Today the Biden administration is expected to sign an omnibus domestic and international climate executive order.
The Biden administration has yet to respond to the growing demand for the U.S. to do its fair share of global climate action, via bold emissions reductions and a massive commitment of international support, including climate finance to Global South countries, to the global effort to equitably address climate change. Recently more than 100 organizations across the country including the U.S. Climate Action Network are united in this demand.
Additionally, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a slew of voluntary and inadequate climate “pledges” from Big Polluters this week. As you’re well aware, the fossil fuel industry has knowingly fueled and profited off of the climate crisis for decades. We’ll be keeping an eye on these pledges from the fossil fuel industry and others, which are clearly an attempt to regain social license but could also be used to delay any real climate action from the Biden administration.
For more analysis on this announcement, please see our prior statement by U.S. Climate Campaign Director Sriram Madhusoodanan:
“It is encouraging to see the Biden administration begin day one by following through with campaign promises, including rejoining the Paris Agreement. This sends an important signal to the global community after four years of particularly consistent and harmful sabotage of international collaboration and climate action by the Trump administration on behalf of Big Polluters.
Yet, as many around the world and in the U.S. have made clear time and again, rejoining the Paris Agreement is simply the beginning. This step must be followed by bold and aggressive commitments and actions to both drastically cut U.S. emissions and help finance a just and equitable transition away from fossil fuels in parts of the world least responsible for the climate crisis. We urge President Biden and his administration to go far beyond this symbolic action and follow through with commitments in line with the U.S.’s historical responsibility for fueling the climate crisis.
It is past time for the U.S. to do its Climate Fair Share.”
