How Biden is Changing the America’s Stance on Climate Change
Brandon Choi
February 13th, 2021
February 13th, 2021
On January 20, President Joseph Biden was inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States. This marked the end of Donald Trump’s four-year regime, mired by climate change denial and major withdrawals from global climate change institutions.
Under Trump’s administration, the United States exhibited an unconcerned attitude towards environmental issues, reversing and loosening many environmental policies directed towards corporations. This led to unprecedented, detrimental effects of climate change, including rising sea levels and natural disasters such as droughts, storms, and wildfires. Furthermore, Trump pulled out of many global committees dealing with climate change. For example, on June 1, 2017, Trump announced the decision to cease all activity regarding the 2015 Paris Agreement. Trump’s decisions to move away from climate-friendly policies and actions were founded on the notion that these policies would hinder America’s economy, putting them at a disadvantage in the competitive global economy.
Experts speculate that Trump’s backtrack on climate change action may have had devastating and irreversible effects on the global environment. Due to the immense amount of carbon emissions in the atmosphere, the window is closing on the time that nations have to prevent this global crisis. However, the Trump administration wasted four years of rolling back environmental action in the hopes of sustaining job production. “[A] year wasted in the Trump administration on not acting on climate has much bigger consequences than a year wasted in Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush or Bill Clinton’s administration,” says Michael Wara, a senior research scholar at the Woods Institute for the Environment and director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program at Stanford University.
There is no evidence that Trump’s reverse of climate change policies has strengthened the economy. The United States has rather gained a reputation for a lack of concern for climate action and the prioritization of economic growth over global matters.
During Joe Biden’s presidential campaign, he announced that should he be elected, the United States would re-engage in the Paris Climate Agreement. Biden also committed to reaching a net total of zero carbon emissions by the year 2050 and eliminating fossil fuel emissions from electricity by the year 2035.
Biden’s inauguration marks the beginning of a four-year campaign for decisive climate action in the wake of a preceding term devoid of climate action. During his first week of office, the president established The National Climate Task Force, which congregates routinely to monitor the progress of meeting climate change goals. The Biden administration has taken swift action to reduce carbon emissions, namely, to achieve former U.S. President Obama’s goal of a 28 percent reduction by the year 2030. The administration also plans to announce a new, more comprehensive plan, deemed achievable by 2035, during the global climate summit on April 22, 2021.
On top of this, the new administration promises economic benefits in its climate plan focusing on clean energy infrastructure, creating millions of new jobs. Many detractors of climate action and policy have argued that climate policies put restrictions on jobs that corporations and firms can create. However, this solution fuses both economic and global benefits and is likely to be agreed upon by both sides.
Upon taking office, President Biden has taken immediate measures to combat the issue of climate change. However, such effort must sustain in order to have a lasting impact on our climate and curb carbon emissions. It is yet to conclude whether any of these goals will be achieved or discarded midway through office. In essence, President Biden’s perspective on climate change has vastly shifted from that of Trump, and he must now regain the credibility and leadership that the United States has struggled with in the past few years.
Under Trump’s administration, the United States exhibited an unconcerned attitude towards environmental issues, reversing and loosening many environmental policies directed towards corporations. This led to unprecedented, detrimental effects of climate change, including rising sea levels and natural disasters such as droughts, storms, and wildfires. Furthermore, Trump pulled out of many global committees dealing with climate change. For example, on June 1, 2017, Trump announced the decision to cease all activity regarding the 2015 Paris Agreement. Trump’s decisions to move away from climate-friendly policies and actions were founded on the notion that these policies would hinder America’s economy, putting them at a disadvantage in the competitive global economy.
Experts speculate that Trump’s backtrack on climate change action may have had devastating and irreversible effects on the global environment. Due to the immense amount of carbon emissions in the atmosphere, the window is closing on the time that nations have to prevent this global crisis. However, the Trump administration wasted four years of rolling back environmental action in the hopes of sustaining job production. “[A] year wasted in the Trump administration on not acting on climate has much bigger consequences than a year wasted in Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush or Bill Clinton’s administration,” says Michael Wara, a senior research scholar at the Woods Institute for the Environment and director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program at Stanford University.
There is no evidence that Trump’s reverse of climate change policies has strengthened the economy. The United States has rather gained a reputation for a lack of concern for climate action and the prioritization of economic growth over global matters.
During Joe Biden’s presidential campaign, he announced that should he be elected, the United States would re-engage in the Paris Climate Agreement. Biden also committed to reaching a net total of zero carbon emissions by the year 2050 and eliminating fossil fuel emissions from electricity by the year 2035.
Biden’s inauguration marks the beginning of a four-year campaign for decisive climate action in the wake of a preceding term devoid of climate action. During his first week of office, the president established The National Climate Task Force, which congregates routinely to monitor the progress of meeting climate change goals. The Biden administration has taken swift action to reduce carbon emissions, namely, to achieve former U.S. President Obama’s goal of a 28 percent reduction by the year 2030. The administration also plans to announce a new, more comprehensive plan, deemed achievable by 2035, during the global climate summit on April 22, 2021.
On top of this, the new administration promises economic benefits in its climate plan focusing on clean energy infrastructure, creating millions of new jobs. Many detractors of climate action and policy have argued that climate policies put restrictions on jobs that corporations and firms can create. However, this solution fuses both economic and global benefits and is likely to be agreed upon by both sides.
Upon taking office, President Biden has taken immediate measures to combat the issue of climate change. However, such effort must sustain in order to have a lasting impact on our climate and curb carbon emissions. It is yet to conclude whether any of these goals will be achieved or discarded midway through office. In essence, President Biden’s perspective on climate change has vastly shifted from that of Trump, and he must now regain the credibility and leadership that the United States has struggled with in the past few years.
