Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - Live
US on track to cut emissions, Biden urges world to ‘step up’
Biden addressed the climate conference in Egypt, saying the global climate crisis posed an existential threat to the planet
SHARM EL SHEIKH: President Joe Biden vowed at UN climate talks on Friday that the US was on track to slash its carbon emissions, urging all nations to ramp up their own efforts to avert catastrophic global warming.
Biden touted the passage of a massive, $369 billion spending package to green the United States economy as an example for the entire world.
While the US spending on its own renewable energy push has been praised by activists, Washington has come under criticism for falling short on its pledges to financially help developing countries with their own transitions and to cope with intensifying climate-induced impacts.
“The climate crisis is about human security, economic security, environmental security, national security and the very life of the planet,” Biden told an audience at the COP27 in the Egyptian seaside resort of Sharm El Sheikh.
Biden said the US is “on track” to achieve its pledge of cutting emissions 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030.
“To permanently bend the emissions curve, every nation needs to step up. At this gathering, we must renew and raise our climate ambitions,” he said.
“The United States has acted, everyone has to act. It’s a duty and responsibility of global leadership.”
His speech, which lasted about 22 minutes, was briefly interrupted by unidentified people in the crowd making howling noises and attempting to unfurl a banner protesting fossil fuels.
New research shows just how dauntingly hard it will be to meet the Paris Agreement’s most ambitious goal of capping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels requiring emissions to be slashed nearly in half by 2030.
Harjeet Singh, head of global political strategy at the Climate Action Network International said, “The US once again arrived without a clear plan on how it plans to do its fair share on climate finance and phasing out fossil fuels. Its radio silence on loss and damage finance, offering insurance instead of real money, while vulnerable countries have ramped up their demand for a finance facility proves once again how out of touch Biden is with the reality of the climate crisis.”
Before his speech, Biden met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on the sidelines of COP27, where he raised human rights issues with his host amid concerns over the health of jailed dissident Alaa Abdel Fattah.