Peace Garden News

BISMARCK– U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Chris Coons (D-DE), penned an op-ed in The Hill on how their bill, the Providing Reliable, Objective, Verifiable Emissions Intensity and Transparency (PROVE IT) Act is the first step in reducing reliance on other countries’ inflaming geopolitical tensions and the need to reward American manufacturers who uphold cleaner production standards.

“For too long, the United States and its allies have relied on bad actors like China and Russia for energy and critical supply chains. In an uncertain world, this needs to change. Working together with partner nations, we can reduce our reliance on those countries that not only inflame geopolitical tensions but dump dirty products onto the global market. We can also level the playing field for American manufacturers by giving them credit for the cleaner production standards they abide by,” wrote the senators.

“It’s not all doom and gloom, however. Europe scrambled to wean itself off Russian oil by making significant investments in renewables, boosting nuclear power and partnering with U.S. companies to meet its natural gas demand. On the raw materials side, the United States recently finalized a critical minerals pact with Japan, and we’re in talks with the European Union on a similar agreement. We also announced plans with our largest trading partner, Canada, to better secure our own energy supply, promote trade in cleaner goods, and develop a reliable North American critical minerals supply chain,” continued the senators.

“Measuring the carbon intensity of both raw materials and finished products can help go a long way toward better trade policies. Ultimately, it’s a win-win-win: We can reduce our reliance on bad actors and bring down global emissions, all while strengthening ties with like-minded nations and helping U.S. manufacturing compete. The planet — in more ways than one — needs us to,” concluded the senators.

Holding China Accountable for its Emissions-Heavy Manufacturing

By Senator Kevin Cramer

The Hill

6.8.2023

For too long, the United States and its allies have relied on bad actors like China and Russia for energy and critical supply chains. In an uncertain world, this needs to change. Working together with partner nations, we can reduce our reliance on those countries that not only inflame geopolitical tensions but dump dirty products onto the global market. We can also level the playing field for American manufacturers by giving them credit for the cleaner production standards they abide by.

First, though, we need data. That’s why we’ve introduced a new bill to study the carbon intensity of our industries compared to our partners and competitors, so we have concrete evidence that goods produced by countries like China require far more carbon to make than goods produced here at home. We can’t hold countries like China accountable for their emissions without first verifying the quantity and intensity of the emissions embedded in their products.

But this isn’t just an environmental issue — it’s an economic and security issue. China’s and Russia’s worst global impacts can be countered if the United States and its allies have a clear understanding of the influence they wield, and use it. Doing so, we can mitigate climate change while bolstering cleaner manufacturing here at home, yielding real benefits for our economies, global security and the health of our planet.

There’s no time to delay: Russia and China are only drawing closer together. When the United States and allies heavily sanctioned Russia for its brutal, full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, China stepped in to provide a growing new market for Russian oil. During Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trip to Moscow in March, the two countries announced a strategic partnership to develop the Northern Sea Route in the Arctic for shipping Russian oil, gas and coal to China.

It’s not all doom and gloom, however. Europe scrambled to wean itself off Russian oil by making significant investments in renewables, boosting nuclear power and partnering with U.S. companies to meet its natural gas demand. On the raw materials side, the United States recently finalized a critical minerals pact with Japan, and we’re in talks with the European Union on a similar agreement. We also announced plans with our largest trading partner, Canada, to better secure our own energy supply, promote trade in cleaner goods, and develop a reliable North American critical minerals supply chain.

However, we still face risks in our transition to a greener economy, notably from China’s current dominance of clean energy supply chains. China is the world’s largest manufacturer of solar panels and wind turbines. It has an alarming stronghold on the production of critical minerals required to produce everything from our cell phones to new clean energy technologies.

Despite producing these clean technologies, China’s overall emissions continue to rise — both domestically and in their exports. China still accounts for more than one-half of the world’s production and consumption of coal and steel, steel that’s primarily produced in coal-fired blast furnaces that release significant emissions. These emissions are embedded in the products we import from China, from computers to furniture.

Not only is this bad for the environment, but it hurts businesses in the United States and partner nations. Our own businesses adhere to tougher environmental standards, and the costs of their goods reflect that. We’re asking our businesses to compete in an unfair game.

There are incremental ways to remedy this, though. One example is the U.S.-proposed Global Arrangement on Sustainable Steel and Aluminum, which would promote cleaner trade in metals with the European Union. This model could be expanded to other sectors, such as fuels, glass, cement, and petrochemicals, and to partners beyond Europe. Placing tariffs on these products based on their emissions intensity would ensure producers around the world face the same costs as American producers when they try to sell into our market.

That brings us back to our new bill. We need reliable data to verify the emissions intensity of our imports if we’re going to use trade as a way to bring down emissions from China and other nations. Unfortunately, countries with poor environmental records currently have little to no verifiable emissions reporting. America needs to take the crucial first step and gather the necessary data to hold other nations accountable.

Measuring the carbon intensity of both raw materials and finished products can help go a long way toward better trade policies. Ultimately, it’s a win-win-win: We can reduce our reliance on bad actors and bring down global emissions, all while strengthening ties with like-minded nations and helping U.S. manufacturing compete.

The planet — in more ways than one — needs us to.

Original source can be found here.