Democrats announce climate road map focused on racial justice

The ‘Climate Crisis Action Plan’ calls for reaching a 100% clean, net-zero economy in the US no later than 2050

Wind farm with solar panels in southern California (4kodiak)

Democrats have announced a sweeping plan to tackle the climate crisis with environmental justice for minority communities at its core but critics say it falls far short of the urgent action that is needed, calling it "weak sauce".

The proposals, which run to more than 500 pages, lay out a wide range of goals including that every new car is zero emissions by 2035 and the power sector is emissions-free by 2040. It aims to put the country on a path to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, if not earlier, and achieve negative emissions in the second half of the century.

The congressional “Climate Crisis Action Plan”, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Representative Kathy Castor who oversaw the plan, could become the cornerstone of the Democrats climate agenda if they regain control of Congress and the presidency this November.

Ahead of the election, the plan is likely to stall as it requires support from the Republican-controlled Senate and President Trump, who has repeatedly dubbed climate change as a "hoax".

“We have a plan – and it comes at a critical time,” said Chair Castor. “Our plan will put people back to work and rebuild in a way that benefits all of us. That means environmental justice and our vulnerable communities are at the center of the solutions we propose.

“The health of our families and the air we breathe are at the heart of our plan. We chart the course to good-paying jobs in solar and wind energy, in manufacturing American-made electric vehicles, and in strengthening communities, so they are more resilient to flooding, extreme heat, intense hurricanes and wildfires.”

Critics say that the plan does not go far enough to deal with the climate crisis. Mitch Jones, policy director of environmental non-profit, Food & Water Action, said: “This climate proposal inexplicably and inexcusably fails to call for a halt to the extraction of fossil fuels. It is simply not an adequate attempt to deal with the crisis we actually face.

"We must take the necessary first steps: a ban on fracking, a ban on exports and imports of fossil fuels, and an immediate halt to new fossil fuel infrastructure buildout. Anything that does not seek to immediately curtail and then eliminate the production of fossil fuels is weak sauce."

The plan is not as ambitious as the Green New Deal, introduced by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2019, which set a goal of 2030 for overhauling the US power grid to 100% renewables and zero-emissions.

Republicans claimed that the Democrats are putting environmental targets ahead of the economy and Speaker Pelosi has distanced herself from Ms Ocasio-Cortez's plan.

At the heart of the committee's climate plan is racial justice and the fact that communities of colour disproportionately bear the brunt of the impacts of climate change. The proposals call for economic recovery through clean energy investment and jobs. It also details a strategy for companies to pay to emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere but with a mechanism to funnel money back to low-income families.

The report references the police killing of George Floyd in the opening paragraph, along with the coronavirus pandemic, which has led to 120,000 deaths in the US and economic devastation, criticising President Trump for his failures in leading “a unified and compassionate response, instead choosing to fan the flames of discord and distrust”.

It calls for federal spending on energy and infrastructure to prioritise minority and low-income communities.

The plan, titled “Solving the Climate Crisis: The Congressional Action Plan for a Clean Energy Economy and a Healthy, Resilient, and Just America”, was compiled by the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis.

The committee says the plan will save more than 60,000 American lives every year by 2050 due to a drop in air pollution, as well as nearly $8 trillion in the next 30 years through health and climate benefits.

Some 90 organisations, including leaders in environmental justice, agriculture, buildings, electricity, public health, resilience, and transportation, have shown support.

Gina McCarthy, President and CEO, Natural Resources Defense Council, said the plan has “bold solutions to the greatest environmental threat of our time”.

“It would speed us away from fossil fuels and invest in a better future—one that will put more people to work in clean energy, reduce pollution in communities where it is the highest, and make our country more resilient to the challenges ahead. This is the kind of leadership our country needs right now—putting the well-being of people, communities and our economy ahead of powerful polluters,” she added.

Key action points include swift adoption of wind and solar power, and construction of new transmission infrastructure to deliver clean energy to households.

The Democrats also call for boosting domestic manufacturing of clean energy, clean vehicle and zero-emission technologies and retooling of manufacturing and industrial plants.

They propose new economic sectors to meet climate goals such as direct air capture and low-carbon building materials.

Well-paid jobs in the clean energy economy are also touted.

The plan also has a focus on public health. Along with clean infrastructure investment, it calls for the enforcement of environmental laws due to the risks of pollution exposure for those who live near ports and industrial areas.

It proposes a national preparation and response plan for frontline and vulnerable communities who are hit hardest by extreme weather linked to climate change.

Protecting the health of workers is also central: Services for coal miners with black lung disease and stringent standards for farm workers, construction works and others spending prolonged periods of time outside, as the threat of extreme heat waves grow.

There would also be a "National Climate Adaptation Program" to make homes, businesses and infrastructure more resilient to the impacts of climate change.

A key proposal is protecting at least 30 per cent of US land and oceans in the next ten years with a particular focus on areas with high biodiversity and carbon sequestration value. Critics say that the plan relies too heavily on carbon capture tech that is unproven.

The Democrats also want to limit new leasing for fossil fuel extraction on public lands onshore and offshore.

They recommend a "Civilian Conservation Corps" to create conservation and reclamation jobs along with restoring abandoned coal mines and oil and gas wells.

Republicans laid out their climate change agenda last year which touted a plan for "1 trillion trees" but no cuts to the fossil-fuel industry.