During the campaign, Joe Biden presented himself as the greenest presidential candidate ever. Today, however, he calls on the oil-producing countries in OPEC to increase production. Will President Biden live up to his green ambitions?
This week’s Climate Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was clear: Weather will become more extreme in the coming decades. However, today US President Joe Biden is asking OPEC to increase oil production. Oil prices are so high that they may threaten the recovery of the US economy.
Electoral consideration
Biden’s demand for more oil appears to run counter to his ambitious climate goals. During his election campaign, he promised to invest 1.7 trillion euros in a clean economy: “But in the end you win the election with a well-functioning economy. With low gasoline prices, Biden hopes to win over the common man and stimulate the economy,” the America expert believes. Victor Flame.
Next year is the congressional elections in the United States. Vallam: “If the economy does not recover in time, the Democrats will likely suffer a major defeat. Biden knows that, too. So this decision was actually made for electoral reasons.”
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More drilling licenses than Trump
Biden’s request for additional oil is not the first climate promise he has broken since taking office eight months ago. “For example, he has repeatedly said that he will not issue permits to explore for oil and shale gas. What is now clear? He has already issued more than 2,000 this year. And this is more, for example, Trump and Obama,” says Flam.
Biden’s plans for green infrastructure were also largely stripped out in the final legal text. Vlam: “During the election, he insisted that there should be more and better high-speed train lines. For example, people might be tempted to choose a train rather than a car. But in the new infrastructure law (passed this week, .) Not a single cent goes to high-speed trains.”
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middle man
According to Flam, there is not enough consensus within the Democratic Party about which climate path to take: “You have progressive Democrats who want more green legislation, but you also have Southern Democrats who advocate for farmers.”
“Biden is a middle man,” Flamm says. “He’s basically trying to come up with a consensus. As long as he thinks there’s no support for more ambitious environmental legislation, there’s not going to be any.”
