Although voters were hoping for questions on climate change in the first US Presidential Debate, few were expecting them.
In the end, almost ten minutes of the 28 September debate were devoted to climate change, more than in all three of the 2016 debates. Trump was pushed on his climate change science 'beliefs', while Biden was subject to grilling on the differences between his proposals and the more costly 'Green New Deal' proposed by the far left. Count on more questions in debates and from the press as the US election looms closer.
“We can get to net-zero in terms of energy production by 2035. Not only costing people jobs, creating jobs,” Biden said.
Ahh, here it comes. The need for a Just Energy Transition in the US, too.
Former US vice president Biden pointed to his work on the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which provided funding for renewable energy. He highlighted portions of his 2020 plan, such as incentives for weatherizing buildings, electrifying the federal fleet and encouraging employment in renewable energy.
The debate underscored how much further along Europe is in actually tackling the problem of a Just Energy Transition. Change often produces winners and losers – we must not further magnify the inequalities of our society as we attempt to preserve our environment and our climate.