President Joe Biden might be heading for the White House exit in 31 days time but on Friday he nevertheless committed the U.S. to new climate targets under the Paris Climate Agreement, even as President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to review any pledges made under the globalist treaty.
The U.S. commits to reducing economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 61-66 percent below 2005 levels by 2035, according to a White House Statement announcing one of the last Biden administration’s initiatives before it is dissolved, AFP reports.
“I’m proud that my administration is carrying out the boldest climate agenda in American history,” Biden said in a video statement hailing the new measures aimed at pushing the United States on the path to net zero emissions by 2050.
“We will turn this existential threat into a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform our nation for generations to come.”
Of course Biden will be in no position to deliver on the promise.
Trump’s second term, however, is expected to bring sweeping rollbacks of environmental protections and reassessment of international commitments, including the Paris agreement, mirroring his first term when he withdrew the U.S. from the accord, as Breitbart News reported.
Trump’s decision in 2017 fulfilled a key campaign promise to supporters of his run for president, widely supported by Republican members of congress who felt the Paris treaty unfairly jeopardized the American economy.
Now he is due to repeat the move.
“In his first term, President Trump advanced conservation and environmental stewardship while promoting economic growth for families,” Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to AFP.
She added Trump’s policies “produced affordable, reliable energy for consumers along with stable, high-paying jobs” and vowed that his second term “will once again deliver clean air and water for American families while Making America Wealthy Again.”
In a call with reporters, Biden’s global climate envoy John Podesta countered by saying while Trump “may put climate action on the back burner,” he remained confident in the private sector and state and local governments to drive progress.