Joe Biden was forced to fend off accusations during the Democratic debate Wednesday night that his approach to fighting climate change is “middling” and insufficient to tackle the problem.
“Climate change is not a singular issue,” said Jay Inslee, who is running a single-issue campaign to fight climate change. “It is all the issues we Democrats care about. It is heath, it is national security, it is our economy. Middle-ground solutions like the vice president has proposed or middling averaged sized things aren’t going to save us.”
Biden defended his planned agenda, saying “there is no middle-ground about my plan.”
“The fact of the matter is I call for immediate action to be taken,” he said.
As an example, Biden cited his intent to re-enter the Paris climate accord that President Trump has rejected, while increasing the amount the U.S. would pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as part of the pact.
Other Democrats said that is not going far enough.
“No one should get applause for rejoining the Paris climate accord,” said Cory Booker. “That is kindergarten.”
Facing pressure, Biden suggested he would phase out the use of coal and other fossil fuels, but said so undefinitively, saying “we would work it out.”
Biden was asked by moderator Dana Bash, “Will there be any place for fossil fuels including coal and fracking in a Biden administration?”
Biden replied: “No. We would work it out. Make sure it’s eliminated and no more subsidies for either one of those, any fossil fuel.”
Inslee pounced on Biden’s response as not forceful enough. He has called for the U.S. to get off coal by 2030, and to have fossil fuel-free electricity by 2035.
“We can not ‘work it out.’ The time is up,” Inslee said. “Our house is on fire. We have to stop using coal in 10 years, and we need a president to do it or it won’t get done. Get off coal. Save this country and the planet.”
The reality of Biden’s actual climate change plan, released in June, is more nuanced, despite predictions from other Democrats he’d be too moderate.
Biden would spend $1.7 trillion in federal money over 10 years on clean energy, leveraging additional private sector and state and local investments to total to more than $5 trillion in funding.
His underlying goal is to have the U.S. obtain 100% of its energy from clean sources, and achieve net-zero emissions, no later than 2050 — a target timeline consistent with goals targeted by the United Nations as necessary to avoid the worst harms of climate change.
But his plan does not ban fossil fuels, despite his assertions in Wednesday night’s debate. It would allow for carbon capture technologies on coal and natural gas plants to contribute to his 100% clean energy goal, along with wind and solar.
And Inslee says Biden’s proposal waits too long to achieve net-zero emissions, or carbon neutrality, meaning a situation in which the country eliminates as many carbon emissions as are produced. Inslee’s plan seeks a 2045 deadline for that.
