Salon Mag: Kamala Harris will continue Biden’s climate policies, say experts. But is that good enough?
Dr. Peter Kalmus, a climate scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and an associate project scientist at UCLA’s Joint Institute for Regional Earth System Science & Engineering, expressed dramatically different views of Biden’s climate policies, saying he felt personally betrayed by the president. On the campaign trail in 2020, Kalmus said, “Biden often said that he’d ‘listen to the scientists’ on climate,” Kalmus said. “What a lie. As a climate scientist, it feels personal.”
Kalmus acknowledged that the Inflation Reduction Act has “some good stuff,” but argued that it was no better than “a tap on the brakes” and does not go nearly far enough to limit or reduce the use of fossil fuels. “Biden took every opportunity to expand fossil fuels, just as Trump did,” Kalmus said, citing the administration’s approval of several drilling and pipeline projects. “He approved almost 50% more oil and gas drilling permits on federal lands in his first three years than Trump. … Biden’s overarching legacy will likely end up being this: He accelerated global heating by expanding fossil fuels.” …
For Kalmus, only drastic measures by a future Harris administration can pull humanity from the brink. “Stop expanding fossil fuels, ban fossil fuel advertising and champion an international fossil fuel reduction treaty,” he said. Make it illegal for the fossil fuel industry to spread disinformation. Use the bully pulpit. Create a federal program to educate the public on the basics of climate science and solutions. Give the world a positive vision for a cooler future without fossil fuels.”
Dumpster Diving NASA Scientist Peter Kalmus: ‘Biden must declare a climate emergency’ – Admits he has ‘bottomless grief’ because ‘we are losing Earth’ & seeks to ‘end’ fossil fuels
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jul/27/joe-biden-climate-emergency-peter-kalmus By Peter Kalmus Excerpts: I’m terrified by what’s being done to our planet. … I’ve dreaded this depth of Earth breakdown for almost two decades, and, like many of my colleagues, I’ve been trying to warn you. As hard as I could. Now it’s here. … I only feel fury at those in power, and bottomless grief for […]