He also said that actions taken this decade to limit global warming will make a difference in preventing future generations suffering.
Biden stated, “No one can escape the worst that’s yet to come if they fail to seize these moments.”
The president saw the already obvious crisis facing the world — floods, volatile weather and wildfires — in a new light, offering a chance to reshape the global economy. He presented the immense costs of limiting carbon emission to world leaders in Scotland and argued that it was possible to create jobs through switching to electric cars and renewable energy.
He also apologized to former President Donald Trump for his decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, and for the role that the U.S. and other rich countries played in climate change.
Biden stated that those of us responsible for most of the deforestation, and all the problems we have had so far, have “overwhelming responsibilities” to the poorer countries that contribute a small amount of the global emissions but are still paying a steeper price as the planet heats up.
Trump said that he didn’t regret Trump’s actions, but he did apologize for America’s withdrawal from the Paris Accords. This left us a little behind the eight ball.
The moment’s magnitude is collapsing into complex domestic and global politics. Biden administration officials have criticised China for not committing more to curbing carbon emission, while President Obama is still trying to secure his climate investments with Congress.
Biden, who was elected president in 2015, has often called the summit essential for implementing the 2015 Paris climate agreement. Trump’s administration was largely absent from diplomacy. This weekend, part of Biden’s efforts at Rome’s climate summit and the meeting of the Group of 20 countries in Rome this weekend were to reestablish America as a partner.
Biden and his administration are facing obstacles when trying to push the U.S. and other countries to take action on climate change, both at home and abroad. The administration tried to temper expectations that the two-week-long summit will result in major breakthroughs in cutting climate-damaging emissions.
John Kerry, Biden’s climate ambassador, said Sunday that Glasgow was not a quick fix.
The United States has yet to convince some of the most polluting countries in the world, China, Russia, and India, to join its alliance and make stronger commitments to reduce their use of coal, gas, and oil, and move towards cleaner energy.
Kerry defended Sunday’s outcome of the Group of 20 leaders economies summit that concluded in Rome earlier that day. G-20 leaders were supposed to generate momentum for climate progress in Glasgow. Leaders at the summit in Italy agreed on a number of measures including formalizing a promise to end international subsidies for dirty-burning coal-fired power stations.
Biden also praised a separate U.S. – European Union steel agreement as an opportunity to reduce imports of “dirty” Chinese steel forged from coal power. This is another step towards potentially using Western markets to persuade China to stop embracing coal power, which is the top global climate polluter.
However, G-20 leaders made vague promises and did not make any concrete commitments to take action. They stated that they would strive for carbon neutrality by mid-century.
China and Russia, two of the world’s largest polluters, have stated that they do not intend to follow the U.S. and its European allies in reducing fossil fuel pollution. Scientists believe that massive and rapid reductions in fossil fuel pollution is essential if global warming is to be kept below or at the limit set by the Paris climate agreement.
Experts say the world is currently on track to experience a degree of global warming that would cause much of the planet’s glaciers to melt, increase sea levels, and significantly increase the probability of extreme weather.
Biden said Sunday night that he found the outcome at the Rome summit disappointing, countering the positive assessment of his aides. He also blamed two U.S. rivals.
Biden stated that the disappointment stemmed from Russia’s and China’s failure to make any commitments to address climate change.
Monday’s announcement by the Biden administration was a step towards making America a completely clean energy nation. In compliance with the Paris Agreement, the long-term plan outlines a United States that is more dependent on solar, wind and other clean energy. Americans will be riding in electric cars and mass transit, using state-of the-art technology, and enjoying wide open spaces that have been carefully preserved to absorb carbon dioxide.
Over the 10 months of diplomacy that preceded the Glasgow summit summit, the Biden administration succeeded in securing significant climate pledges from its allies. This includes convincing many foreign governments to set higher targets for reducing their emissions, encouraging a global pledge by leading economies to stop funding coal energy, and promoting more ambitious targets.
European leaders express their delight at Biden’s return and support for the U.S. in the climate effort, after Trump’s predecessor, Donald Trump, turned his face on the Paris agreement and allies in general. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, smiled at Biden during Sunday’s announcement about the steel deal and called him “dear Joe”.
Despite sending high-ranking officials, neither President Vladimir Putin of Russia nor President Xi Jinping of China will be attending the Glasgow summit. India’s refusal to reduce their dependence on petroleum and coal faster than India threatens to thwart hopes of reaching the Paris climate agreement’s target reductions.
China has made commitments to reduce its emissions under Xi, but at a slower pace that the U.S. encouraged.
Jake Sullivan, U.S. national defense adviser, told reporters while traveling with President Obama that the United States and China should not be viewed as rivals because China, the second-largest economy in the world, could take action on its own.
Sullivan stated that “nothing about the U.S.-China relationship, structural or otherwise, hinders or stops them doing their part.”
Biden arrived at the international summit with Congress still uncertain about his climate package. Biden was forced to withdraw from one bill which would have encouraged the United States to move away from natural gas and coal to generate electricity because of opposition from his Democratic Party.
However, Biden’s package still contains climate measures worth hundreds of billions of US dollars.
Biden said Sunday that climate investment was the largest in history. It’s going to happen.
