New York Times opinion columnist Farhad Manjoo expressed his hopelessness over the fact that Senator Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., had allegedly denied America’s opportunity to combat climate change.
Manjoo started his piece recounting how in 2021 he thought that Joe Biden winning the White House and Democrats winning control of Congress presented “a rare window of political opportunity — their [the Democrats’] first chance since 2010 to pass major federal legislation to reduce our carbon emissions.”
Though he now fears the Democratic Party has squandered that opportunity.
“Now, in the face of united Republican opposition, and with midterm politicking rapidly approaching, could Democrats seize what I called ‘the country’s last best political opportunity’ to address climate change and pass Biden’s plan?” he asked.
Answering his own question, he claimed “Well, a year has passed, and the answer is in: Nope.”
Manjoo set his sights on Manchin for striking the crucial blow against this opportunity, writing, “When Senator Joe Manchin pulled his support last week for even a significantly scaled-down version of Biden’s climate plan, America’s great window of opportunity all but slammed shut.”
The author admitted he was not surprised by the senator’s decision, though admitted that “for me it still packed a wallop.”
Launching into a dramatic description of Manchin crushing his dreams, Manjoo wrote, “Was I thrown into a spiral of despair about the incapacity of our political system to take on urgent issues? Was I left feeling hopeless about the world’s efforts to avoid climate scientists’ worst-case scenarios?”
He added one more question, asking, “Did I wonder more than once what even was the point of Democrats running the show if they could not secure this plan?”
“Yeah, maybe just a little,” he declared in response to all three questions.
Manjoo asserted that “It is difficult to overstate the case for a huge federal effort on climate change,” as if such governance was not in dispute. “It’s popular — most Americans think Congress should address the causes and effects of climate change. And because there are new disasters brought about by a warming planet seemingly every week now, the issue will only grow more urgent,” Manjoo claimed.
To bring the point home, he mentioned, “About 100 million Americans are sweating through severe heat this week.”
He also insisted that the Biden plan, which Manchin killed, makes “economic sense” because “a global transition to renewable fuels is already underway.” If we don’t adopt the plan, “we risk falling further behind in industries that will dominate the future,” the author claimed.
Manjoo also acknowledged that relying on fossil fuel does “us no national security favors” because it leaves us reliant on a “brutal petromonarch for more oil,” he said, mentioning President Biden’s trip to speak with Saudi Arabian crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.
“It’s precisely the strength of the case for federal climate action that has left me feeling so down,” Manjoo lamented.
He mentioned how even “climate experts” told him “not to abandon all hope” on this issue and how the deputy director of environmental group Breakthrough Institute Alex Trembath warned Manjoo that his “do-or-die” talking points are “bound to provoke nihilism.”
According to the columnist, Trembath reassured him that “some of the most effective American environmental regulations were passed ‘quietly.’” Though that didn’t seem to calm Manjoo, whose conversation with UC Santa Barbara political scientist Leah Stokes reignited his alarm.
Manjoo wrote that Stokes was “skeptical that ‘quiet’ climate policy will continue to yield benefits.” According to the political scientist, the fossil fuel industry has gotten wise to Democrats passing regulations under the radar. “The fossil fuel industry is not stupid. They know what we’re up to. And they will fight every little thing we try to put anywhere,” Stokes told Manjoo.
Stokes’ assessment further frayed Manjoo’s nerves. The columnist asked, “Where, then, are we left with American climate policy? Not anyplace good. Joe Manchin has squandered his party’s best opportunity to mitigate catastrophe, and Joe Biden has few options for what to do next.”
“I hate to sound defeatist, but I don’t see an alternative. If you aren’t despairing about the climate, you aren’t paying attention,” he concluded.
Gabriel Hays is an associate editor at Fox News. Follow him on Twitter at @gabrieljhays.
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