Tom Steyer’s Climate Plan Addresses The Arctic, The Ocean And More — But Will It Work?

Although the Democratic presidential candidate debate last week did not include any questions concerning climate change (CNN did host a “climate crisis town hall” last month), many candidates have suggested policy strategies on how to tackle this issue, if elected. In July, former financial investor-turned candidate Tom Steyer released a “Framework for a Justice-Centered Climate Plan.” And, earlier this month, Steyer released his International Climate Justice Plan, which illustrates the role that climate change will play in foreign policy efforts, if Steyer is elected.

During a phone call earlier this month, Steyer shared that he was inspired to develop an International Climate Justice Plan that is separate from the Justice-Centered Climate Plan that his campaign previously released because climate change is not purely a domestic issue. And, that given the resources that the U.S. possesses, it has the opportunity to showcase leadership on a global scale while also providing assistance to communities and countries in need.

One of the most unique aspects of Steyer’s plan is that it includes building diplomatic and scientific infrastructure around efforts to explore the rapidly melting Arctic region and protecting the species within it. The plan seeks to create a “Special Representative for the Arctic” in the Department of Defense to help the U.S. respond to any issues of national security related to climate change and natural resource extraction. It additionaly aims to invest in research that explores how melting “permafrost” (a thick layer of soil that remains perennially frozen) & ice sheets will influence the climate and subsistence livelihoods practiced by many Indigenous peoples.

Steyer’s plan also devotes a section to conserving the world’s oceans. It briefly describes efforts to expand ocean-based renewable energy. Additionally, there are plans to protect and restore ecosystems that have the ability to absorb and store carbon (so-called “blue carbon sinks”), using Marine Protected Areas to foster biodiversity and fisheries in the oceans, and would institute regulations that would “ [end] ocean acidification and agricultural runoff that causes hypoxia,” though the means by which this would occur are unclear.

This might be considered an improvement to the Green New Deal, which has been criticized for down-playing the importance of the oceans in buffering the impacts of climate change. But, other than the nod to putting a stopper on changes in ocean chemistry, Steyer’s plan does not address how the climate change-dampening services would also be preserved. Given that the oceans have absorbed one-third of the carbon dioxide and 90 percent of the excess heat that humans have emitted, these are indeed critical services in need of preservation.

While unable to directly address how his plan would support these important natural services that the ocean provides, Steyer shared that he believed his plan creates an opportunity to advance blue-green technologies such as using seaweeds and seagrasses to sequester carbon and build global renewable energy capacity.

Overall, Steyer’s International Climate Justice Plan is both comprehensive and ambitious. It addresses that climate change could pose national security risks that may require fortifying military infrastructure against climate-influenced natural disasters. Further, the plan provides support for other nations, from sharing clean energy technology with Least Developed Nations, quashing fossil fuel financing programs, and providing support for climate refugees within the U.S. and abroad. And, it includes the U.S. re-entering the Paris Climate Agreement and transitioning the domestic economy so that it is fully carbon neutral by 2045.

Decarbonizing the economy requires substantial technological development and social license as it may require immense shifts in standards and expectations of living. Steyer’s plan does call for satellites that can detect climate pollutants in an effort to hold polluters accountable as well as cleaner cookstoves, which are often used in developing countries and can cause respiratory health problems while also polluting the environment.

Ultimately, Steyer believes that climate change presents an opportunity for rapid innovation. Just as wartime needs have facilitated unprecedented technological advancements, climate change presents a similar challenge and opportunity. And, it is an opportunity for the United States to take the helm as we quickly work to resolve the climate crisis.