‘Step up’: Biden says US doing its part to fight climate change but global efforts required
At COP27, the United Nations climate summit being held in Egypt, the president said he is confident the U.S. will meet its 2030 emissions goals.
President Biden speaks at UN Climate Change Summit
President Joe Biden spoke at the UN Climate Change Summit in Egypt on Friday.
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt – Speaking to a packed house Friday in Egypt, President Joe Biden said he is confident the U.S. is on track to meet its emissions goals by the end of the decade, but other nations also need to do their part.
COP27, the United Nations climate change summit, has brought together nearly 200 countries with the goal of concentrating efforts to address the shared threat.
Biden said the Inflation Reduction Act passed during the summer included $368 billion to support a U.S. transition to clean energy. He said these efforts have put the country on a path to reduce emissions by about 50% below 2005 levels by 2030.
"I can stand here as the president of the United States of America and say with confidence the United States of America will meet our emissions targets by 2030," Biden said.
Climate compensation, adaptation on this year's agenda at COP27
Dr. Steve Cohen, Senior Vice Dean for the School of Professional Studies at Columbia University, discusses COP27, which is underway in Egypt.
The president reminded the gathered leaders that the U.S. cannot reverse climate change on its own. He called for richer nations to do more to help developing countries prepare and adapt. He said technology developed by the U.S. during a clean-energy transition will be shared with the world.
"If countries can finance coal in developing countries, there’s no reason why we can’t finance clean energy in developing (countries)," Biden said.
According to Biden, about 130 countries are part of a methane emissions agreement spearheaded by the U.S. The effort is aimed at reducing emissions of the most potent greenhouse gas by 30% by 2030. He said the U.S. is investing $20B in mitigation work such as capping orphaned oil and gas wells and improving industrial equipment in that sector to reduce emissions.
"All told, these steps will reduce U.S. methane emissions from coverage sources by 87% below the levels of 2005 by 2030," Biden said.
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President Joe Biden delivers a speech during the COP27 climate conference in Egypt's Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, on Nov. 11, 2022.
(AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP / Getty Images)
The president said preserving the natural environment should also be a cornerstone of any plan to address climate change.
"The best part is we don’t have to develop any new technologies," Biden said. "We just have to make clear – forests are more valuable when they’re preserved than when they’re destroyed. It’s that basic."
Biden said that even with all these efforts, more still needs to be done by every country on Earth.
"To permanently bend the emissions curve, every nation needs to step up," Biden said.