Laying out his vision for a greener economy, US President Joe Biden on Thursday announced that the United States would cut its greenhouse gas emissions by half by 2030 as part of the country's efforts to combat climate change.
He also urged world leaders to significantly accelerate their own plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or risk a disastrous collective failure to stop catastrophic climate change.
According to CNN, in an address opening 'Leaders Summit on Climate', Biden laid out his vision for a greener economy in which climate change is taken seriously across all sectors and results in more jobs for the blue-collar workers he has focused on throughout his career.
Biden thanked world leaders for taking part in the summit stating that "your leadership on this issue is a statement to every nation especially our young people who were ready to meeting this moment."
"Meeting this moment is about more than preserving this planet. It is also about providing a better future for all of us. That's why, when we talk about climate, I think about jobs," he said.
During his speech, Biden focused on the job creation aspect of addressing the climate crisis, suggesting he sees "an opportunity to create millions of good-paying middle-class union jobs."
"When I talk about climate, I think jobs. Within our climate response lies an extraordinary job creation and economic opportunity ready to be fired up," Biden said, going on to urge investment in infrastructure.
"I want to build critical infrastructure to produce and deploy clean technology, both those we can harness today and those we will invent tomorrow," he said.
"The United States sets out on the road to cut our greenhouse gases in half-- and half by the end of this decade. That's where we're headed as a nation, and that's what we can do if we take action to build an economy that's not only more prosperous but healthier, fairer and cleaner for the entire planet," Biden said.
"These steps will set America's economy to net-zero emissions by no later than 2050. But the truth is America represents less than 15 per cent of the emissions. No nations can solve this crisis on their own," he added.
Biden also used his remarks to warn about the impacts of not acting on climate change. "The signs are unmistakable. The science is undeniable. But the cost of inaction keeps mounting... The United States is not waiting, we are resolving to take action," he said.
Vice President Kamala Harris made brief introductory remarks ahead of Biden, outlining how the leaders present share the common concern of climate change.
"As a global community, it is imperative that we act quickly and together," she said, calling for innovation and collaboration "around the world."
CNN further reported that former US Vice President and Nobel Laureate Al Gore praised the Biden administration's pledge on cutting US carbon emissions on Thursday, calling it "a ground-breaking step" and saying, "we have no more time to waste."
Gore noted that significant cuts are needed in this decade if we are to limit the global temperature rise and avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change.
"This ambitious goal is one that we must reach. I know that with the Biden Administration's whole-of-government approach, paired with investments in green jobs and infrastructure under consideration in Congress, we can," Gore said, as quoted by CNN.
( With inputs from ANI )
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