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Valerie Luzadis, a professor of environmental studies at SUNY-ESF, hopes Joe Biden’s presidency will lead to a renewed political effort to address climate change and other environmental issues.

Luzadis, who serves as president of the United States Society for Ecological Economics, has worked with individuals in the national security and military fields who wanted to address climate change but couldn’t under President Donald Trump’s administration.

“(Climate) wasn’t front and center because it wasn’t allowed to be,” Luzadis said. “I think we’ve rounded the bend on this being something we can’t talk about.”

Biden, a former vice president and Syracuse University alumnus, obtained over 290 electoral votes to become the 46th U.S. president. SUNY-ESF students and faculty said that, while they’re hoping for a greater emphasis on environmental policies under Biden’s administration, they’re still worried about whether it will be enough.  

Sophia Mitchell, a freshman environmental biology major at SUNY-ESF, was relieved when Biden won. Mitchell, a first-time voter, hopes the new administration will pay greater attention to the scientific community. 

Biden has committed to re-entering the U.S. into the Paris Climate Agreement, a multilateral agreement through the United Nations to reduce carbon emissions to curb climate change. Trump announced in 2017 that he was pulling the U.S. out of the agreement.

But some professors said Biden’s power to shape climate policy could be limited, especially if the Democratic Party does not gain control of the Senate, leaving a divided Congress.

“We’re really limiting the possibilities,” Luzadis said. “Congress has a huge amount of power, as per the design.”

Biden’s track record of reaching compromises with the opposite party could facilitate legislation to curb climate change, regardless of whether Congress leans Democratic or Republican, said Andrea Feldpausch-Parker, an associate professor in the department of environmental studies.

“He has much more skill as a person that can work in bipartisan spaces,” Feldpausch-Parker said.

Some SUNY-ESF professors said that the outcome of state and local races will also have an impact on environmental action in politics. 

In Colorado, voters narrowly passed Proposition 114, a vote mandating the reintroduction of the gray wolf, an endangered species. Luzadis said state-level actions such as Proposition 114 present another pathway for conservation policy if action stalls in Congress. 

Despite the uncertainty around how the results of the 2020 election will impact environmental legislation, Feldpausch-Parker is optimistic that climate and conservation activists will keep pushing for change.

“Never underestimate our scrappiness and ability to problem solve when resources are scarce,” she said. “Groups are chomping at the bit to act.”

Published on November 12, 2020 at 2:28 am

Contact Mary: mmrand@syr.edu