Read on Twitter
On January 27, Biden issued a detailed executive order (EO) that changed US course on climate policy across the board. The EO has so many elements that it’s easy to lose sight of some of them, so in this (very lengthy) thread, I’ll highlight the most important. 1/18
The EO’s title is “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.” Language matters! So it's important that throughout, the EO calls the problem a “climate crisis,” not just “climate change.” 2/18 https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/27/executive-order-on-tackling-the-climate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad/
The EO begins by saying that the climate crisis will require both “significant short-term global reductions” in GHGs and “net-zero global emissions by mid-century or before.” This isn’t news! But now Biden has made it explicit US policy. 3/18 https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/12/1078612
The EO has a long list of international and domestic actions. On the int'l side, the splashiest is that Biden will host a Leaders’ Climate Summit aimed at raising climate ambition [on Earth Day, April 22], and submit a new nationally determined contribution (NDC) before that. 4/
Biden appointed John Kerry to be the first Special Presidential Envoy for Climate and directed him to coordinate with State and Treasury to develop a “climate finance plan” within 90 days. The US is also supposed to push IFIs to end financing of fossil-fuel energy. 5/18
The Secretary of State is directed to prepare a package seeking Senate approval of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol – which requires the phasedown of hydroflourocarbons, a powerful GHG. 6/18 For more on why that’s important, see: https://www.law.georgetown.edu/environmental-law-review/blog/the-united-states-may-finally-ratify-the-kigali-amendment-with-potential-implementing-legislation-already-underway/
Much of the EO sets out domestic actions. The EO creates an Office of Domestic Climate Policy, headed by a National Climate Advisor. Biden appointed Gina McCarthy, EPA head in Obama’s second term, to be the first such Advisor. 7/18 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/15/climate/gina-mccarthy-biden-climate.html
McCarthy will chair a new National Climate Task Force composed of Department heads, to develop a plan to stimulate clean industry, including by using government procurement authorities. The EO specifies some ambitious targets for the plan. 8/18
For example, the plan will aim to achieve a carbon pollution-free electricity sector no later than 2035. As of 2019, almost 63% of all electricity in the US was from fossil fuels and another 20% was from nuclear – so this is a huge task. 9/18
https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=427&t=3#:~:text=In%202019%2C%20about%204%2C127%20billion,facilities%20in%20the%20United%20States.&text=About%2063%25%20of%20this%20electricity,%2C%20petroleum%2C%20and%20other%20gases
https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=427&t=3#:~:text=In%202019%2C%20about%204%2C127%20billion,facilities%20in%20the%20United%20States.&text=About%2063%25%20of%20this%20electricity,%2C%20petroleum%2C%20and%20other%20gases
The plan will also seek to move to clean and zero-emission vehicles for Federal, State, local, and Tribal government fleets. In a separate EO, issued on January 25, Biden stated that the US government would buy goods made in the US by US workers. 10/18 https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/01/25/president-biden-to-sign-executive-order-strengthening-buy-american-provisions-ensuring-future-of-america-is-made-in-america-by-all-of-americas-workers/
This could have huge benefits for the environment–and for US manufacturers like Tesla and GM-but it’s another gigantic task. The US government has 650,000 vehicles, about a third of which are owned by Defense and another third by the Postal Service. 11/ https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/25/22249237/biden-electric-vehicle-government-fleet-ev
The EO directed Interior to pause new oil and gas leases and increase renewable energy on federal territory with the goal of doubling offshore wind production by 2030. The target is actually not ambitious given the potential for offshore wind farms. 12/18 https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/18/potential-but-challenges-too-a-look-at-offshore-wind-in-the-us.html#:~:text=The%20U.S.%20Department%20of%20Energy,the%20Global%20Wind%20Energy%20Council
Interior is also required to take steps to ensure that federal funding isn’t subsidizing fossil fuels other than as required by law. Unfortunately at least 80% of fossil subsidies are required by law, so most of the subsidies aren’t within his control 13/ https://grist.org/politics/biden-is-eliminating-fossil-fuel-subsidies-but-he-cant-end-them-all/
Interior is also directed to report within 90 days on steps that the US should take to achieve the goal of conserving 30% of lands and waters by 2030. This is a very ambitious goal. While 26% of US ocean is already protected, only 12% of the land is. 14/18 https://blogs.berkeley.edu/2021/01/25/heres-how-biden-can-help-conserve-30-percent-of-u-s-land-by-2030/
Worldwide, the danger of the 30 by 30 goal is that it may perpetuate the massive rights abuses that conservation has imposed on indigenous peoples. The US point person will be Deb Haaland, the first Native American ever to be Secretary of the Interior. 15/ https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2020/12/18/what-deb-haalands-historic-nomination-as-interior-secretary-means-for-indigenous-peoples/
There’s more, but the last I'll highlight is the creation of an Environmental Justice Interagency Council to develop a strategy to address environmental injustice, and a Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool with interactive maps highlighting disadvantaged communities. 16/
In this respect, EPA is directed to strengthen enforcement of environmental violations with disproportionate impact on underserved communities. To be successful, EPA is going to have to take this issue much more seriously than it did under Obama. 17/18 http://www.ncpolicywatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/US-Civil-Rights-Commission-report.pdf
All in all, January 27 was quite a day for US climate policy. Bill McKibben called it “the most remarkable day in the history of America’s official response to the climate crisis.” Much more will be needed, but this was a very good start! 18/18 https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-biden-administrations-landmark-day-in-the-fight-for-the-climate
