Much of my plan to combat climate change involves calls for research. To funnel that funding and research efficiently, we need to set up a new system of National Labs that are much more distributed and less top-down than we’ve traditionally had in this country.
This new system - run through the Department of Technology - would hear proposals from different organizations on how they would use research funds in order to advance the fight against climate change. Different models would be considered and funded, without the organization itself proscribing any particular structure. Funding through this organization would require sharing all data, and patents generated would face forced licensing so that others could build off of the successes.
Additionally, the extreme effects of climate change - including, but not limited to increased hurricanes, wildfires, precipitation, droughts, heavy downpours, heat waves, mudslides, tornadoes, avalanches, and more - will continue to be unpredictable for years to come. To monitor the ongoing effects of climate change, I will establish the Climate Change Adaptation Institute. It will be tasked with monitoring the impact of climate change and recommending ways to adapt to the new world that we’re living in. It’s important to stay optimistic and mitigate our impact on the environment; it’s just as important to adapt to the damage already done.
Problems to be Solved
- checkThere is so much about climate change we do not know. Research efforts can quickly become disjointed and counterproductive if the government and private sectors do not work together.
- checkResearch in the effects of climate change will be a never-ending need.
- America is a country of inventors, builders, entrepreneurs, and risk-takers. We need to unlock that energy to solve the greatest problem of our time.
Goals
- checkEnsure the government and private sector work together in the fight against climate change
- checkRecognize the ongoing need for research and innovation
As President I will...
- Create a new, distributed National Lab system, with a $3 billion annual budget that allows for many different types of partnerships and organizations to work together to solve some of the biggest energy problems we face.
- This system will lower the bureaucracy and hassle of working under a government contract so that scientists, engineers, inventors, and entrepreneurs can focus on innovating.
- Establish a Climate Change Adaptation Institute with a starting annual budget of $4.5 billion to monitor the ongoing effects of climate change and propose new adaptation measures, including:
- Better urban planning, better farming methods, and better land use, especially with respect to water management during droughts.
- Educational drives to inform people on how to cope with heat waves, and prepare treatment centers to quickly respond to and treat individuals suffering from the effects of a heat wave.
- Better equipping local officials to respond to emergencies such as floods, droughts, landslides, mudslides, avalanches and outbreaks.