WASHINGTON: United States (US) President Joe Biden on Thursday vowed to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 50% to 52% by 2030, in the latest push by the administration to aggressively combat climate change.
“These steps will set America on a path of a net-zero emissions economy by no later than 2050,” Biden said as the White House opened the two-day summit, attended by 40 leaders from around the world.
The White House’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% to 52%, from a baseline of 2005 emissions, is nearly double the target set by Obama administration in 2015. “This is the decade we must make decisions that will avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis,” Biden added.
“We must try to keep the Earth’s temperature to an increase of 1.5C. The world beyond 1.5 degrees means more frequent and intense fires, floods, droughts, heatwaves, and hurricanes – tearing through communities, ripping away lives and livelihoods,” he added.
The U.K. and European Union have committed to slash emissions by 68% and 55%, respectively, by 2030. China, the world’s biggest emitter, has vowed to reach peak emissions by 2030 and be carbon neutral by 2060.
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also announced emissions cut of 40%-45% by 2030 below 2005 levels. Japan’s prime minister Yoshihide Suga announced a stricter emissions target of 46% reduction by 2030.
Biden so far has proposed a $2 trillion infrastructure package that would aid a transition away from fossil fuels and toward clean energy, while promising to create green jobs. If passed, the legislation would be one of the largest federal efforts ever to reduce emissions.
This week’s summit also comes ahead of a major U.N. climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, in November, during which nations in the Paris agreement will unveil updated emissions targets for the next decade.
However, the Earth is on track to warm up by 1.5 degrees Celsius in the next two decades. It could see temperatures rise over 3 degrees Celsius this century without global action.
