Country Report: United States
Sarah Yim and Ian Kim
February 23rd, 2021
February 23rd, 2021
I. Statistics
II. Country's Past Stance
America under Trump’s administration underwent major changes from previous years, as the administration initially promised new and effective changes to U.S. science and environmental policies.
In 2017, Trump announced the United States would withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement that was drafted to strengthen the global response to climate change. Isolating the U.S. from 187 other countries signed in the agreement, Trump also delisted climate change from its national security threats.
Following the removal of climate change from America’s national security threats, Trump further claimed he would reduce efforts to solely focus on the protection of clean air and water. This consequently cut down the budget by 31% for the Environmental Protection Agency, making it extremely difficult for environmentalists to uphold environmental standards with such a low budget.
Trump revoked and rolled back on more than 100 existing environmental policies and rules, replacing them with some of his own. “This is a very aggressive attempt to rewrite our laws and reinterpret the meaning of environmental protection,” said Hana V. Vizcarra, a staff attorney at Harvard’s Environmental and Energy Law Program. “This administration is leaving a truly unprecedented legacy.” One significant example is the replacement of former U.S. President Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan with Trump’s Affordable Clean Energy Rule. While Obama’s plan intended to cut down greenhouse gas emissions by 32% in 2030, Trumps’ new rule offered more flexibility with a weaker-regulated policy to abate power plant carbon emissions. A major problem with Trump’s Affordable Clean Energy Rule was that because it aimed to reduce power plant emissions, the use of coal power increased, releasing even more carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels.
III. President Biden Stance/Recent Actions
As the 46th president of the United States, Biden came into office looking to resolve the many environmental problems Trump had caused. Biden, aiming to revert back to the eco-friendly policies of the Obama-era, addressed multiple ways of tackling climate change and environmental issues in his campaigns that depicted his clear goals.
He outlined a “Clean Energy Revolution” which will basically address the climate emergency. He believes that if the US can harness its energy and innovate, it can revitalize the energy sector and boost the growth of the economy. He wants the United States to achieve a 100% clean energy economy and net-zero emissions no later than 2050 in order to lead the rest of the world to meet the threat of climate change.
In his “Biden Plan”, Biden plans to invest a lot of money in clean energy which will be paid for by rolling back on the Trump administration’s tax incentives that used to enrich corporations. By cutting back on the Trump tax cuts, Biden plans to use the money to fund the clean energy effort.
Biden has also increased the social cost of carbon to curb climate change. Former U.S. President Donald Trump had lowballed the social cost of carbon, setting the standard as $8 for every ton of carbon released into the atmosphere. Biden, however, in par with Obama, set an interim figure of $51 for every ton of carbon released into the atmosphere. Although its effects on corporations aren’t apparent yet, this new increase is predicted to impact industry activity in oil, forestry, construction, and manufacturing, for higher costs could deter industries from fossil fuel overuse and rather encourage industries to shift towards cleaner sources.
IV. U.S. Environmental Organizations
The United States has multiple nonprofit or government-run organizations that try to protect the environment. Here are a few of them:
1. US Environmental Protection Agency
The US EPA or the Environmental Protection Agency is an independent executive branch of the federal government. The EPA is tasked with resolving the environmental issues of the US as the name suggests. It began operation in 1970 under president Richard Nixon and continues to protect the US environment to this day. It tackles a wide variety of problems ranging from air pollution all the way to chemicals and toxins.
2. The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a global organization that is headquartered in the US. It mostly tackles problems related to the lands and waters of the world. By using its wide variety of staff and multiple scientists, it is a nonprofit organization that hopes to create “a world where people and nature can thrive.”
3. Green America
Another nonprofit, Green America is an organization that aims to promote environmental awareness and ethical consumerism. It addresses multiple facets of society, including climate, food, and even social justice. Its mission is to “harness economic power, to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society.”
Sources
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/02/26/biden-carbon-price-climate-change-471787
https://rhg.com/research/preliminary-us-emissions-2020/
https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/natural-resources-environment/climate-change/
https://joebiden.com/climate-plan/
https://www.epa.gov/
https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/who-we-are/
https://www.greenamerica.org/
- The annual average temperature over the United States has increased by 0.7 C over the last few decades. An additional increase is predicted in the next few decades regardless of greenhouse gas emissions.
- In 2018, the United States produced 6.7 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
- In 2018, U.S. agriculture emitted about 698 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (12.3 percent as carbon dioxide, 36.2 percent as methane, and 51.4 percent as nitrous oxide).
- The United States ranks second, after China, in terms of the country that emits most carbon dioxide.
- According to preliminary 2020 data, in 2020, net economy-wide US greenhouse gas emissions fell by 10.3%, to 5,160 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.
II. Country's Past Stance
America under Trump’s administration underwent major changes from previous years, as the administration initially promised new and effective changes to U.S. science and environmental policies.
In 2017, Trump announced the United States would withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement that was drafted to strengthen the global response to climate change. Isolating the U.S. from 187 other countries signed in the agreement, Trump also delisted climate change from its national security threats.
Following the removal of climate change from America’s national security threats, Trump further claimed he would reduce efforts to solely focus on the protection of clean air and water. This consequently cut down the budget by 31% for the Environmental Protection Agency, making it extremely difficult for environmentalists to uphold environmental standards with such a low budget.
Trump revoked and rolled back on more than 100 existing environmental policies and rules, replacing them with some of his own. “This is a very aggressive attempt to rewrite our laws and reinterpret the meaning of environmental protection,” said Hana V. Vizcarra, a staff attorney at Harvard’s Environmental and Energy Law Program. “This administration is leaving a truly unprecedented legacy.” One significant example is the replacement of former U.S. President Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan with Trump’s Affordable Clean Energy Rule. While Obama’s plan intended to cut down greenhouse gas emissions by 32% in 2030, Trumps’ new rule offered more flexibility with a weaker-regulated policy to abate power plant carbon emissions. A major problem with Trump’s Affordable Clean Energy Rule was that because it aimed to reduce power plant emissions, the use of coal power increased, releasing even more carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels.
III. President Biden Stance/Recent Actions
As the 46th president of the United States, Biden came into office looking to resolve the many environmental problems Trump had caused. Biden, aiming to revert back to the eco-friendly policies of the Obama-era, addressed multiple ways of tackling climate change and environmental issues in his campaigns that depicted his clear goals.
He outlined a “Clean Energy Revolution” which will basically address the climate emergency. He believes that if the US can harness its energy and innovate, it can revitalize the energy sector and boost the growth of the economy. He wants the United States to achieve a 100% clean energy economy and net-zero emissions no later than 2050 in order to lead the rest of the world to meet the threat of climate change.
In his “Biden Plan”, Biden plans to invest a lot of money in clean energy which will be paid for by rolling back on the Trump administration’s tax incentives that used to enrich corporations. By cutting back on the Trump tax cuts, Biden plans to use the money to fund the clean energy effort.
Biden has also increased the social cost of carbon to curb climate change. Former U.S. President Donald Trump had lowballed the social cost of carbon, setting the standard as $8 for every ton of carbon released into the atmosphere. Biden, however, in par with Obama, set an interim figure of $51 for every ton of carbon released into the atmosphere. Although its effects on corporations aren’t apparent yet, this new increase is predicted to impact industry activity in oil, forestry, construction, and manufacturing, for higher costs could deter industries from fossil fuel overuse and rather encourage industries to shift towards cleaner sources.
IV. U.S. Environmental Organizations
The United States has multiple nonprofit or government-run organizations that try to protect the environment. Here are a few of them:
1. US Environmental Protection Agency
The US EPA or the Environmental Protection Agency is an independent executive branch of the federal government. The EPA is tasked with resolving the environmental issues of the US as the name suggests. It began operation in 1970 under president Richard Nixon and continues to protect the US environment to this day. It tackles a wide variety of problems ranging from air pollution all the way to chemicals and toxins.
2. The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a global organization that is headquartered in the US. It mostly tackles problems related to the lands and waters of the world. By using its wide variety of staff and multiple scientists, it is a nonprofit organization that hopes to create “a world where people and nature can thrive.”
3. Green America
Another nonprofit, Green America is an organization that aims to promote environmental awareness and ethical consumerism. It addresses multiple facets of society, including climate, food, and even social justice. Its mission is to “harness economic power, to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society.”
Sources
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/02/26/biden-carbon-price-climate-change-471787
https://rhg.com/research/preliminary-us-emissions-2020/
https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/natural-resources-environment/climate-change/
https://joebiden.com/climate-plan/
https://www.epa.gov/
https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/who-we-are/
https://www.greenamerica.org/
