Decarbonizing the Defense Department
Even without legislation and new funding, on January 20, 2021, the Biden administration can utilize the federal government’s huge purchasing power to begin transitioning away from fossil fuels. Federal buildings can be made more energy efficient and can switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy. The government should convert its motor vehicle fleet from the internal combustion engines to electric vehicles. New legislation would help, but many of these goals could be achieved with existing authorities and reallocation of current resources. Over the past two semesters, I’ve served as faculty advisor to a group of students in Columbia University’s MPA program in Environmental Science and Policy that has focused on decarbonizing the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).