ENR hearing examined opportunities for energy innovation and potential solutions to address climate change 

To watch a video of Senator Manchin’s opening remarks, please click here.

To watch a video of Senator Manchin’s questioning, please click here.

Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, questioned Hon. David Sandalow, Inaugural Fellow at Center for Global Energy Policy, Columbia University, about what can be done to incentivize India and China to burn fossil fuels cleaner.  

“Global climate is not the U.S. climate and it’s not the North American climate. And for some reason we lose sight of that. We think if we penalize, the rest of the world will follow suit. From what I understand, the average coal plant in Asia is 11 or 12 years old and they plan on running for another 30 years. What do you all plan to do there or how do we get them on board?” Senator Manchin asked.

“Like you said there is not solution without engaging China and India. One core piece is US leadership, One thing I hear all the time when I travel is, ‘we think you’re not doing anything on climate change right now because your political leadership is denying the reality of it.’ And I say, that’s just not true. Look at the statistics. Look at what we’re actually doing. That is extremely important. Then, innovation and low-carbon technologies, when we produce cheap solar innovation, when we produce innovations in a variety of other areas they spread around the world,” Hon. Sandalow said.

To watch the hearing in full, please click here.