Washington – President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed a series of executive actions aimed at fighting climate changeBased on unilateral actions, the president took his first day in office and increased the federal government’s focus on the issue, which took a back seat under the administration of former President Donald Trump.
Accompanied by Vice President Kamala Harris, Presidential Climate Special Envoy John Kerry and National Climate Adviser Gina McCarthy, Biden said his actions “will go beyond our administration’s ambitious plan to address the existential threat of climate change “.
“It’s about getting to the moment to deal with this biggest threat we now face, climate change, with a greater sense of urgency,” he said in statements to the White House. “In my opinion, we’ve waited too long to deal with this climate crisis and we can’t wait any longer. We see it with our own eyes, we feel it, we know it in our bones.”
The president said the nation “desperately” needs a unified response to the climate crisis and stressed that the US must be the leader in the global response.
“It’s time to act,” he said.
In a trio of directives, Mr Biden directed the Home Secretary to freeze new oil and gas leases on public lands and marine waters “whenever possible” and to review existing leasing and development practices related to development. of fossil fuels in federal lands and waters. Biden stressed, as he did during the presidential campaign, that his administration will not ban fracking.
The president’s executive order sets the goal of conserving at least 30 percent of land and water by 2030 and begins the process for the United States to develop an emissions reduction goal and climate finance plan.
Biden established climate as a key element of foreign policy and national security, and commissioned national intelligence director Avril Haines to prepare a “national intelligence estimate” on the implications for the country. security of climate change. In raising the U.S. foreign policy climate, Biden’s presidential special envoy for climate, Kerry, will form part of the National Security Council.
Through his executive actions, the president formally created the White House Office of National Climate Policy and established the National Climate Working Group, made up of officials from 21 federal agencies and departments. Before taking the reins of government, Mr. Biden touched on McCarthy, a former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, as a national climate adviser, and she will head the Office of National Climate Policy.
Biden also signed a presidential memorandum protecting government scientists from political interference.
“It is a government-wide approach to placing climate change at the center of our national, national security and foreign policy,” the president said of his actions. “It advances conservation, revitalizes communities and cities and agricultural lands, and ensures environmental justice. Our plans are ambitious, but we are America. We are bold.”
The latest series of Biden directives focused on fighting the climate crisis comes a week after signing an order to join the Paris climate deal, which was negotiated by the administration of former President Barack Obama. On his first day in office, the president also finished with the Keystone XL Pipeline.
The president has spent his first week in office deploying a series of orders focused on the coronavirus crisis, manufacturing, immigration and racial equity. Biden said the climate touches on a number of points in his program, including promoting jobs in the United States, the health of American families and protecting the nation’s security.