Scientists have proven that climate change is happening and the world needs to limit greenhouse gasses. This has been denied by some presidents and attested to by others. Recently, we have seen a large shift in government orders starting to push the American people towards a more sustainable future. President Joe Biden just signed an executive order stating the federal government will be carbon neutral by 2050. In this order, he states that he is aiming for a 65% reduction in greenhouse gasses by 2030. There are several steps he is taking to make this happen.
Before this order was made, Biden had already started to address the effects of climate change. He has previously signed a bipartisan infrastructure bill into law. This included $50 billion for climate resilience and $65 billion in clean energy investments. The new executive order comes after the US pledged at the United Nations COP26 climate summit.
One thing the federal government is doing to help control their effects on greenhouse gasses is replacing their fleet of vehicles. They will soon be replacing their 600,000 vehicles with electric models. Biden has ordered they stop purchasing gas powered passenger vehicles by 2027. By 2035, all vehicles will be zero-emission. This could face some logistical issues due to the global computer chip shortage and the need to install more electric vehicle charging stations across the US.
According to Biden’s order the federal government will also upgrade efficiency at 300,000 federal buildings. By 2045, all buildings owned or leased by the federal government will no longer contribute carbon emissions. Instead, they will operate entirely on carbon free electricity. They are also working on developing 10 gigawatts or new clean energy production by 2030. This would help provide a cleaner future for the American people.
Lastly, the order also establishes a “buy clean” policy. This pledges the government to use lower emission construction materials in the process of making all of these changes. The US has pledged to cut methane emissions by 30% and stop deforestation by 2030. While this is a good start at helping our planet, there is always more we can do.
The Biden administration is still pushing the Senate to pass the Build Back Better Plan. This would include $555 billion to combat climate change. Senator Tom Carper (chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee) states that “putting the weight of the federal government behind reducing emissions is the right thing to do”. The hope is that states would then follow in the government’s footsteps and implement their own emissions reduction plans.
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