Biden wants greenhouse gases halved
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden will pledge to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions at least in half by 2030 as he convenes a virtual climate summit with 40 world leaders, according to three people with knowledge of the White House plans.
The 50% target would nearly double America’s previous commitment and help the Biden administration prod other countries for ambitious emissions cuts as well.
The proposal would require dramatic changes in the power and transportation sectors, including significant increases in renewable energy such as wind and solar power and steep cuts in emissions from fossil fuels such as coal and oil.
The nonbinding but symbolically important pledge is a key element of the two-day summit, which begins Thursday when world leaders gather online to share strategies to combat climate change.
China announced Wednesday that President Xi Jinping will participate. China is the world’s largest carbon polluter, with the U.S. second.
The U.S. emissions target has been eagerly awaited by all sides of the climate debate. It will signal how aggressively Biden wants to move on global warming, a divisive and expensive issue that has riled Republicans who complain about job-killing government overreach even as some on the left think Biden has not gone far enough to address a profound threat to the planet.
Administration officials promised significant announcements on emissions cuts but would not confirm the U.S. goal before the summit.
The European Union on Wednesday reached a tentative deal intended to make the 27-nation bloc carbon-neutral by 2050.
The agreement commits the EU to an intermediate target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared with 1990 levels.
Biden has sought to ensure that his 2030 goal, known as a Nationally Determined Contribution, or NDC, is aggressive enough to have a tangible impact on climate change efforts – not only in the U.S. but throughout the world – while also being achievable under a closely divided Congress.
The climate target is a key requirement of the 2015 Paris climate agreement, which Biden rejoined on his first day in office. It’s also an important marker as Biden moves toward his ultimate goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Scientists, environmental groups and even business leaders had called on Biden to set a target that would cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% below 2005 levels by 2030.
“Wow. That’s ambition with a capital A,” Georgia Tech climate scientist Kim Cobb said Tuesday after learning of Biden’s plans. “That target would put us roughly in line with the most ambitious emissions reductions targets” projected by scientists and environmentalists.
Cobb, like other experts, said details of Biden’s strategy will be crucial, “because those details will likely determine whether this ambitious new goal can be translated into policy. The clock is ticking fast, environmentally and politically.”