Washington, DC – This week’s Leaders Summit on Climate was a strong step towards addressing the existential threat of climate change. The Biden administration has thus far fulfilled its campaign promises to restore the U.S. as a global leader on climate – first by rejoining the Paris Agreement on day one, and now by convening world leaders to highlight the urgent need for global action.
President Biden announced during the opening of the Summit that the U.S. will target a 50-52 percent reduction from 2005 levels in economy-wide net greenhouse gas pollution by 2030. This strong commitment signaled that the U.S. is willing to do our part, and President Biden challenged other countries to do the same. It sends the message that America is back.
Climate change is the central foreign policy challenge of our generation, and we cannot fight it alone. More than 85 percent of emissions come from outside of the U.S., so it’s critical that the U.S. tackles the challenge with both domestic policy and through active bilateral and multilateral diplomacy. We support the President’s vision and encourage both the Biden administration and our allies to continue to work together on the climate crisis this year at COP26 in Glasgow.
“What we saw this week was renewed U.S. leadership. The Biden administration is pairing words with decisive actions,” said Foreign Policy for America Executive Director Andrew Albertson. “Climate change is the central foreign policy challenge of our generation, and by getting out in front and leading, the Biden administration is not only making the world safer for future generations, it’s making the investments needed to fuel job growth here in the U.S. this year and for decades to come.”
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