Oct 8, 2020 - Energy & Environment

Biden mulls new White House climate role

Ben Geman, author of Generate

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

Joe Biden is considering a special new White House office to coordinate and elevate global warming initiatives if he wins, Bloomberg reports (and a h/t to @CarbonBrief for flagging).

Why it matters: The story, and a similar Politico piece, show how Biden's team is thinking about how to organize his plans that would span a suite of agencies.

What they're saying: People who could lead it include former secretary of state John Kerry, Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee, and John Podesta, who worked on climate in Obama's White House and was also Bill Clinton's chief of staff, Bloomberg reports.

Flashback: The idea is hardly new. Carol Browner, who ran Bill Clinton's EPA, served as White House climate "czar" for the first couple years of Obama's tenure.

The big picture: There are several ideas in circulation for how the White House should structure its efforts.

"Another option...is whether to appoint someone to the White House National Security Council whose sole focus would be climate matters," Politico notes.

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Ben Geman, author of Generate
Oct 20, 2020 - Energy & Environment

The U.S.-China climate rupture

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Well that, as Ron Burgundy would say, escalated quickly. China's foreign ministry is accusing the Trump administration of "major retrogression" on climate and being an environmental "troublemaker."

Why it matters: China's unusual statement Monday widens the rupture between the world's largest carbon emitters as global climate efforts are flagging and the pandemic's effect on emissions is too small to be consequential in the long term.

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Amy Harder, author of Generate
4 hours ago - Energy & Environment

Climate change goes mainstream in presidential debate

Photo illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photo: Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty

The most notable part of Thursday’s presidential debate on climate change was the fact it was included as a topic and assumed as a fact.

The big picture: This is the first time in U.S. presidential history that climate change was a featured issue at a debate. It signals how the problem has become part of the fabric of our society. More extreme weather, like the wildfires ravaging Colorado, is pushing the topic to the front-burner.

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Mike Allen, Margaret Talev, Alayna Treene
5 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Finally, a real debate

Photo: Morry Gash/AP

A more disciplined President Trump held back from the rowdy interruptions at tonight's debate in Nashville, while making some assertions so outlandish that Joe Biden chuckled and even closed his eyes. A Trump campaign adviser told Axios: "He finally listened." 

The result: A real debate.

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