ideally to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Trump first <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/best-responses-trump-paris-agreement-2429353243.html" target="_self">announced</a> he would withdraw from the agreement in June 2017, and his administration <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-begins-withdrawal-paris-agreement-2641223963.html" target="_self">took action</a> to do so on Nov. 4, 2019, as soon as was possible under UN regulations. If Biden wins and rejoins Jan. 20, the U.S. would officially be back in 30 days later.</p>
<p>On his campaign website, Biden has pledged not only to rejoin the agreement, but to lobby for greater international climate ambition.</p><p>"He will lead an effort to get every major country to ramp up the ambition of their domestic climate targets," the <a href="https://joebiden.com/climate-plan/" target="_blank">site says</a>. "He will make sure those commitments are transparent and enforceable, and stop countries from cheating by using America's economic leverage and power of example."</p>However, even if Biden rejoins the agreement, it may be difficult for other countries to trust U.S. leadership on the issue, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-54797743" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">BBC News pointed out</a>. This is the second time the U.S. has helped to negotiate an international climate deal and then been unable to maintain support at home. The Clinton administration was not able to get the Senate to agree to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.
From Your Site Articles
- US Needs National Leadership to Achieve Paris Climate Agreement ... ›
- Trump vs. the Paris Climate Agreement - EcoWatch ›
- U.S. Now Officially Out of the Paris Climate Agreement - EcoWatch ›
- Biden Defeats Trump, Promises Sea Change on Climate and Coronavirus - EcoWatch ›
- Biden Urged to Take 10 Immediate Steps to Address Climate Crisis - EcoWatch ›
- Biden Urged to Take 10 Immediate Steps to Address Climate Crisis - EcoWatch ›
- Biden Win Puts World ‘Within Striking Distance’ of 1.5 C Paris Goal ›
- UCS Offers Science Advice for Biden Administration - EcoWatch ›
- World Leaders Fall Short of Meeting Paris Agreement Goal - EcoWatch ›
- 5 Years After Paris: How Countries’ Climate Policies Match up to Their Promises - EcoWatch ›
- Gray Wolf Recovery and Survival Require Immediate Action By the Biden Administration - EcoWatch ›
- Environmentalists Applaud Biden Selections of Granholm, McCarthy for Key Climate Posts - EcoWatch ›
- Joe Biden Appoints Climate Crisis Team - EcoWatch ›
- More Than Two Degrees of Climate Warming Is Already Locked In - EcoWatch ›
- Biden Plans to Fight Climate Change in a New Way ›
- How Should the Biden Admin. Address the Climate Crisis? ›
- Here Are Biden’s Day One Actions on Climate and Environment ›
- U.S. Officially Rejoins Paris Agreement ›
- UN Sounds 'Red Alert' for National Climate Goals - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
A gray wolf at The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colorado in 2007. Andy Cross / The Denver Post via Getty Images
The voters of Colorado have made history by electing to reintroduce gray wolves to the state.
<p>The opponents of Proposition 114, as the measure was called, conceded Thursday, <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/11/colorado-approves-gray-wolf-reintroduction/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">National Geographic reported</a>. As of that afternoon, the plan to reintroduce wolves had 1,495,523 votes for and 1,475,235 against with 90 percent of the votes counted. However, the remaining 10 percent were all from pro-wolf areas.</p><p>The proposition's victory marks the first time the decision to reintroduce an <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/animals/" target="_self">animal</a> species has been made at the ballot box. It also comes exactly one week after the Trump administration <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-administration-gray-wolves-protection-2648559353.html" target="_self">announced</a> it would remove <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/endangered-species-act" target="_self">Endangered Species Act</a> protections for gray wolves in the lower 48 states.</p>
<p>"This is a great victory for wolves coming on the heels of Trump's illegal action to remove federal protection, and it will help restore the natural balance in Colorado's Rocky Mountains," <a href="https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Center for Biological Diversity</a> (CBD) senior <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/conservation" target="_self">conservation</a> advocate Michael Robinson said in a press release. "The people of the Colorado have helped turn the page on a brutal chapter of our history that saw wolves exterminated across the West."</p>
<div id="2d6e9" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a33ea4499054a4921f3a6a6987336985"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1324452705558056962" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">WE DID IT! Together, our pack has passed Prop 114 to bring the gray wolf home to Colorado and restore our natural b… https://t.co/bAhoQ7ZNfj</div> — Vote YES on 114 - #RestoreTheHowl (@Vote YES on 114 - #RestoreTheHowl)<a href="https://twitter.com/RockyMtnWolf/statuses/1324452705558056962">1604609106.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Gray wolves once roamed across most of the U.S., but hunting and trapping almost drove them to extinction by the start of the twentieth century, National Geographic pointed out. Colorado became the first Rocky Mountain state to put a bounty on wolves in 1869, and the last wolf in the state was killed in 1945, according to the CBD.</p><p>Wolves were granted Endangered Species Act protections in the 1970s and were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park and Idaho in 1995 and 1996, according to National Geographic. From there, they have spread to Montana, Washington State, Oregon and northern California. However, they have not recovered their historic range and remain missing from states like Maine, Utah and Colorado, which is one reason why scientists argued the Trump administration's decision to delist wolves was premature.</p><p>Now, the wolves are coming back to Colorado. Proposition 114 tasks Colorado Parks and Wildlife with making a plan to reintroduce wolves to the area west of the Continental Divide no later than Dec. 31, 2023, according to the CBD.</p>
<p>Supporters of wolf reintroduction argue that wolves play an important role in Western ecosystems, National Geographic pointed out. They help to manage deer and elk populations, boost smaller predators like foxes by competing with and killing coyotes and provide food for scavengers including wolverines and bears.</p><p>"Wolves evolved in the western United States for hundreds of thousands of years with their prey," former state biologist and environmental advocate Gary Skiba told <a href="https://www.cpr.org/2020/09/29/should-wolves-be-brought-back-to-colorado-a-rancher-and-a-biologist-have-their-say/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Colorado Public Radio</a>. "As a result of that, we've seen improved environmental conditions, at least partly because of wolves in Yellowstone. I won't say entirely, but partly. We won't probably see the same thing exactly in Colorado, but wolves were part of how the ecosystems function. We think we need to have that back."</p><p>The opposition to the measure has been led by farmers, ranchers and hunters who are worried about the impact of wolves on livestock and game, <a href="https://coloradosun.com/2020/11/05/colorado-voters-approve-gray-wolf-reintroducton/" target="_blank">The Colorado Sun explained</a>. Since Proposition 114 had more support in urban areas of Colorado, its opponents argued that the people voting for it were not the ones who would have to live with the new neighbors.</p>
<p>"All along, our opposition campaign was led by those who would be directly impacted by this measure, including real Coloradans, sportsmen, farmers and ranchers, outdoor enthusiasts, and more," Patrick Pratt, the spokesman of the anti-reintroduction group Coloradans Protecting Wildlife, said in a statement reported by The Colorado Sun.</p><p>But Rob Edward of the pro-reintroduction Rocky Mountain Wolf Action Fund said the divide was not so clear cut. He pointed to five counties on the Wester Slope, where wolves will be introduced, who voted for the measure.</p><p>"We would not be having this conversation today had it not been for people on the Western Slope voting for wolves," he told The Colorado Sun.</p>
From Your Site Articles
- Will Colorado Bring Back Wolves? It's Up to Voters - EcoWatch ›
- Four Environmental Fights on the 2020 Ballot - EcoWatch ›
- Oppose Welfare Ranching, Not Wolves - EcoWatch ›
- Wisconsin Approves February Wolf Hunt ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
In response to the 2020 election results, Food Tank and Table 81 hosted a panel to make sense of the election results and discuss what it means to the food system. Jay Yuno / Getty Images
By Elena Seeley
In response to the 2020 election results, Food Tank and Table 81 hosted a panel to make sense of the election results and discuss what it means to the food system.
<p>Moderated by Food Tank President Danielle Nierenberg and Katherine Miller of Table 81, the event featured Christopher Bradshaw of <a href="https://dreamingoutloud.org/" target="_blank">Dreaming Out Loud</a>, Devita Davison of <a href="https://foodlabdetroit.com/" target="_blank">FoodLab Detroit,</a> Navina Khanna of <a href="https://healfoodalliance.org/" target="_blank">HEAL Food Alliance</a>, Patricia Griffin of <a href="https://www.nvgllc.com/" target="_blank">NVG, LLC</a>, Bob Martin of the <a href="https://clf.jhsph.edu/" target="_blank">Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future</a>, and Kathleen Merrigan of the <a href="https://sustainability.asu.edu/food/" target="_blank">Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems</a>.</p><p>Their conversation touched on the meaning of the election results, the need to bring new voices and energy into discussions around food and agriculture, and the importance of organizing around food system issues in local communities.</p><p>"We should be talking about a complete and total dismantling of our corporate food system and building infrastructure locally from the ground up," says Davison. Listen to the full conversation below.</p>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="200" scrolling="no" src="https://embed.radiopublic.com/e?if=food-talk-with-dani-nierenberg-by-69mY3Q&ge=s1!45fd4" width="100%"></iframe>
<p class=""><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://foodtank.com/news/2020/11/what-are-the-implications-of-the-election-results-on-the-food-movement/" target="_blank">Food Tank</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
- A Call for the Food Movement to Rally Behind the Green New Deal ... ›
- How Foodies Can Understand Capitalism and Farm-to-Table Justice ... ›
- 19 Organizations and Initiatives Winning in the Food Movement ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less