Centre Climate: Climate issues require collaboration, no matter who wins the election

Climate change is part of the debate as never before. Both presidential candidates frame it as an issue of energy and jobs: the Paris accord would “sacrifice tens of millions of jobs” or a green economy “will create 18.6 million jobs.”

Lately, former Vice President Joe Biden has been pressed on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking – if he’s so intent on responding to climate change, does this mean he will ban fracking? It’s an important question, but I think it’s misguided. The only way we will effectively respond to climate change is if we work together, not pit one side against the other.

There’s no question that fracking is big business, and well pads are found throughout central Pennsylvania. Extracting methane from these old shale formations is changing the economy and the ecology in our region; we sell our gas all over the northeast, and most of our electricity now comes from this fossil fuel. Therefore, any sudden change would cause economic havoc.

Every politician knows this, and so an immediate ban on fracking will never happen. Rather, regulation and oversight are all we can do in the short term to limit the harms of extraction.

Biden may not want to say this, because it angers climate activists, and for good reason. With the huge amount of natural gas that Pennsylvania produces (6.9 trillion cubic feet in 2019), we contribute significantly to global warming. By my estimate, burning this much natural gas each year emits more carbon dioxide than many countries, including highly developed countries like Belgium and Austria.

There is also the direct warming that results from natural gas leaking into the atmosphere. Leaks are invisible, but occur at well pads, pipelines and other areas of transfer. Methane, the main component of natural gas, is a far more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

Also, the gas will not last forever – at some point, probably by the end of this century, it will become harder and harder to tap the shale. This is true for all fossil fuels, since we are using them about a million times faster than nature makes them.

The question is: Do we burn them all and then look for alternatives, or do we go to alternatives now? Already, generating electricity with wind power is cheaper than coal and is close to the price of natural gas; same with solar. So, the economic argument is obvious.

The environmental argument is also a slam dunk. If we burn all the gas locked up in the Marcellus Shale, it will be “game over” for civilization as we know it. Already, cycles of drought, wildfires, and torrential rains are increasing worldwide, not just here.

So, while I’m sure that fracking jobs are safe for now, we would be smart, economically and environmentally, to move to more wind and solar. But we would be dumb to do that without consulting the hardworking men and women who produce this gas, or the coal miners, or truck drivers, etc. Responding to climate change is about imagining a better, cleaner world, one that we can all help build.

One possible mechanism is the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a “cap and trade” program that has been in place for 15 years now; it has significantly reduced carbon emissions in several Northeast states while growing economies. Pennsylvania now has a chance to join, and doing so would help us make a faster transition to solar and wind power.

Don’t like big government choosing winners and losers? Then a simple price on carbon is a way to let the market decide. Right now, the cost of shale gas does not reflect its social and environmental impact. Adding to that price creates a dividend that can be used to subsidize energy costs for lower income families, or to invest in more alternative energy.

Both Mexico and Canada have prices on carbon, as does China. And all three are making big investments in alternative energy.

No matter who wins the election, changes to our climate will become increasingly dire. If we can be creative and face these challenges together, we will leave a better environment and a more unified commonwealth for future generations.