Biden Succeeds in Uniting Climate People and Labor People—For Now
The democratic candidate’s plan has won over both groups, but he’ll have to choose between them if he’s elected.
Photo illustration by 731; Photo: Melina Mara/The Washington Post/Getty Images
Joe Biden’s climate plan promises to put the U.S. on a path to 100% clean energy and net-zero carbon emissions “no later than 2050.” It also vows that greening the U.S. economy will create millions of good-paying jobs, many of them in unions.
With this plan, the Democratic nominee for president has achieved an extraordinary feat: winning over both environmental activists and organized labor. But keeping those often-opposed constituencies happy inside the Democratic Party’s big tent will get tougher if the former vice president manages to get elected in November and has to choose between them.