LET'S BREAK DOWN JOE BIDEN'S $2 TRILLION CLIMATE CHANGE PLAN

On March 31, President Joe Biden announced his $2 trillion infrastructure plan. You may be wondering: well then, how is this a climate change plan? Well, initially, I pondered that very same question.

But as my eyes steadily zipped through the various elements of the 25-page document the Biden administration released, I was elated to see the multi-faceted devotions to climate-oriented measures. Some of the climate change commitments are striking, while others are more subtle. Nevertheless, this emphasis on the climate marks a distinct contrast from the Trump administration, which focused on American domination of global energy (ultimately meaning increased greenhouse gas emissions). 

Biden's Infrastructure Bill will induce MASSIVE impact on our nation's climate. Among the largest headlines: $213 billion allocated towards constructing greener housing, $35 billion directed at climate technology research, $50 billion on making infrastructure climate change resistant, $10 billion in funding in reinstating the Civilian Climate Corps.

Some of the climate change commitments are striking, while others are more subtle.

Did the CCC ring a bell? For any of you US History connoisseurs (take out your AP US History notebooks, this may be good review), you may remember the Civilian Climate Corps from Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal to help the United States tackle the Great Depression. Biden's CCC will both train and employ those seeking careers geared towards saving our environment. In many respects, this organization is a part of a larger Green New Deal—Danielle Deiseroth, a climate analyst at Data for Progress, explained to Grist, "The Green New Deal is all about a jobs and justice approach to climate policies, so I think that the new climate corps proposal really encapsulates that."

Despite some of the more obvious climate-oriented measures detailed above, Biden's Infrastructure Plan is also littered with more subtle oades to improving our climate. As Ali Zaidi, the Deputy White House National Climate Advisor, explains in a Mach 23 interview with TIME, "The output of good economic policy is good climate outcomes." Consider that phrase when analyzing the $621 billion Biden allocated towards improving transportation infrastructure. Wait a second. Isn't transportation supported by roadways a major contributor to climate change? Yes, that is correct. But if you look close enough, though, you will see Biden's plan to utilize sustainable materials throughout the renovations, as well as his plan to reduce vehicle traffic and thus energy consumption and gas emissions. Biden's tactic of masking many climate mandates under infrastructure acts may be the "cherry on top" in passing his legislation. Still a cherry, we say!

Ryan Bernstein for "Air That I Breathe" // 3 April 2021