The US president-elect reiterated his campaign pledge that his administration will set a target of cutting US emissions to net-zero ‘no later than 2050’
The US is that the only country to withdraw from the worldwide pact. It can still attend negotiations and provides opinions, but is relegated to “observer status”.
In a statement, the president-elect said that his administration will increase the ambition of the US’ domestic climate target and put the country on a sustainable path to realize net-zero emissions no later than 2050.
“We’ll elevate the incredible work cities, states, and businesses are doing to assist reduce emissions and build a cleaner future. We’ll hear and have interaction closely with the activists, including children , who have continued to sound the alarm and demand change from those in power,” he said.
“And we’ll do all of this knowing that we’ve before us a huge economic opportunity to make jobs and prosperity reception and export clean American-made products round the world, harnessing our climate ambition during a way that’s good for American workers and therefore the US economy,” he added.
Noting that five years ago the planet gathered to adopt the Paris Agreement on global climate change , Biden said it created an unprecedented framework for global action to avoid potentially catastrophic planetary warming while building global resilience to the climate impacts all are already experiencing.
“It sent a transparent signal that almost 200 countries were — finally, together —moving toward a clean-energy future,” he said.
The US leadership was essential to negotiating Paris and indispensable to bringing the Agreement into force.
“Over the last four years, however, the planet has lost that momentum, and nations and other people in every a part of the planet are feeling the devastating impacts of a changing climate. we’ve not compared to the bold action that’s needed, and today, we’ve no time to waste,” he said.
“Under a Biden-Harris Administration, America are going to be back working with our partners round the world to make sure we realize those goals for the sake of our families and future generations,” Biden said.
The climate plan being promoted by Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris has been called the foremost ambitious of any US administration yet, with a proposed $1.7 trillion investment into taking the US to net-zero by 2050. Net-zero means the country would recapture or remove the maximum amount carbon because it emits.
After being projected the winner of the November 3 presidential election, Biden appointed former Secretary of State John Kerry to be the country’s first-ever climate envoy.
Biden, who was President Barack Obama’s vice president when the Obama administration negotiated the deal, has repeatedly pledged to rejoin the Paris climate agreement.
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