Joe Biden’s Climate Plan
President Biden is off to a quick start to address global warming. This is in sharp contrast to the Trump administration that denied the need to address this threat.
Prior to his election, President Biden published Joe’s Vision on his campaign website defining his plans to address global warming and other issues. There he listed three bold objectives:
- Spend $2.0 trillion during his first term to stop global warming
- Produce all electricity in the U.S. from renewables by 2035
- Achieve NET ZERO in the U.S. by 2050
Achieving net zero by 2050 is necessary if the world is to limit global warming to less that 2.0°C (3.6°F). This will require that we eliminate the use of fossil fuels. An additional benefit is that this would also eliminate most air pollution.
After his inauguration on January 20, 2021, he appointed former Secretary of State John Kerry to a new cabinet post, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate. In this position, Secretary Kerry will have a seat on the National Security Council recognizing that climate change is an urgent national security threat.
President Biden signed an executive order committing the United States to rejoin the Paris Agreement, the world’s major international agreement on climate change. The Paris Agreement is an international treaty signed by 196 countries in 2015 with the goal to limit global warming to well below 2.0°C, and preferably to 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial levels.
Our book, Reaching Net Zero: What it Takes to Solve the Global Climate Crisis is a complete discussion of global warming but focuses on what can and should be done to stop global warming.
We strongly support action over inaction. We don’t think that the U.S. and other countries can reach net zero fast enough to limit global warming to less than 2.0°C. But, we must start now and proceed as fast as we can to stop global warming and climate change as fast as possible.
We also question our ability to spend $2.0 trillion effectively in President Biden’s first term to address global warming. We will have to wait for the details of this spending plan that has to be approved by congress before we can comment on this plan.
The good news is that the U.S. is rejoining the international efforts to stop global warming even if it may be too late to limit global warming to 2.0°C.