Mitchell, C. (2020, November 16). Can Biden Keep His Promise to Make Farms Climate Friendly? The New Republic. Retrieved November 18, 2020, from https://newrepublic.com/article/160205/can-biden-keep-promise-make-farms-climate-friendly
One of the top three focuses of Biden’s presidency will be to make agriculture the “first net-zero industry in America.” This article dives into what that means, and if it’s even possible for Biden to complete. First off one of the problems it highlights is that Biden has been heavily influenced by one of his campaign advisors who unfortunately is extremely lobbied. This means that a lot of Biden’s agriculture policies support the current corporations in power, rather than focus on creating a new greener industry. Another huge topic of the article is of course biofuels. Biden along with other moderate democrats have not denounced corn ethanol biofuels, and instead give heavy support to this industry.
This article was really saddening to read. I am happy that we will now have a president who believes in global warming; however, that is not enough. Most of the policies outlined by Biden are not completely effective, and instead make an effort to work with larger corporations rather than implement hard restrictions. For example, by supporting corn biofuels Biden is avoiding a true “green future.” Corn biofuels sound like they would be great for the environment, after all, it is a gas made from plant material. However, the external costs of growing corn produces so much carbon, and causes so much damage to the environment, that this type of biofuel is not helpful in fighting climate change. Ultimately, I hope to see stricter policies implemented from Biden, and I also hope to see a lack in corporate lobbying because this is what makes the government so ineffective in fighting climate change.
I was also in my feels on this one Griffin. I think it shows the value of being critical. Just because a Democrat is in office does not mean that all environmental policy is going to be in the direction of environmentalists. How do you think we can curb the power of corporate lobbying? How do you hold a leader from the same party as you accountable for ideas you disagree with besides voting them out?
Thanks Peter! I honestly don’t know, I think a lot of change can occur with large pressuring/protests. However, due to our government and the current laws towards lobbying, PACs, and Super PACs I think it is unlikely we can change much about the current system without a Supreme Court ruling.
I am not so sure if the corn biofuel is better for the environment or the climate change, after seeing all the negative effects of industrial farming in the Omnivore’s dilemma. It might be easier to produce energy sustainably, but how we turn corn into energy is not environmentally healthy, and also the industrial corn farming is not good for the environment either.
Thanks for the response. Yes I agree corn biofuel is not sustainable or good for the environment.