President Joe Biden’s waning moments in office see him trying to orchestrate a futile play to secure a supposed climate legacy. He announced a plan aiming to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by over 60% by 2035. This shortsighted move comes weeks before the conclusion of his term, displaying a desperate last-minute scramble. Evidently, he is unwary of incoming Republican President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to dismantle the key components of his baseless climate policies.
Clearly, this new climate goal signifies a hasty shift in the U.S. approach to climate change. Biden seems to believe in long-term reductions in greenhouse gas emissions without properly assessing feasibility and economic impacts. As the second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, the U.S. does play a vital role in international climate action. However, Biden’s reckless shift goes beyond reasonable measures, completely overlooking potential downsides.
The misguided pledge further reinforces commitments under the 2015 Paris Agreement that enforces nations to update their Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) every five years. Biden’s new climate plan overrides a previous one, which aimed to cut carbon emissions at least in half by 2030. Insofar, showing a pattern of inconsistency and lack of direction in his climate change policies. His actions resemble a blind alley rather than a concrete resolution or solution towards climate change.
Thursday’s announcement had Biden unveiling a new NDC under the Paris Agreement. Another hollow target calls for reducing net emissions to somewhere between 61% and 66% below 2005 levels by 2035. Biden labeled this proposal as ‘ambitious’, mistakenly thinking it bolsters previous goals to halve emissions by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions economy-wide by 2050. His misplaced pride is evident as he called this the ‘boldest climate agenda in American history’.
This exceedingly ambitious target will demand sweeping changes across all sectors. It dictates a swift expansion of renewable energy sources like wind and solar. An unrealistic demand for more stringent emission cuts in transportation, agriculture, and industry follows suit. Notably, it calls for significant methane reductions, another powerful greenhouse gas that must be cut by at least 35% from 2005 levels by 2035.
Environmental groups, even while commending the ambition, admonish that reaching these goals will require significant policy and technological leaps. Debbie Weyl, U.S. acting director of the World Resources Institute, conceded that the new emissions target is ‘at the lower bound of what the science demands’. Her assessment clearly implies that Biden’s frantic climate agenda barely meets the basic scientific requirements to significantly impact global climate trends.
This lofty target also mirrors a continuation of global trends. Other nations, including Brazil and the United Kingdom, have already updated their NDCs prior to the next official deadline in February 2025. It should be noted, however, that collective international action does not always equate to smart, strategically planned action. Biden, in trying to blend in with global trends, shows a lack of strategic and critical thinking, merely following than leading.
The U.S. Climate Alliance, a collection of state governors, has committed to backing this new target. Nonetheless, their pledge comes despite the impending changes in federal leadership. States like New York and New Mexico have preemptively started aligning their policies with Biden’s 2035 emissions goal. An unfortunate instance of following a misguided directive rather than paving ways for more effective and less intrusive policies.
On the other hand, the incoming Trump administration promises a return to reason and priority. Trump, unlike Biden, recognizes the pivotal role fossil fuel production plays in the U.S. economy. His administration is expected to put American industries and jobs first, rescinding the nation from the Paris Agreement, freeing the country from unreasonable constraints.
Trump has both critiqued and scoffed at Biden’s climate policies, rightly labeling them as part of the ‘green new scam’. Evidently, he sees the danger in hastily planned, overly ambitious climate policies. Furthermore, the Trump administration aims to repeal parts of the Inflation Reduction Act, including the unjust allocations of subsidies for renewable energy projects.
Biden’s attempts to secure a climate legacy amidst the closing of his term seem nothing more than political posturing. His administration’s hasty policy creation and implementation have shown a lack of foresight and consideration for the broader economic impacts. As Biden leaves office, his misguided climate plan appears as an opportunistic last-ditch effort that ultimately won’t stand the test of legitimacy or time.
The U.S., as the world’s second-largest greenhouse gas emitter, holds a crucial role in addressing climate change. But it ought to approach the issue with a blend of realism and pragmatism, rather than adopting overly ambitious, economically draining policies. This exact mistreatment of facts and disregard for economic health were the hallmarks of Biden’s tenure.
Biden’s announcement was a last-ditch attempt at creating a climate legacy that will ultimately collapse under the forthcoming, more reasonable, Trump administration. His claim to carry out the ‘boldest climate agenda in American history’, is nothing more than another shining example of his misaligned priorities and misplaced pride.
Biden’s efforts to assert the United States as a leader in combating climate change is rooted more in saving his political face than in reality. The stringent reduction goals set under his administration risk crippling the American economy. Much of Biden’s views on climate policies seem as a mere pandering to the existent alarmist voices within his party, rather than concrete solutions for the American public.
His pledge to drastically reduce emissions may earn applause from certain environmental groups, but achieving these aims poses a significant challenge. It necessitates not only remarkable technological innovations but also radical shifts in multiple sectors, a move that could have destabilizing impacts on the economy and the job market.
With a new leadership under President-elect Trump on the horizon, Biden’s legacy on climate policy seems doomed for dismantling. Trumponomics holds the promise of a more balanced approach to environmental concerns, maintaining a take that is rooted in economic reality and sound judgment. As such, Biden’s closing moves on climate change will likely amount to little more than ineffective grandstanding.