With one month left in office, the Biden administration is setting bold new goals for the United States’ efforts to combat climate change. On Thursday, the White House announced a national goal to reduce domestic greenhouse gas emissions by 61 to 66 percent below 2005 levels by 2035. This would keep the US on a “straight line” trajectory towards Biden’s ultimate goal of net zero emissions. Officials say emissions will be reduced by 2050. If this were to happen, the country would be emitting as much carbon as it sequesters through techniques such as forest and wetland restoration. In other words, it no longer plays any role in global warming.
The announcement is the latest in a series of climate-related actions that Biden is taking in his final months in office. Last week alone, his administration pushed for an international agreement to limit global fossil fuel financing and released a study warning against new export infrastructure for liquefied natural gas. These actions are aimed at ramping up environmental activism ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration in January.
Just as he did during his first term, Trump has promised to increase fossil fuel production when he takes office next year. He also defunded Biden’s landmark climate bill, the Inflation Control Act, and provided billions of dollars in subsidies and tax breaks to spur renewable energy deployment, making it a landmark The United States has also pledged to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Change Agreement again. The 2015 UN agreement aimed to limit global warming to below 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels. (The withdrawal process took years when President Trump first attempted it, but it is likely to go much faster this time.)
“The Biden-Harris administration may be leaving office soon, but we remain confident in America’s ability to rally around this new climate plan,” John Podesta, the administration’s senior climate adviser, said in a call with reporters. I’m confident.” “The U.S. federal government under President Trump may put climate action on the back burner, but in the United States, efforts to stop climate change will continue with dedication, passion, and conviction.”
Podesta argued that the Inflation Control Act (IRA) and other federal policies have created enough momentum that emissions will continue to decline even without further federal encouragement. He said the private sector has announced $450 billion in investment in clean energy projects over the past four years, much of it spurred by the IRA, and that more investments could continue under President Trump’s term. He pointed out that it is highly sexual. A Princeton University study found that this law would be enough to reduce U.S. emissions by up to 48 percent by 2035. This is a significant part of the new goal, but it is not completely achievable.
Much of the effort will fall on states, which can regulate their own power companies and encourage the switch to renewable energy sources. Cities operate their own public transportation systems and have energy-efficient building standards. Governors and mayors have long worked together towards more ambitious goals than the federal government even under a Democratic administration.
“Across the country, we’re seeing this: decarbonization Efforts to reduce emissions in a variety of ways can achieve escape velocity, an inexorable path, and a point of no return. ”
A broad coalition of governors, mayors, tribes, and businesses has committed to continuing climate progress over the next four years under the Trump administration, and more than 200 of these groups have developed their own climate change plans. are. They could try their own decarbonization efforts, as New York state plans to do through a new congestion pricing policy in Manhattan, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he plans to do so. , they could try their own decarbonization efforts through litigation against President Trump’s emissions-increasing policies.
Basic market forces are also at work. Renewable energy sources such as solar panels and wind turbines, and the batteries that store that energy, are plummeting in price. That’s part of why Texas isn’t a hub for climate action. Now we can generate more renewable energy more than any other state. and heat pumps (which use electricity instead of fossil fuels to move heat around the home). It now outsells gas furnaces. in the usa
“Pioneering offshore wind farms are providing clean electricity,” Zaidi said. “Decommissioned nuclear power plants are coming back online. America is rushing to develop solar power and batteries, not just their deployment, but also the means to stamp those products with ‘Made in America.’ . ”
The new plan places particular emphasis on the following initiatives: methanea powerful greenhouse gas that warms the Earth about 80 times faster than carbon dioxide, but remains in the atmosphere for a shorter period of time. Biden has introduced regulations aimed at penalizing most methane emissions from the oil and gas sector, and ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods has also urged Trump not to repeal them. There is. Last month, at the United Nations’ international climate conference COP29, the United States announced it would partner with China to develop technology to track and mitigate methane leaks from oil infrastructure. The administration said it expects methane emissions to fall by 35% over the next 10 years if the country meets broad climate change goals.
The United States has submitted new targets as part of its requirements under the Paris Agreement. The treaty requires countries to outline their climate change ambitions every five years in a document known as a Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). When Biden took office in 2021, he set a national commitment to reduce domestic greenhouse gas emissions by 50% to 52% from 2005 levels by 2030. The new 61-66% target for 2035 will put the United States in the middle of the pack by 2030. It will take part in this round of the Paris Climate Change Plan, which all countries are expected to submit in February. The UK announced an even more ambitious 81% reduction target at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan last month, but the United Arab Emirates has only committed to a 47% reduction over the same period. Brazil, which will host COP30 next year, has similar goals as Mr. Biden.
Some advocacy groups accused Mr. Biden of failing to set more ambitious targets in line with Britain’s goals.
“The Biden administration’s new national climate plan represents the bare minimum for climate action as a climate change denier attempts to enter the White House,” said Oxfam America, a global anti-poverty organization. said Ashfaq Khalfan, Director of Climate Justice. Advocacy group. “We are nowhere near the fair share of emissions reductions in the United States, historically the world’s biggest polluter.”
But some are praising Biden for accelerating his climate ambitions despite the bleak short-term outlook. Rachel Cleetus, climate policy director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said other countries would appreciate the outgoing government setting realistic targets for the country’s climate ambitions.
“I think the international community would welcome the United States demonstrating that it understands the importance of doing its part to meet global climate goals,” she said. “There are certainly challenges, but what are the problems? do not have It makes sense to let political winds dictate the future of the planet and the security of present and future generations of people. ”
