It’s August. Anybody in government with the power to change policy has been on vacation for the last three weeks. That’s why all the media can cover is Hillary Clinton’s email scandal and Donald Trump’s attempt to incite ethnic cleansing. Obama has been so quiet on Martha’s Vineyard, I think some people have forgotten that he’s still the president.
It’s a little hard to write an entry for "Stuff Government Does" when the government isn’t doing anything, so this will be a thin month. But big advances were made in two areas. And with the September calendar full of, as Trump would say, yuge political events, this policy drought should be over soon.
EPA’s Clean Power Plan: Given that it’s the biggest thing our government has ever done to combat the greatest threat to civilization ever faced, I hope you heard about the EPA’s plan to regulate emissions from existing coal-fired power plants, but in case you didn’t, here’s the lowdown: each state will be given an individualized goal for reducing carbon emissions from power plants, based on that state’s existing energy makeup. Each state can choose how to get there: switching from coal to natural gas, encouraging more efficient home energy use, building renewables, whatever. If the state refuses to come up with a workable plan, the EPA will make one for them. The net affect will be to reduce nationwide carbon emissions by 32% below 2005 levels by 2030.
Methane is another greenhouse gas that leaks from oil and natural gas wells. And on August 17th, the EPA announced a plan to lower nationwide methane emissions by 45% below 2012 levels over the next ten years. Earlier this summer, the EPA also mandated a 24% increase in the fuel efficiency of heavy trucks.
Will these regulations stop climate change on their own? Of course not. Stopping climate change will require significant technological advances. But initial reductions can slow the process. And I believe at chipping away at problems even when a full solution does not exist. When we find that solution, we’ll be glad for the head start these regulations will give us.
More importantly, in December world leaders are going to get together to take another swing at a binding global greenhouse gas reduction agreement. Without the US, an agreement is not possible; the new big emitters, principally China, will never agree to binding cuts if the US, the historically biggest emitter and per-capita biggest waster of energy on the planet, does not.
With climate change, it’s not enough to just be on the right track. But being on the right track is better than not being on any track at all. This puts us on the right track.
Target’s elimination gendered toy displays: Since this is a light month for government work, I want to bring attention to Target’s decision to remove gender-based signage from the toy section of their retail locations. They’ll also remove the pink, blue, yellow, and green paper from the back walls of their toy shelves.
Defining certain toys, aesthetics, activities, and ways of talking and thinking as male or female for young children will make it harder for them to live freely as adults. This is a big step towards a world where kids can play with whatever toys they want without worrying if something is wrong with them. Tomorrow’s children will grow up that much more self-assured.
Props to Target for doing the right thing here — despite what the Fox News crowd has to say.