AFP
–
NOS News•today, 22:22
—
US President Biden will use his presidential powers to tackle the climate crisis. “It’s an emergency and that’s how I will handle it,” the president said in a speech tonight.
–
“Scientists are talking about code red, climate change is costing us billions,” Biden said in Somerset, Massachusetts. There he paid a working visit to a former coal-fired power station. The president called climate change a threat to national security and the economy. “It poses an existential threat to our country and to the whole world.”
–
He wants to use his powers because his climate legislation has stalled in the Senate. The president has not made clear what he will do. He is expected to do so in the coming weeks.
–
Biden has already announced an amount of 2.3 billion dollars, intended to make the infrastructure more resistant to extreme weather. For example, ‘cooling centres’ must be built where people can be accommodated during a heat wave. He also wants to build more wind farms at sea.
–
Still, Biden has not declared a state of emergency, something the Democrats had insisted on. Declaring a federal emergency gives the president additional powers, which could, for example, release special disaster funds.
–
Dangerously high temperatures
In his speech, Biden lashed out at Congress, which he says is “not doing its job” on climate action. Last week, conservative Democratic Senator Joe Manchin blocked yet another climate proposal from Biden, much to the frustration of many Democrats.
–
Since the party only controls half of the Senate, Democrats must vote unanimously for plans Republicans won’t support. Incidentally, it was already a slimmed-down climate proposal that Manchin opposed: he found the original investment package, the so-called Build Back Betterplan, go too far.
–
Not only Europe is struggling with extreme heat, America is also suffering from heat waves. About 40 million inhabitants of the country will have to deal with dangerously high temperatures this week. Action groups want Biden to declare a federal emergency.
—
