- nien75565
Biden's Earth Day Climate Goal Update
There is a new climate bill being proposed and that is big news for this country. I have quickly summarized some major outcomes from the summit. The majority of information in this has been sourced from NBC News as well as the New York Times, I suggest reading those articles for a more in-depth analysis. Links to both articles as well as Biden’s Climate Plan from the official government website follow.
1. The bill aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by half by 2030. This is important to ensure the global temperatures do not rise above 1.5º C, a tipping point which would avoid the most devastating environmental effects of climate change.
2. Studies indicate $23 trillion in losses to the global economy are likely by 2050 if global temperatures are not kept below 1.5º C. Another goal of the bill is for the U.S. to reach a net zero emission economy by 2050.
3. The U.S. represents 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This may not seem like much, but we are the second highest producer of greenhouse gas emissions in the world, only behind China.
4. The bill is much more ambitious than the Paris Agreement. The Obama administration planned to cut emissions near 26% by 2025.
5. These announcements led to more ambitious goals from other countries.
o Japan increased reduction goals from 26% to 46% and Canada from 30% to 45%.
o South Korea declared an end to public financing for coal fired power plants overseas.
o Brazil pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2030. (They withdrew from the Paris
agreement at the same time as the U.S. under Trump.)
o Additionally, China plans to strictly limit increasing coal consumption as well as phase
it down in the following decade. They also reiterated their pledge to become net
zero energy by 2060.
o The UK had already promised 68% reductions and the EU 55% by 2030.
6. $5.7 billion allocated to developing nations to help them move towards a greener economy.
7. The bill must go through congress to become law. If changes were to be made solely through executive orders, they could be revoked in the next presidency like they were during the past 4 years under Trump.
There is much more to learn so if you have the time please follow these links:
Please consider taking the pledge to reduce your carbon footprint by 21% in 2021!