Can we afford to invest in the future of human civilization?

PRESENTED BY THE NULL HYPOTHESIS

Our friend Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) on Monday is very worried:

Was he talking about:

• A) Global warming

• B) Inflation

Ha! Of course it’s not global warming! And of course Manchin doesn’t want to rein in corporate profiteering or raise wages, he wants to block social and climate infrastructure programs in the Build Back Better Act.

So, Chesapeake Climate Action Network is organizing a national phonebank to press our friend Joe Manchin to pass the Build Back Better Act. Today through Thursday— December 14th, 15th, and 16th—participants will be calling folks in West Virginia and offering to patch them through to Manchin's voicemail. Sign up for a shift!

Yesterday, Vice President Kamala Harris left the Shire to announce the White House’s comprehensive electric vehicle charging action plan, built on the $7.5 billion in funding passed through the bipartisan infrastructure package.¹ The administration is hopin to rapidly deploy a network of 500,000 chargers across the nation, though Congress has as yet limited its funding and authority to do so. Speaking at an EV charging facility in Brandywine, Maryland, Harris began with words of concern and support for the tornado victims, then awkwardly pivoted to her announcement of the administration’s impressive electric vehicle plan.

There was an evident reluctance to state clearly that a fundamental reason for investing in fossil-fuel-free transportation is to stop fueling disasters like these tornadoes.

There’s no need for the caution. Although there are global-warming deniers among the manly storm-chaser community (who can be loud on social media), tornado scientists now recognize the obvious and are restating Kevin Trenberth’s maxim: “the right question to ask now may be whether anyone can prove that climate change is not influencing tornadoes and the environment in which they form.”

GLOBAL CLIMATE FINANCE: Today, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is holding a nominations hearing for a swath of international finance agencies—the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, the African Development Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the Millennium Challenge Corporation.

• The USTDA runs the Global Partnership for Climate-Smart Infrastructure. USTDA also supports international fossil-fuel projects.

• The African Development Bank is allocating 40 percent of project approvals to climate finance. It also finances fossil-fuel projects.

• The Inter-American Development Bank has allocated limited funding in the past to climate finance, and finances both renewable and fossil-fuel projects.

• The Millennium Challenge Corporation has recently announced plans to “commit more than 50 percent of our program funding to climate-related investments over the next five years.” The Corporation has financed several electricity modernization projects around the world.

BUBBLE POP! And at 11 this morning, the Center for American Progress and Sierra Club are presenting research on the greenhouse pollution financed by the largest banks and asset managers in the United States. They will discuss “actions the Biden administration can take to curtail this problem before the carbon bubble bursts.”

ERMAGERD, JERBS: The great Rainforest Action Network has a major opening for a Climate and Energy Program Director (salary range $105k to $120k). Stop the Money Pipeline is hiring as well, looking for a US Banks Campaign Manager ($75k) and Digital Campaign Manager ($75k). And New York Renews is looking for a full-time Communications Coordinator ($65k-$75k).

Hearings on the Hill:

• 2:30 PM: Senate Foreign Relations
  Nominations of Enoh Ebong to be Director of U.S.T.D.A., Oren Whyche-Shaw to be U.S. Director of the African Development Bank, Leopoldo Nucete and Maria Jorge to the Inter-American Development Bank, Alice Albright to be CEO of Millennium Challenge Corp.

Climate Action Today:

• 11 AM: Center for American Progress and Sierra Club
  Wall Street's Carbon Bubble

• 6 PM: Chesapeake Climate Action Network
  Phonebank West Virginians to Call Sen. Manchin to Pass the Build Back Better Act!

—@climatebrad

1. The stalled Build Back Better Act has another $27 billion in electric-vehicle funding. Joe Manchin is concerned.

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