Joe Bidenparalyzed in Congress and limited by the Supreme Court, nevertheless tried on Wednesday July 20, 2022 to revive its promises climaticannouncing new regulatory measures as a heat wave stifles United States and several European countries.
Climate change is “a clear and immediate danger” as well as a “existential threat to our nation and the world”said the American president.
“The health of our fellow citizens is at stake”as well as “our national security” et “our economy”he added, visiting Massachusetts (northeast), on the site of a former very polluting coal-fired power plant, closed since 2017 and in the process of being converted to wind energy.
“Since Congress is not doing what it should”regretted the 79-year-old Democrat, who has just suffered a serious parliamentary setback on his reform program environmental, “I will use my executive powers”.
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My message today is loud and clear: Since Congress is not acting on the climate emergency, I will.
And in the coming weeks my Administration will begin to announce executive actions to combat this emergency.
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 20, 2022
But he has not – at least for the moment – declared “climate emergency” as demanded by some elected members of his party, a maneuver whose impact is not very clear but which could grant him additional political powers.
As Joe Biden spoke, large parts of Europe were sweltering in the heat wave, and the United States was not spared: around 100 million people currently live there in areas affected by extreme heat or excessive heat.
“Our children and grandchildren are counting on us. It is not a joke. If we don’t limit (the warming) to less than 1.5 degrees, we will lose everything. There will be no turning back”said the president. “We have no more excuses”he estimated.
“At His Pace”
The President intends to progress “at his own pace. He has a number of prerogatives that he can use” to start, justified on Wednesday on CNN his top climate adviser, Gina McCarthy. But the White House stresses that declaring this state of climate emergency remains an option.
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.@POTUS: “Climate change is an emergency. When it comes to fighting climate change, I will not take no for an answer. I will do everything in my power to clean up our air and water, protect people’s health, and win the clean energy future.” https://t.co/NpHkpFcnsB
— Gina McCarthy (@ginamccarthy46) July 20, 2022
Among the executive orders introduced Wednesday: additional funds to help protect regions facing extreme heat and measures to boost wind power generation in the United States.
In detail, the federal agency responsible for dealing with natural disasters and other emergencies, FEMA, will commit $2.3 billion to help local communities adapt to climate change and its consequences (heat wave, drought, floods, etc.).
The federal government also wants to support less privileged households and poorer residential areas that do not have access to air conditioning, for example by helping some families to pay their electricity bills.
Finally, the Biden administration will allow the installation in the Gulf of Mexico of wind capacity that can supply up to 3 million homes with electricity.
The White House says it is determined to keep its climate commitments, in particular the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
Joe Biden, who returned to the Paris climate accord left by his predecessor Donald Trump, announced in April 2021 that the United States would reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 50-52% by 2030 , compared to 2005.
But the American president, as on the right to abortionthe regulation of firearms and many other reform projects, is once again experiencing the limits of its power in terms of the environment: it does not have a clear majority in Congress and the judiciary is against it.
His climate agenda took a hit when Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, whose vote is crucial, said he would not support legislation aiming to move the US economy towards clean energy sources, presumably condemning it to failure.
And Joe Biden is facing a Supreme Court that has become fiercely conservative and deeply hostile to any centralized regulation, which has just severely limited the powers of the federal state in the fight against the global warming.
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