No Easy Answers

Now we know the real reason for the terrible power outages in Texas–massive deregulation of the energy industry.  What stands out most is how preventable this crisis was.  But for the attitudes of some of its citizens concerning “energy independence,” it never would have happened.  The problem is that all of America’s infrastructure is interconnected.  There is no way that Texas or any other state can shut itself off.  Cooperation instead of arrogance is crucial.  So is accepting the reality of climate change.  America must face this issue head on today, not wait until another tragic extreme weather event causes yet more unnecessary deaths.  

There is, of course, hope.  The Biden plan and America’s reentry into the Paris climate accords are reasons for optimism. However, I am only cautiously optimistic.  It is very clear that the people Governor Abbot represents are not going to back down when it comes to climate science.  Without the support of Republican governors, it is going to be difficult for Biden to implement his plan.  I sincerely hope that the president realizes what kind of opposition he will be facing, and that he has a plan in place for how he is going to counter it.  Otherwise, his plan will stall.  Implementation will be hard.  My fear is that the Biden administration will believe that their plan is so common sense that they won’t anticipate Republican pushback and will be caught off guard.  After all, Governor Abbot and his allies in the fossil fuel industry showed just how far they are willing to go in spreading disinformation when they blamed wind power for the energy crisis in Texas.

Being a peacemaker and deal maker in Washington isn’t going to be easy.  I am not convinced his approach will work.  So far, Biden has too often stayed silent.  It is good that the country will not face constant chaos and divisive remarks.  But, Trump being gone will not be enough.  Climate change will be the first and one of the most important tests of Biden’s ability to deal with disinformation from the alt-right.  I hope he will, but am not necessarily that hopeful.  I am concerned that the task before Biden is much more difficult than he is anticipating.  The most important question: will his team be able to cut through the denial and get enough of the country on board?  A one vote margin in the senate isn’t going to be enough.  Biden will have the very difficult task of making sure there is enough popular support for his agenda.  Ultimately, he faces the problem of too many Americans being taken in by climate deniers.  And that is a problem with no easy answers.