New Biden Emissions Targets Seen as No Match for Looming Trump Attacks on Climate | Common Dreams

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

64% : "Cutting fossil fuel pollution sharply and building a thriving economy powered by clean energy is good for national prosperity and people's health and pocketbooks.
62% : In a video address, Biden said his efforts to invest billions of dollars into renewable energy technology and to regulate fossil fuel emissions from some power plants and other sources have amounted to "the boldest climate agenda in American history."
59% : Last year, emissions were reduced about 17% from 2005 levels, but no significant reduction is expected this year because rising electricity demand has offset renewable energy progress, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
58% : Biden's announcement on Thursday pertained to the country's nationally determined contribution (NDC), which is required by the 2015 Paris climate agreement -- a pact Trump has said the U.S. will exit after he takes office, as it did during his first term.
45% : "Oil Change International applauded the president's acknowledgment that fossil fuels must be phased out -- but emphasized that the NDC "doesn't commit to doing it.
42% : But by approving fossil fuel infrastructure like ConocoPhillips' Willow project, Biden has angered groups that have demanded the U.S. act on climate experts' warnings that continued oil and gas extraction has no place on a pathway to limiting planetary heating to 1.5°C above preindustrial levels.
41% : "With Trump looming, Biden is squandering his last chance to lock in ambitious commitments to stop the massive growth of oil and gas production -- commitments that could guide future federal action and inspire immediate state and local initiatives," said Rees.
38% : But if Trump rolls back a majority of Biden's policies, like methane regulations unveiled earlier this year and subsidies and tax incentives for clean energy included in the Inflation Reduction Act, the U.S. may only be able to reduce its emissions by 24-40% by 2030.
38% : "But it'll be up to states and other national leaders to defy Trump and move us quickly away from planet-heating fossil fuels," said Su.
22% : With Donald Trump beginning his term next month, "it'll be up to states and other national leaders to defy Trump and move us quickly away from planet-heating fossil fuels.
18% : But Oil Change International said the goal set on Thursday underscores the Biden administration's overall approach to emissions reductions: a "failed strategy of counting on clean energy to displace fossil fuels without simultaneous efforts to stop fossil fuels," as U.S. campaign manager Collin Rees said.
17% : Under Trump, said several advocates, meeting the goal set by Biden will take far-reaching action by state and local governments -- as the incoming Republican president, who has dismissed the climate crisis as a "scam" and a "hoax," is expected to ramp up emissions with his plans to repeal key federal regulations.
16% : "While Biden's pledge rightly reiterates the need to get off dirty energy, the real work lies in rooting out the corrupting political influence of oil, gas, and utilities.

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