Biden: U.S. will halve carbon emissions over next decade

President Biden speaks at the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate from the East Room of the White House on April 22. (© Evan Vucci/AP Images)

The United States will reduce its carbon emissions by 50%–52% by 2030, said President Biden at the Leaders Summit on Climate April 22 at the White House.

“The United States isn’t waiting. We are resolving to take action,” Biden said in his opening remarks. “We have to move quickly to meet these challenges.”

The virtual summit, which brought more than 40 leaders from around the world together to discuss major climate issues and actions to stop them, convened on Earth Day.

Biden laid out ambitious goals for U.S. leadership on clean energy technologies, rooted in transportation and infrastructure projects both at home and abroad. These plans will create American jobs and spur the global economy by bolstering a robust clean-energy sector around the world.

The United States’ plan for these goals include:

Reaching 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2035.

Creating well-paying jobs and cutting emissions by supporting electrification and efficiency upgrades in American buildings.

Reducing carbon pollution from the transportation sector by reducing car emissions and spurring development of low-carbon, renewable fuels for aviation.

Cutting agricultural emissions by funding nature-based solutions for ecosystems.

Supporting carbon capture as well as new sources of hydrogen — produced from renewable energy, nuclear energy or waste — to power industrial facilities.

Globally, the United States committed to mobilizing resources, institutional knowledge and technical expertise to help countries everywhere achieve similarly ambitious climate-friendly investments and technological upgrades.

World leaders virtually attend the Leaders Summit on Climate, as seen from the East Room of the White House on April 22. (Evan Vucci/AP Images)

Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry stressed how these goals can lay the groundwork for the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in November.

“The steps our countries take between now and Glasgow will set the world up for success, to protect livelihoods around the world and keep global warming at a maximum of 1.5 degrees Celsius,” said Biden.

“If we work together, we can do more than just address this crisis,” said Blinken during his opening remarks at the summit. “We can turn it into an opportunity to improve our societies and deliver for people worldwide, and we can lay the foundation for cooperation on other shared challenges.”

by Noelani Kirschner

Published on 2021-04-23