I am proud to say that my government is implementing the most ambitious climate agenda in American history, says Joe Biden in a video statement.
The goal is part of the Paris Agreement, where member countries in 2015 agreed to try to keep global warming well below 2 degrees, preferably below 1.5. Within the agreement, countries are to submit an updated plan every five years, known as an NDC, with more ambitious goals than the previous plan.
What about Trump?
The goal is to reduce US emissions by at least 61 percent by 2035 compared to 2005, and is to be compared to the 2021 goal of halving emissions by 2030. Last year, they had reached 17 percent, according to The New York Times.
The White House emphasizes that the Biden administration's policy has led to $450 billion invested in green energy and industrial projects, and that the reduction in emissions will continue with the help of solar and wind power, upgrades to the power grid, battery storage, energy efficiency, investments in hydrogen and electric vehicles.
The US climate goal will land in the hands of Donald Trump, who will take over as president in a few weeks. He has promised to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement again and wants to see investments in oil.
Sending a signal
But the current administration believes that the development towards lower emissions cannot be stopped, and 24 governors from both parties announced that they will try to reach the new goals.
Åsa Persson, research director at the Stockholm Environment Institute, thinks that the new goal sends a signal to the rest of the world that large parts of the US support the Paris Agreement.
"This goal sets an important reference point for the companies, states, and cities in the US that want to continue reducing emissions and face the major climate risks the US is facing, and drive a green transition. If nothing else, it can become an unofficial goal," she writes.
