The Problem with Biden’s Plan to Push China on Climate

When former Vice President Joe Biden released his climate policy plan last week, he was the first presidential candidate to vow to use U.S. foreign policy to address the climate crisis.  In his 22-page climate plan, Biden dedicates section three to “Rallying the rest of the world to address the grave climate threat.”

But he seems less concerned with “the rest of the world” as he does one particular country.  Biden’s plan mentions China by name 13 times.

The following day Washington Governor Jay Inslee, fellow-2020 hopeful and self-proclaimed climate candidate, released part three of his exhaustive green policy plan (which Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has deemed the “gold standard” thus far).  Inslee’s 50-page “Global Climate Mobilization” document is dedicated solely to how America can use its influence to incorporate green goals into, well, everything:  trade, migration, humanitarian aid, energy subsidies, and future summits.

Not to be outdone, his plan mentions China 21 times.  To be fair, Inslee also addresses the U.S.’ relationship with other major polluters, like India.  Biden doesn’t mention India once.

Chris Nelson, executive director of the Harvard-China Project, thinks he knows at least one reason for the focus — and it’s clearly something our current president has figured out.  “It’s politically advantageous to be tough on China, even within the Democratic party,” he told Grist.

Both Biden’s and Inslee’s plans essentially call for the U.S. to become the world’s climate hype man.  On the agenda:  Pushing for more aggressive targets than agreed upon in Paris; ending fossil fuel subsidies worldwide; setting a carbon tax on goods imported into the U.S.; and, yes, wrangling China.  China as a competitor in developing green tech, as a big bad polluter, as a partner in averting the climate crisis.

Read more at The Problem with Biden’s Plan to Push China on Climate