Midway through his opening remarks at the United Nations’ annual climate conference, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres shifted his focus to two countries quite a distance from where COP27 is being held in Egypt. “The two largest economies—the United States and China—have a particular responsibility to join efforts to make this Pact a reality,” Guterres said, reminding those in attendance that fighting climate change is a global battle that requires cooperation, especially as participating countries look to adopt new mitigation tactics through this year’s agreement.
“This is our only hope of meeting our climate goals. Humanity has a choice: cooperate or perish. It is either a Climate Solidarity Pact, or a Collective Suicide Pact,” Guterres warned. Depending on the outcome of the U.S. midterm elections, it may be much, much harder to enact that solidarity. The Guardian notes that many of the officials at COP27 are curious about what meaningful climate action will look like with a potential shake-up of American politics. Numerous climate-denying candidates are running and it will be much harder to make meaningful changes in sustainability and the transition to renewables if those figures are elected.
Campaign Action
The U.S. is already facing grief over its stance on loss and damages, with Climate Envoy John Kerry previously shutting down attempts to hold the world’s second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases accountable for vulnerable countries that pollute far less but have been devastated by climate-worsened natural disasters. Dozens of groups signed a letter ahead of COP27 addressed to Kerry over this.
Even the gains to be made from the Inflation Reduction Act’s climate provisions are not without criticism: Some worry that the U.S.’s mandates for American manufacturing violate certain trade agreements. It’s doubtful that, were Republicans to win big during the midterms, those lawmakers would have any interest in climate reparations. After all, it’s not like the GOP cares about reparations for its own constituents.
The issue of whether or not manufacturing is done domestically becomes null once climate-denying Republicans realize those mandates are tied to renewables. For a party beholden to the oil and gas industry, there’s simply no point in even pursuing such policies—unless maybe they can get a few solar panels to power an offshore fossil fuel platform or something. Republicans have already shown they’re unwilling to work with the rest of the world on climate, given Donald Trump removing the U.S. from the Paris Agreement during his term as president. The Biden administration is still undoing the damage wrought by the Trump administration and facing legal obstacles from Republicans and Trump-appointed judges along the way.
Voting absolutely matters this election and each one thereafter if we want to ensure we’re not facing the worst that climate change has to offer. As Guterres said in his closing statements Monday morning, “we need all hands on deck for faster, bolder climate action.” “A window of opportunity remains open, but only a narrow shaft of light remains,” Guterres continued. “The global climate fight will be won or lost in this crucial decade—on our watch. One thing is certain: those that give up are sure to lose. So let’s fight together—and let’s win.”
At long last, the 2022 midterms are almost here! With the battle for the House front and center, we give you a window into the key races on a final pre-election episode of The Downballot. We discuss a wide range of contests that will offer insight into how the night is going, including top GOP pickup opportunities, second-tier Republican targets, and the seats where Democrats are on offense. And with many vote tallies likely to stretch on for some time, we also identify several bellwether races in states that count quickly.