The heat is on, the clock is ticking

It just got harder to save the planet, but we don't really have a choice

Welcome to a Thursday evening edition of Progressives Report.

The past few weeks have felt like a relentless doom cycle. Every waking hour is so saturated with bad news — the tragic shootings, the cynical and dangerous Supreme Court decisions, and the endless stream of sickening red state proposals that were undoubtedly based on model legislation written for the Salem Witch Trials. The only way to get through the day is by believing that smart people are working on solutions.

On Monday, we looked at what can be done to mitigate the harm of the vicious attack on reproductive rights unleashed by the Supreme Court.

Tonight, we’re going to look at policies at the federal and state levels to address climate change in the wake of another disastrous Supreme Court ruling.

None of these things will come easy, given the fundamental cautiousness of those in power at this moment. Many of them will require the sort of snap decisiveness that we’re just not used to seeing from leaders on this side of the aisle. But over the past 24 hours, we’ve seen some promising signs that we can force the White House to step up — on Thursday, President Biden finally agreed to call for a filibuster carve-out to codify reproductive rights in federal law. Soon after, the administration added a Friday meeting with blue state governors to discuss how they can enhance abortion access.

This is what proactive, accountability-based politics look like. It’s not a bad thing to publicly challenge politicians to do more and deliver on their promises. In fact, it’s good politics. Tonight, we’re going to look at what Democrats and civic-minded leaders can do to save the planet.

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by Natalie Meltzer

The Supreme Court adjourned for the summer today, but not before its reactionary supermajority took one final whack at modern civilization. And in this case, the court didn’t just set us back by 50 years, it may well have doomed humanity’s collective future, as well.

The 6-3 decision in West Virginia v. EPA severely limits the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate power plant emissions, returning that power to a Congress that is likely to be captured by the political party that filed this lawsuit.

This case wasn’t just about the EPA, either. With this decision, the court gutted a 40-year-old legal doctrine that had allowed Congress to delegate regulatory authority to federal agencies. The Environmental Protection Agency suddenly being mostly barred from protecting the environment also puts a big red bullseye on agencies created to oversee workplace safety, telecommunications, food and drugs, and health care. 

This is a major victory for the Federalist Society and its decades-long crusade against regulation, which has been fueled by corporate interests and nihilist billionaires who will be happy to watch the world burn from the spots in Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk’s rockets.

“They’re counting on lobbyists and dark money to keep Congress gridlocked, so that those new laws are impossible to pass,” said David Doniger of the NRDC. 

The urgency of this moment cannot be overstated. As the doomsday clock continues ticking toward midnight, we need bold action on greenhouse gas emissions wherever we can get it. Let’s look at what’s solutions are still possible, and what we can do to maximize their potential.