"Bernie Sanders wants renewable energy to power U.S. homes and vehicles by 2030 -- and he wants to do it by enlisting the federal government in building and running new solar, wind and geothermal electricity projects. "
"Most proposals envision a transition away from coal and natural gas as electricity sources by mid century, if not earlier. Sanders' plan is more aggressive in seeking to reach that milestone by no later than 2030 -- and promising a complete, economy-wide decarbonization two decades later."
"Sanders would harness the resources of the U.S. government itself to generate renewable power that would be "publicly owned." Under his plan, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Tennessee Valley Authority and the federal power marketing administrations that now focus on hydropower would build wind, solar and geothermal installations, too. "
"The $16.3 trillion price tag -- which eclipses what many other Democratic candidates have proposed -- would pay for itself in 15 years, according to the Sanders campaign. "
Bernie Sanders Would Put the U.S. Government in the Wind Farm Business
"The differences are big, they're ideological — and they have consequences.
Here is Elizabeth Warren's plan for international climate adaptation and mitigation:
"…even if we reduce America's emissions so that they are net-zero by 2030, we will still fall far short of the reduction in global emissions needed to avert a climate crisis … Here's my plan for that: Invest $2 trillion over the next ten years in green research, manufacturing, and exporting — linking American innovation directly to American jobs, and helping achieve the ambitious targets of the Green New Deal."
Here is the plan Bernie Sanders has proposed:
- "Invest in the Green Climate Fund …. In order to help countries of the Global South with climate adaptation efforts, the U.S. will invest $200 billion in the Green Climate Fund for the equitable transfer of renewable technologies, climate adaptation, and assistance in adopting sustainable energies."
- "Instead of accepting that the world's countries will spend $1.5 trillion annually on weapons of destruction, Bernie will …. Bring together the leaders of the major industrialized nations with the goal of using the trillions of dollars our nations spend on misguided wars and weapons of mass destruction to instead work together internationally to combat our climate crisis and take on the fossil fuel industry."
This is not some marginal or irrelevant difference. Warren's plan is centered around building a green export industry that will develop technologies and products and sell them to poor countries at a profit for US businesses. Sanders's plan is centered around taxing the rich and global demilitarization to secure the funds and then turning them over to the United Nations.
One plan is plainly grounded in Warren's faith in markets and promoted with the rhetoric of "economic patriotism." As I noted elsewhere, Warren's climate plans are also deliberately designed to accommodate US militarism.
The other plan expresses Sanders's skepticism in markets. His is the only plan that even begins to grapple with the magnitude of the international climate finance problem, and he does it, correctly, by positioning militarism and the fight against climate change directly at odds.
Naomi Klein has it right: the solution to the problem of international climate adaptation and mitigation is "what sets Bernie's [Green New Deal] apart … [it] doesn't confuse foisting made-in-the USA tech on the world [with] wealth redistribution."
-Carl Beijer
