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President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed executive orders to force the federal government to plan and respond to the urgent threat of global warming, specifying its historical vision of how the United States can once again become a leader in the global climate.
The moves will halt new leases of fossil fuels on public land, boost the development and conservation of renewable energy, and create new government offices and inter-agency groups to prioritize job creation, clean up pollution and environmental justice.
Since taking office last week, Biden and his cabinet candidates have repeatedly said that tackling the climate crisis is one of their priorities. With these new actions, Biden is determining how he wants to implement them by making the federal government the focus of the response.
“The United States and the world are in a deep climate crisis,” the principal said executive order Biden signed it. “We have a close time to take action at home and abroad to take advantage of the opportunity it has to prevent the worst catastrophic effects of this crisis and to tackle climate change.”
Biden’s early climate movements are in stark contrast to former President Donald Trump’s actions, including the immediate elimination of climate change from the White House website, frustrating climate action and the use of its executive power to boost oil, gas and coal development.
Biden’s day-to-day climate actions were Trump’s direct response, including urging his staff to review more than 100 anti-environmental regulations imposed by Trump and for the country to begin the process. re-enter with the Paris climate agreement. These new actions go beyond reversing Trump’s actions or reviving climate initiatives first defended by former President Barack Obama.
“It is now clear that President Biden listens loudly and clearly to the demands of our generations, understands the strength of our movement and is serious about the executive branch fulfilling its campaign promises,” said Varshini Prakash, executive director of the Sunrise Movement. statement.
Under a broad new enforcement order, Biden is urging the Department of the Interior to suspend new oil and gas leases on public lands and offshore waters “as far as possible”. The order does not specifically prohibit coal leases and leaves fossil fuel leases on tribal lands at will.
He is also leading a review of Biden’s existing fossil fuel leasing and development projects, and has asked the Department of the Interior to find ways to boost renewable energy projects in federal waters and lands, especially offshore wind.
The American Petroleum Institute, an oil and gas trade association, faced new restrictions. “Restricting the lease and development of natural gas and oil in federal territories and waters could threaten U.S. energy security, economic growth, and paid American jobs.” The API tweeted.
Although the order would not affect most of the nation’s oil and gas drilling and coal mining in private territories, it could have a major climate impact. The extraction of fossil fuels from public lands between 2005 and 2014 accounted for about 25% of greenhouse gas emissions in that country at that time, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. report.
A key part of the executive order is the creation of new offices and committees aimed at addressing specific climate issues and objectives. In addition to the creation of a new Office for Internal Climate Policy in the White House, Headed by Gina McCarthy, Head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Biden created the National Climate Task Force on Wednesday, which directs members to all agencies and departments to “enable a full government approach to tackling the climate crisis,” according to a White House note.
Biden Climate is also creating a Civil Corps Initiative designed to create new jobs in conservation, the Economic Working Group on Coal and Power Plants Communities and Economic Revitalization, to take projects that reduce pollution from existing and abandoned fossil fuel infrastructure. White House Inter-Agency Council on Environmental Justice and White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council to promote the monitoring and enforcement of environmental justice.
Few details were given that led to many new efforts to determine how much money they would receive or the deadlines for meeting those bold goals.
In most cases, Biden’s actions are in line with climate campaign orders, such as a mandate to conserve 30% of public land and water by 2030 and an international climate summit in the first 100 days – one on Earth Day. , April 22, 2021.
“The last four years have been crazy for our public lands and waters, and this moratorium is the right way to embark on the transition to a more sustainable backward economy,” said Raúl Grijalva, Arizona Democrat and Speaker of the House. Natural Resources Committee. Grijalva last year backed the 2020 Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act, which supports a 30% conservation target. He said Congress will now move forward with the bill.
“Commitments to climate change cannot be higher than they are right now,” John Kerry, special envoy to the presidency for climate, said at a news conference on Wednesday.
“The convening of this summit is essential to ensure that 2021 will be the year that will make up for the time lost in the last four years,” he added, referring to the upcoming climate meeting. “The world will measure us by what we can do at home.”
In addition, McCarthy said Wednesday that the U.S. plans to release an updated climate commitment on the Paris climate agreement ahead of the April summit.
As part of a separate memorandum on scientific integrity, Biden is reviving scientific advisory committees disbanded under Trump. In addition, the President of Science and Technology Consultants is being re-elected.
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