Thread by @leahstokes

After a long dry spell, today we have a new climate plan! It’s another one from @ewarren, and it’s a Blue New Deal for our oceans. Get ready to dig into what’s in this plan with me, in another edition of my climate plan THREADS! 🧵
elizabethwarren.com/plans/blue-new…

@ewarren As @ayanaeliza points out, our oceans are on the frontlines of the climate crisis. They have absorbed most of the warming our planet is experiencing, and a lot of the carbon. Our oceans are stressed by ocean acidification + coral bleaching! 2/
washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/…

@ewarren @ayanaeliza Our oceans can also be a climate solution! To make that happen, we need offshore wind. Right now, we only have 1 plant in the entire country. The plan to "streamline and fast-track permitting for offshore renewable energy” is great. 3/
energy.gov/eere/articles/…

@ewarren @ayanaeliza To ensure that we can speed up offshore wind development, we need the community to support these projects. That's why I'm excited about the focus in this plan on Community Benefits Agreements. 4/

@ewarren @ayanaeliza To make our oceans a climate solution, we can’t just ramp up clean energy development there, we must also end offshore fossil fuel extraction. I've very excited to see a plan to end not just new leases, but existing offshore drilling. Wow! 5/

@ewarren @ayanaeliza Not only are oil companies releasing tons of dangerous carbon pollution, they are not paying their fair share in royalties! As this recent reporting from @HirokoTabuchi showed, a government loophole has let Big Oil avoid paying $18 billion! Terrible. 6/
nytimes.com/2019/10/24/cli…

@ewarren @ayanaeliza @HirokoTabuchi There’s also a focus on fisheries, which are at risk because of climate change and overfishing. If our fisheries collapse, that doesn’t just put species at risk, it also puts Americans jobs at risk. And it’s terrible for subsistence fishing globally. 7/
nytimes.com/2019/02/28/cli…

@ewarren @ayanaeliza @HirokoTabuchi Research suggests our oceans can help reduce emissions by absorbing carbon through seaweed + algae. As one of our students, @phoeberacine, is studying—this could even be used to create a biofuel. Great to see policy for regenerative ocean farming and marine carbon sequestration!

@ewarren @ayanaeliza @HirokoTabuchi @phoeberacine We also know that ocean trash is becoming an increasingly dire problem, as plastic fills our seas. We need our government to be focusing on how to reduce plastic pollution and I’m glad to see the beginning of a plan for that here. 9/
theoceancleanup.com/great-pacific-…

@ewarren @ayanaeliza @HirokoTabuchi @phoeberacine There’s also a big focus here on climate adaptation. One area where we need to make a lot of progress is in helping people move out of flood plains. I think it’s great to see the plan to reform the national flood insurance program — much needed! 10/

@ewarren @ayanaeliza @HirokoTabuchi @phoeberacine As usual, there’s lots more in this complex climate plan: a focus on managing drought, investing in the great lakes, holding Big Ag companies accountable for pollution, and more! I encourage you to take a look at the plan yourself. 11/
elizabethwarren.com/plans/blue-new…

@ewarren @ayanaeliza @HirokoTabuchi @phoeberacine And if you’re interested in understanding @ewarren’s past climate plans, I’ve got some threads for that! 12/

https://twitter.com/leahstokes/status/1156243055013482496

@ewarren @ayanaeliza @HirokoTabuchi @phoeberacine And here’s another older thread!

Enjoy your wonky climate plan day, my friends! Let’s all work hard together to protect our oceans and our entire planet from the climate crisis! /FIN!

https://twitter.com/leahstokes/status/1169023888644354048

@ewarren @ayanaeliza @HirokoTabuchi @phoeberacine Addendum! Check out this great analysis of the latest @ewarren climate plan from @DataProgress.

Their report shows how much public support there is for a #BlueNewDeal! Very exciting to see this polling! dataforprogress.org/blog/2019/12/1…