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Joe Biden is being urged to announce a target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030, ahead of the Earth Day climate summit.
Mr Biden will host the virtual summit later this week. Scientists and climate campaigners say a 50-per-cent reduction in emissions “is ambitious, but it is achievable”.
Meanwhile, the president was joined by his former boss, Barack Obama, in a TV special to promote coronavirus vaccines on Sunday night.
Mr Obama told Americans: “I want to make sure that our communities, particularly ones, African-American, Latino, as well as young people understand that this will save lives and allow people to get their lives back to normal.”
Biden urged to set 50% climate emission goal
Activists and experts are urging Joe Biden to announce that the US will cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030, ahead of his flagship Earth Day climate summit.
Mr Biden will host the virtual summit later this week.
The target the president chooses “is setting the tone for the level of ambition and the pace of emission reductions over the next decade”, said Kate Larsen, a former White House adviser who helped develop Barack Obama’s climate action plan.
The figure must be realistic but aggressive enough to satisfy scientists and advocates who call the coming decade a crucial, make-or-break moment for slowing climate change, Ms Larsen and other experts said.
The 50 per cent target, which is considered a likely outcome of intense deliberations underway at the White House, would nearly double the nation’s previous commitment and require dramatic changes in the power and transportation sectors, including significant increases in renewable energy such as wind and solar power and steep cuts in emissions from fossil fuels such as coal and oil.
The 2030 goal, known as a nationally determined contribution, or NDC, is a key part of the Paris climate agreement, which Mr Biden rejoined on his first day in office. It is also an important marker as the Democrat moves toward his ultimate goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
“Clearly the science demands at least 50 per cent,” said Jake Schmidt, a climate expert at the Natural Resources Defence Council, a campaign group.
The 50 per cent target “is ambitious, but it is achievable”, he said, adding that it was also a good climate message. “People know what 50 per cent means – it’s half.”
Here’s our latest report on the US’ efforts to combat the climate crisis:
Jon Sharman19 April 2021 07:44
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