Creative Campaigning in the Time of COVID-19: Joe Biden’s Environmental Policies

by Cindy

In this time of COVID-19, campaigns are having to really think outside the box on how to reach voters, and how to message their policies and ideas in a way that’s accessible without canvassers or rallies or town halls/public events. We’re seeing all kinds of Zoom and Facebook Live/YouTube streaming events, lots of social media outreach, etc.

So when Team Joe asked if anyone was artsy and also good at explaining policy, well, obviously I jumped at the chance to help with that. Turns out they wanted to add some bullet journal policy pages to the Joe Biden related Pinterest items to let voters learn about his policies without having to read through a long policy page on the website.

I picked Biden’s environmental policy page as a place to start. I know before the Virginia primary I looked briefly at the comparisons of enviro policies–Biden’s was okay, but he didn’t get stellar ratings. But since then he’s created a task force co-chaired by Green New Deal sponsor Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, hopefully signaling a willingness to take a more aggressive stance on the environment. And according to this article, the left has largely coalesced around a set of fairly ambitious policy goals–many of which do not require Congressional approval. That’s fortunate, because Republicans generally don’t agree on any of these goals.

I highlighted many of the goals in this “journal.” 100% clean energy, net-zero carbon by 2050 (some may believe we can get there sooner). Conserve 30% of America’s lands and waters by 2030. 500,000 new electric vehicle charging stations by 2030, and restoring the tax credit for purchase of such vehicles. Tax credits and subsidies to fund investments in modern, low-carbon manufacturing.

There were several other promising policy ideas listed that didn’t make it to this page. I especially think green debt relief for developing countries that make climate commitments is an important idea, as well as pursuing a global moratorium on offshore drilling in the Arctic, demanding a worldwide ban on fossil fuel subsidies, convening a climate world summit, establishing a cross-agency research agency focused on climate research, and using housing policy to reduce urban sprawl and create denser, more affordable housing near public transport.

Democrats and the public in general have really begun to focus on the climate crisis in a serious way, and to develop and jointly discuss realistic but aggressive policy ideas that can address the crisis. Now we just need to get the Republicans and Trump out of the way.

{PS Stay tuned for more innovative campaign tactics coming soon!}