President Biden’s Climate and Constituent Catastrophe

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LIV SCHROEDER: While hailed as a Democratic success by many, Biden has failed to appease a growing population of crucial voters — young people worried about climate change. 

The president has repeatedly come under fire for his inconsistent record on climate action. On his first day in office, Biden reversed a Trump administration action that had removed the United States from the Paris Climate Accords. A year and a half later, the president and Democratic leadership in Congress facilitated the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act — the largest climate investment in the history of the United States. However, it should be noted that this act still mandates new oil and gas lease sales. Now, oil and gas are at peak production. As of January 2022, Biden outpaced the Trump administration with a record number of 6,430 oil and gas leases during the first two years of his presidency.

While Democrats concerned about the presidential election tend to adopt more moderate policy, environmental advocates have fought to push Biden towards the left. At the forefront of these calls to action are young people.

The 2020 presidential election showcased record youth voter turnout on Election Day. After sweeping the votes of the youth and the frontline communities that are disproportionately impacted by environmental injustice, Biden’s actions have not reflected his campaign promises.

The president made bold promises on the campaign trail, even pledging to end fossil fuel development and drilling on federal land. In a debate hosted by CNN, Biden declared, “Number one: no more subsidies for the fossil fuel industry. No more drilling on federal lands. No more drilling, including offshore. No ability for the oil industry to continue to drill. Period. Ends.”

In the biggest blow to the environment, on March 13, 2023 the Biden administration approved the Willow Project. At the time of its approval, the Willow Project was the largest fossil fuel development on federal land in U.S. history. Willow, a 200+ well oil development, is now being constructed on Alaska’s North Slope within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This will add 250 million metric tons of carbon into the atmosphere over the next 30 years, which is equivalent to the annual emissions from one-third of all remaining U.S. coal plants, or 76 new plants. The project will devastate the largest remaining untouched piece of wilderness in the United States.

The “#StopWillow” campaign was a unique catalyst for the environmental movement. The call to action went viral on social media as millions of young people signed petitions and wrote letters to the White House. Ultimately, the administration still greenlit the project, citing legal concerns that revoking the lease sales would bring the entire Willow Project to court. The Biden administration argued that taking executive action to limit Alaskan drilling alongside the Willow Project would be better than a potential loss in court.

Ultimately, Biden’s approval of the Willow Project reflects not only a rejection of calls to action by environmentalists across the country, but a deep disconnect with his core constituency. A poll conducted by Pew Research found that “young voters overwhelmingly — about 62 percent — support phasing out fossil fuels entirely.” Amidst continued actions and demands from young people, the president continues to approve oil and gas developments, notably including the Alaska LNG project and the Mountain Valley Pipeline.

Biden’s climate woes continue today. Recently, the president failed to receive the invitation required for the recent UN Climate Ambition Summit, an event for world leaders with “credible actions, policies and plans” for fighting climate change. This rejection arrived on the heels of unprecedented strikes for climate justice, specifically the March To End Fossil Fuels that brought 75,000 people into the streets of New York City.

While the outcome of the 2024 election is currently unclear, the policy priorities of young voters are crystal clear. A poll conducted by Data for Progress after the Willow Project’s approval, found a 13% drop in public approval of Biden’s climate agenda by voters ages 18-29. Simply put, a viable 2024 Joe Biden re-election campaign requires the very votes that are currently being alienated by an administration in bed with the fossil fuel industry.

Liv Schroeder is a staff writer for On The Record. Originally from Seattle, Washington, she is a junior in the College, studying Government and Environmental Studies.