The Economist UK - 21.09.2019

The EconomistSeptember 21st 2019 47

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arlierthismonthdozensofteenagers

gatheredina NewYorkCitypark to

paint.TheywerepreparingfortheClimate

Strike they would attend onSeptember

20th,oneofmorethan 150 ralliestobeheld

aroundtheworld.Thestudentsmadecard-

boardwaves,tosignifyrisingsealevels,

and emblazoned bannerswithdemands

foraction.“Iwantyoutoactasif ourhouse

isonfirebecauseit is,”onesignread.

Americahasstoodout,todate,forbeing

thelargestcontributortoclimatechange

andforitsleaders’reluctancetodomuch

aboutit.In 2017 PresidentDonaldTrump

announcedthatAmericawouldwithdraw

fromtheParisclimateagreement,inwhich

countriespledgedtolimittheaveragerise

intemperaturesto“wellbelow”2°C.Inthe

pastfourweeksalonehisadministration

hasloosenedregulationofmethane,saidit

would revoke California’s right to set emis-

sions standards for cars and rolled back

rules on efficient light bulbs. “I look better

underanincandescentlight,” Mr Trump

quipped,withoutsupporting evidence.

Butwheretheyounglead, a growing

numberare following.Those Americans

whothinkglobalwarmingis real outnum-

berthosewhodonotbymore than five to

one.Forthefirsttimeclimate change has

becomea prominentissuein a Democratic

presidentialcampaign.OnSeptember 4th

cnnspentsevenhoursasking Democratic

contenderswhattheywould do about it.

Candidatesaretrippingoverthemselves to

conveytheirplans’ambition, from Joe Bi-

den’s$1.7trnproposalfora “clean-energy

revolution” to Bernie Sanders’s $16.3trn

“nationwidemobilisation”.

The Democrats’ last serious legislative

climate proposal came a decade ago. Ed-

ward Markey and Henry Waxman, two con-

gressmen, introduced a cap-and-trade bill.

Originally a conservative idea, cap-and-

trade puts a price on carbon and creates a

market in the right to emit. The bill passed

the House and foundered in the Senate. Cli-

mate policies have had greater success on

the state level—more than half of states

have targets for clean energy. These poli-

cies, coupled with tax credits for wind and

solar power, have helped spur a rush of in-

vestment in renewables. America’s shale

bonanza has created a glut of inexpensive

gas that has been the main force putting

coal plants out of business. Wind and solar

farms have become cheap enough, in many

instances, to outcompete even gas.

Democrats are now presenting broader,

national plans for several reasons. Warmer

oceans are linked to the stronger hurri-

canes, like Harvey, Sandy and Maria, that

have battered America’s coasts.  Last year

three wildfires in California killed 89 peo-

ple and caused more than $11bn in damage.

Mr Trump’s own Director of National Intel-

ligence warned that climate change and

“ecological degradation”, by fuelling com-

petition for resources and social discon-

tent, pose a security threat. And yet the ad-

ministration has ignored or tried to

rubbish such warnings—which is another

reason for the spike of interest in climate

on the left. The Pew Research Centre re-

GreenNewDeals

Theobstaclecourse

NEWYORK

Democratsarepresentingbigplanstodealwithclimatechange.What are the

chancesthattheywouldmakea difference?

United States

50 Rentcontrolreturns

50 ThenewnewNSA

51 RudyGiuliani’sadventures

52 Lexington: Mark Sanford

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