Combating the effects of climate change requires effective policy solutions, and in democratic societies, one of the most effective climate actions citizens can take is voting for candidates that support sustainable climate solutions. Thus, climate change must be viewed as a voting issue to build public and political demand for climate solutions. This week, listen to the climate scientist Michael Mann in this California China Climate Institute discussion. For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/climate-disaster-mitigation-through-political-action-with-dr-michael-mann-california-china-climate-institute/
For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/climate-disaster-mitigation-through-political-action-with-dr-michael-mann-california-china-climate-institute/
Mann:we know that the rate of warming now is unprecedented, not just in a thousand years, but at least 2000 years and we may be warming now at a rate that is unprecedented in at least a hundred thousand years.
Ethan:That’s climate scientist Michael Mann. He sat down with former California Governor Jerry Brown to talk about putting the latest UN Climate report into action, in a California China Climate Institute discussion.
Mann:The nominal pledge from the Biden administration is that we will reduce our carbon emissions by 50% within the decade, which is what we need to do. Biden, can't do that on executive actions alone We need congressional action to codify. Those efforts in the form of climate policy.
If we reduce carbon emissions by 50% within the next 10 years. And we reached that net zero by 2050, then in all likelihood, we keep the warming of the planet below one and a half degrees Celsius, that is still possible, but it requires immediate and dramatic action.
If voters turn out and they vote on climate, they keep this in mind. Democrats turn out in the midterm election. They turn out in large numbers and young voters in particular and voters of color. If that coalition turns out in this midterm election, then we can get the sorts of majorities in Congress that are necessary to pass meaningful climate legislation. But it's on a knife edge right now.
Ethan: To learn more about Michael Mann and his research, visit climatebreak.org or wherever you get your podcast. I'm Ethan Elkind and this is Climate Break.