Heating Up: The Battle Over Climate Change Solutions
Climate change refers to a shift in weather and temperatures over an extended period of time. Though the process can have natural causes, such as solar and volcanic activity, humans have drastically exacerbated its rate with the burning of fossil fuels since the 1800s. The climate change debate has three essential fronts: those who recognize the phenomenon and support government efforts to minimize environmental catastrophes, those who recognize the phenomenon but oppose certain policies, and those who reject its occurrence to prioritize a carbon-intensive economy. Two-thirds of U.S. adults say the country should prioritize developing renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, though the same amount is wary of completely phasing out fossil fuels altogether.
Proponents of Government Intervention in the Climate Crisis
Supporters of government efforts to combat climate change draw on the numerous studies that find linkage between carbon emissions and drastic geological damage. Ranging from dying coral populations, rising sea levels, devastating wildfires, and other calamitous natural disasters, the effects of climate change pose a grave threat to humanity. Government efforts are the preferable option due to the threat's existential nature; profit-minded businesses can’t be trusted to adopt green technology without government enforcement. Many proponents cite the data point that industrialized nations have seven years left to slash carbon emissions in half and end carbon usage altogether by 2050. With the United States leading per capita greenhouse gas emissions in 2023, producing 25% of the world’s greenhouse gasses between 1751 and 2017, the American government has an obligation to collaborate with the United Nations in fulfilling global emissions targets.
The driving factors of the climate crisis are diverse. Though 66% of total heating imbalance is caused by carbon dioxide, other gasses such as methane, nitrous oxide, and F-gasses have drawn the attention of policymakers in Washington, as well. In the United States, the transportation sector generates the largest share of greenhouse gasses (28%), though the electricity (25%) and industrial sectors (23%) are close runner-ups.
American supporters of this position point to the Environmental Protection Agency’s achievements: regulating emissions and reducing the circulation of ground-level ozone (“smog”) are a few examples. Even locally, the Environmental Protection Agency provides technical assistance, tools, and resources to assist states and communities in building climate resiliency and enhancing green technology.
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Proponents of Economic-Focused Climate Initiatives AND Skeptics of the Climate Crisis
The primary concern with government-intensive efforts to combat climate change are economic costs. Consequently, supporters of free-market environmentalism contend that fewer regulations and more property rights contribute to economic growth that is complementary to environmentalist initiatives. Increased wealth enables the allocation of more resources to green industries, they argue. Consumer wants, in addition to the costs of climate-induced geological shocks, is a big enough incentive for sufficient change on the firm level.
Supporters of this standpoint additionally observe the hypocrisy of political actors and certain “green” technologies. Some point to the Biden Administration’s recent approval of a massive Alaskan oil-drilling project, the nonexistent frameworks to sustain electric car powering, and China’s benefits from Biden’s war on energy.
Of course, the most extreme views on this debate are those that deny linkage between human activity and climate disturbances, citing concerns with the method in which scientific data is obtained or interpreted. These individuals underscore the need to reconsider solar and volcanic activity’s role in producing inflated temperatures, with some rejecting this notion altogether, arguing that global temperatures did not rise over the 15-year period from 1998 to 2013 despite rising carbon dioxide emissions. Other scientists seek a middle ground, arguing that popular models have overprojected rises in global temperatures. Within the scope of voting issues, climate change is currently on the “back burner” for the average American. The economy (particularly high gas prices) is at the forefront of national discourse, while the Pew Research Center found that climate change is the 17th biggest priority for voters.
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Property and Environment Research Center
Competitive Enterprise Institute
