President Joe Biden Establishes New U.S. Climate Goals Just Weeks Prior to Donald Trump’s Inauguration | Science, Climate & Tech News
President Joe Biden has announced new climate objectives for the United States ahead of climate skeptic Donald Trump’s inauguration in January.
The outgoing president has revealed an ambitious new goal to reduce US greenhouse gas emissions by 61% from 2005 levels by the year 2035.
The decade-long plan aims to create “more good-paying jobs, more affordable energy, cleaner air, cleaner water, and healthier environments for everyone,” President Biden stated.
“I’m proud that my administration is implementing the most ambitious climate agenda in American history,” he continued, referencing his Inflation Reduction Act, which allocated hundreds of billions of dollars to green sectors.
Joe Biden has made a last-ditch effort to affect US climate policy before leaving office. Pic: Reuters
In reality, Donald Trump is anticipated to reverse many climate policies designed to combat climate change when he takes office on January 20.
However, nearly every nation globally is committed to the Paris climate agreement (which Mr. Trump withdrawn from during his first term) and must present a new climate plan for 2035 by February next year, known as an NDC (nationally determined contribution).
Most countries, aside from a few like the UK, have yet to release their NDCs.
The Biden administration was eager to roll out the US plan before Mr. Trump assumes office.
President-elect Trump has questioned established climate science and has labeled climate change a “hoax,” although he has been less vocal on the topic this year.
He is expected to disregard climate targets and withdraw the US from the landmark Paris agreement once more, which President Biden rejoined at the beginning of his term.
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Climate fight ‘bigger than one election’
Target set as a ‘North Star’
The new goal is not legally binding, but President Biden’s team indicated it would serve as a guide for states, businesses, and organizations to continue climate initiatives during Mr. Trump’s second term.
John Podesta, US climate envoy, said: “American climate leadership is shaped by so much more than just who occupies the Oval Office.”
He emphasized that during Trump’s first presidency, governments, businesses, and investors formed the America Is Still In coalition to maintain climate efforts, which has now grown to 5,000 members.
John Podesta at COP29 in Baku this year. Pic: AP
New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, stated that the new goal will “serve as our North Star, guiding us in the years ahead and keeping America on course towards a cleaner, safer future.”
Nevertheless, Gautam Jain from the Centre for Global Energy Policy at Columbia University remarked that without fresh incentives, he was “unsure how significant an impact the target would have” on businesses and investors.
He pointed out that even the existing incentives from the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act have not been sufficient to put the US on track to meet its interim 2030 targets, while initiatives at the state level would continue independently.
However, while there “may not be immediate effects,” the target could “establish a foundation” for the next president in 2029 to swiftly resume climate action, he noted.
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How has Donald Trump reacted?
Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for Donald Trump, who will become the youngest-ever White House press secretary when he assumes office, declined to comment on the target.
However, she stated during his previous term from 2016 to 2020, he managed to produce “affordable, reliable energy for consumers while also creating stable, high-paying jobs for small businesses – all while reducing US carbon emissions to their lowest level in 25 years”.
While emissions did decrease during Mr. Trump’s first term, the rate of decline slowed, and part of the reduction was linked to the economic recession.
In his second term, Mr. Trump will “once again provide clean air and water for American families while Making America Wealthy Again,” Ms. Leavitt added.
US climate action has global implications
President Biden’s new strategy includes all greenhouse gases from the entire US economy, aiming for net-zero emissions by 2050, according to the White House.
The direction the US takes on climate matters will have international consequences. It is the largest historical emitter and the second-largest current emitter.
Additionally, as the world’s wealthiest nation, other countries look to the US to set high standards or provide reasons for them to delay their own actions.
Debbie Weyl, acting US director at the World Resources Institute, commented: “The 2035 emissions reduction target is at the lower bound of what the science demands, yet it approaches the upper bound of what is feasible if nearly every policy lever were leveraged.”
“Proactive measures by states and cities will be critical in attaining this goal.”
At the COP29 climate summit, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer introduced the UK’s new climate target to decrease emissions by 81% by 2035.
