(RepublicanDaily.org) – President Biden recently conveyed, in essence, that he has proclaimed a national climate crisis. In a discussion with the Weather Channel, when probed about whether he’s officially announced a national climate emergency, President Biden pointed to his conservation efforts, the U.S.’s re-entry into the Paris Agreement, and the legislation passed to address this “pressing challenge for mankind.” On being queried again, he asserted, “In effect, yes.”
A formal pronouncement of such an emergency would empower the presidential office to unlock further federal powers and additional funding. It’s a move that environmental activists have long awaited from the President’s desk.
However, The Guardian highlighted that Biden’s words haven’t sat well with some eco-activists. Kassie Siegel, the director of the Climate Law Institute at the Center for Biological Diversity, caustically remarked that, for all intents and purposes, President Biden has backed “catastrophic carbon projects” detrimental to both communities and wildlife. Meanwhile, Varshini Prakash of the Sunrise Movement spotlighted this year’s heatwaves, and the wildfires that scorched parts of Canada and Hawaii.
There’s an ongoing debate, with critics suggesting that a rapid decline in fossil fuels could jeopardize the U.S. economy. Given the multifaceted applications of fossil fuels in the U.S., from medicines, plastics, and rubber to road constructions, cosmetics, and cleaning agents, there are genuine worries about the ramifications of a swift transition.
Green initiative author and engineer, Ron Stein, in a 2020 analysis, expressed that without fossil fuels, society risks regressing to the times of the 18th and 19th centuries. He believes that the fervor to transition to a fossil fuel-free world doesn’t properly weigh the potential fallout. Stein stated, “Those advocating for a greener world often overlook the conditions before the era of fossil fuels.”
Copyright 2023, RepublicanDaily.org
