Biden makes final big push to bolster climate action ahead of next Trump era

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The US has unveiled new stronger greenhouse gas emissions targets in the final weeks of Joe Biden’s presidency in a bid to galvanise international and state efforts on climate change despite Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

The upgraded targets are required by the UN before February as part of the 2015 Paris Agreement, from which Trump is widely expected to once again withdraw the US when he takes office next month.

The US’s new goal commits to a reduction of economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by between 61 and 66 per cent by 2035 from 2005 levels, with the goal of becoming net zero by 2050, alongside a cut in methane emissions by 35 per cent over the same period. This compares with a previous target for a cut in all emissions of 50 to 52 per cent by 2030, which the US is already short of reaching.

While Trump’s withdrawal of the US from the Paris accord signed by almost 200 countries in his first term came as a blow to the UN process, no other country followed. The action he took to unwind federal environmental rules and spur the fossil fuel industry was countered or reversed by Biden.

John Podesta, Biden’s top climate diplomat, said reaching the new climate target would now rely on mayors, governors and business executives to “show how many Americans still care about the future of our planet”.

Despite Biden’s exit from office, he said, US officials were “confident in America’s ability to rally around this new climate goal”.

“While the United States federal government under President Trump may put climate action on the back burner, the work to contain climate change is going to continue in the US with commitment and passion and belief,” Podesta said. “That’s not wishful thinking. It’s happened before.”

The Biden administration also granted California permission on Wednesday to enforce its pollution rules for cars and trucks, against a Trump promise to dismantle the state’s plans to phase out new petrol engine vehicle sales by 2035. The approval, which involves a waiver from federal rules, gives California more power to oppose in court any Trump attempt at a reversal.

Podesta said he was also encouraging China to submit a target for 2035 that would cut all greenhouse gases from across its economy by about 30 per cent from peak emissions.

The world’s biggest polluter, China has pledged to peak its emissions by 2030 but a big push into clean energy and a slowdown in heavily polluting industrial activity this year is expected to have put it well ahead of this goal.

Under the next step in the UN accord, countries have a February deadline to file their so-called nationally determined contributions, or climate plans outlining how they will cut emissions by 2035.

But in making the push to set out the fresh climate plan before Trump comes to power, US officials carried out an analysis of what could be achieved by the world’s biggest economy based on action from states, cities and private companies.

The WRI non-profit research group said while the 2035 target was “at the lower bound of what science demands” to cut emissions enough to limit global warming, it was near the “upper bound of what is realistic if every available policy lever is pulled.”

“Even though the Trump administration may not lift a finger to deliver on this plan, it sets a north star for what the US should be aiming for and could help guide the federal government’s priorities once Trump leaves office in 2029,” said WRI’s acting US director Debbie Weyl.

Few other countries have yet to set out their new climate targets for 2035. The UK’s Labour government has been among those to lead the way, saying it would aim to cut its emissions by at least 81 per cent by 2035 from 1990 levels — though it has yet to submit full details of how it will achieve this.

The host nation for next year’s UN climate summit, Brazil has committed to reducing emissions by 59 to 67 per cent by 2035 from 2005 levels, and previous UN summit host the United Arab Emirates set a target of a 47 per cent reduction in emissions by 2035, compared with 2019 levels.

There are widespread expectations that many countries will miss the February deadline to submit their plans as governments around the world face political challenges and economic constraints.