I Read Biden's Climate Plan so You Don't Have To
Breaking Down President Biden’s Executive Order on Climate Change
Written by Kora Quinn, Culture Staff Writer, Illustrated by Elizabeth Karnowski, Culture Staff Writer
On Jan. 27, 2021, President Biden signed the “Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad” into law. This executive order outlines the President’s plan for addressing climate change, an exciting moment for activists who have pushed the President to put our current climate crisis at the forefront of the new Administration since he announced his candidacy.
Yet this 30-page executive order is packed full of political jargon and is hard to understand. That’s why I read the entire thing and summarized it here, highlighting the most important parts.
The order is broken into three parts, each with its own subsections. Part one is titled “PUTTING THE CLIMATE CRISIS AT THE CENTER OF THE UNITED STATES FOREIGN POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY,” outlined by sections titled Policy, Purpose, Prioritizing Climate in Foreign Policy and National Security, and Reinstatement.
Part one begins by asserting the climate crisis as urgent and stating that the Biden Administration is placing the U.S. on a path to have net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 or earlier. Net-zero emissions don’t mean the U.S. has to stop producing emissions completely, but that the reduced amount of emissions that are still produced have to be offset by taking CO2 out of the atmosphere. While this may seem like an ambitious plan, it’s completely realistic and already a target for countless other countries.
Part one also states that the U.S. has rejoined the Paris Agreement and that President Biden will host a Leaders’ Climate Summit to discuss the climate crisis with world leaders on Earth Day, April 22, 2021. The President plans to have our contribution to the Paris Agreement developed before the summit.
The administration will also reconvene the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate, which the President states will, “pursue green recovery efforts, initiatives to advance the clean energy transition, sectoral decarbonization, and alignment of financial flows . . . including with respect to coal financing, nature-based solutions, and solutions to other climate-related challenges.”
A new White House position was created called the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, currently held by John Kerry. Kerry will be responsible for energy and climate policy in the new administration.
The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol will be presented to the Senate for advice and consent to ratification. The Montreal Protocol is a global agreement to protect the ozone layer, and if the Kigali Amendment is approved by the Senate, the U.S. would begin phasing out the use of hydrofluorocarbons. Hydrofluorocarbons, commonly used for refrigeration, is an alternative to other ozone-depleting gasses. However, it is still a greenhouse gas. Thus, the Kigali Amendment will open up “international markets to new technology that is better for the environment, without compromising performance” (Office of Environmental Quality).
Finally, the last section of part one states that the Climate Change and National Security Memorandum, a Presidential Memorandum issued by former President Obama, is now reinstated.
Part two, titled “TAKING A GOVERNMENT-WIDE APPROACH TO THE CLIMATE CRISIS,” first established the Climate Policy Office, which will coordinate the policy-making process regarding U.S. climate issues. It then establishes a National Climate Task Force, chaired by the National Climate Advisor and composed of various officials who will plan and implement actions to reduce climate pollution, protect public health and “spur well-paying union jobs and economic growth.”
The most important claim the President makes in part two is that his administration plans to have a carbon-pollution-free electricity sector by 2035. He also wants to provide “clean and zero-emission vehicles for Federal, State, Local, and Tribal government fleets, including vehicles of the United States Postal Service.” Since USPS currently operates over 200,000 vehicles, boasting one of the largest civilian fleets, this would be a large, positive contribution to the environment United States Postal Service).
This order also put a pause on new oil and natural gas leases on public lands and in offshore waters — with Tribal lands exempt at their own request — to look further into their leasing and permitting practices.
President Biden claims we need “millions of construction, manufacturing, engineering, and skilled-trades workers to build new American infrastructure and clean energy economy.” Thus, he created the Civilian Climate Corps Initiative to “mobilize the next generation of conservation and resilience workers and maximize the creation of accessible training opportunities and good jobs” to “conserve and restore public lands and waters, bolster community resilience, increase reforestation, increase carbon sequestration in the agricultural sector, protect biodiversity, improve access to recreation, and address the changing climate.”
The order also establishes an Interagency Working Group that will use Federal resources to restore the economies of coal, oil and gas and power plant communities. This includes ensuring benefits and protections for coal and power plant workers who might lose work due to increased regulations and aiding with projects in plugging leaks in oil and gas wells and reclaiming abandoned mines.
Finally, Biden outlines how he will address environmental injustice. First, he announced a goal to direct 40% of overall benefits from Federal investments in things such as clean energy to disadvantaged communities. Next, the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council was created. This Council will primarily serve to give recommendations to the Interagency Council on how to give focus to environmental injustice, such as spurring economic opportunity for “disadvantaged communities that have been historically marginalized and overburdened by pollution and underinvestment in housing, transportation, water and wastewater infrastructure, and health care.”
Part three of the executive order is less prevalent to new changes and improvements as it goes over what the order doesn’t affect. Thus, the main takeaways are this:
First, the Biden Administration wants the U.S. to be carbon neutral by 2050. Whether that will happen depends on if future Presidents will remain compliant with this climate plan. Next, they plan to have a carbon-pollution-free electricity sector by 2035. Again, the continuity of this plan depends on future compliance. Currently, there is a pause on new oil and natural gas leases on public lands and in offshore waters, but it is only a 60-day pause. In the meantime, they will continue to look into doubling renewable energy production from offshore winds by 2030. Lastly, Biden’s climate plan will ultimately create more jobs and stimulate the economy.
Works Cited
“Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad,” The White House, 2021.
“FACT SHEET: President Biden Takes Executive Actions to Tackle the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, Create Jobs, and Restore Scientific Integrity Across Federal Government,” The White House, 2021.
Office of Environmental Quality. “The Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer,” U.S. Department of State.
“Postal-Owned Transportation,” United States Postal Service.
https://about.usps.com/strategic-planning/cs09/CSPO_09_036.htm