Change in US Climate Policy – NPO Radio 1

With the impending inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States, Donald Trump saw a change in US climate policy four years later. “It took Trump four years to get out of the Paris climate agreement and Biden will be back on the table within a month,” said Helen Van Soest, international climate policy researcher. Birds morning.

While Trump still views climate change as a hoax, Biden has already declared sustainability at all levels of society: from electric cars to manufacturing solar panels and wind turbines. In addition, he promised that on the first day of his presidency, the United States would once again recognize the Paris climate treaty, which Trump threw into the trash.

Stronger climate policy

Biden wants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050. He already has a complete climate plan in place: the clean energy revolution plan. That plan states, among other things, that government buildings will become more sustainable, that greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector should be substantially reduced, and equipment and buildings that are more energy-efficient and biodiversity will be better protected.

In addition, Biden wants to protect the Arctic and halt new oil and gas extraction projects, something that gave Trump the green light in his final weeks. A number of measures can be reversed by decree, but for a more robust climate policy, the Democratic majorities (recognized narrow) in the House and Senate are of great importance.

Promising sums

In the Netherlands, the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL) calculates whether the governments’ climate policy is feasible and credible. This also applies to the plans of the incoming president, Joe Biden. These types of analyzes play a role in climate negotiations.

Each year, the PBL calculates the climate policy of various countries, including the United States. Helen Van Soest is a scholarly researcher in international climate policy at PBL. “They have already shown a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions, but when Trump reversed all kinds of regulations, we had to remove them from our calculations, so that emissions are falling less rapidly than they could have been. And now the United States looks like it will even pursue a tougher climate policy.”

Van Soest is relieved: “I can now once again make promising sums about what that would mean for fighting climate change. It took Trump four years to leave the Paris climate agreement and Biden will be back on the table in a month. That’s a good thing, because we can start immediately to make The postponed 2020 climate summit for the Coronavirus – now scheduled for the end of this year – is successful. “

John Kerry as a Climate Envoy

With John Kerry appointed as climate envoy, Biden is also trying to restore the international face of the United States. As Secretary of State on behalf of the United States, Kerry signed the Paris climate agreement in 2015, and to further his intentions, Kerry carried his granddaughter on his arm.

The Trump administration has done a great deal of damage in the international climate policy arena. Van Soest predicts that “it will take some time before that picture is restored.” According to the researcher, Biden’s plans are comprehensive. “If Biden can implement these plans, the United States will go in the right direction. Americans remain a major contributor to global emissions.”

Birds morning: Every Sunday morning from 7 am to 10 am

Birds morning It is a program about nature and the environment. It can be heard on NPO Radio 1 Sunday morning and on NPO 2 Friday evening Birds morning On Facebook or follow the program Twitter From Instagram.

Correction report