Just days after he was sworn in as US president, Joe Biden announced with much enthusiasm that “America is Back.” The statement, which meant different things to various people, was welcomed by the global community, notably the environment and climate change activists as well as US allies for its reference to NATO and climate change. The abrupt exit of the US from the Paris Climate Change Treaty, ordered by Donald Trump, was a near-fatal blow to the agreement that has floundered since it was signed seven years ago.
Though Biden did reverse his predecessor’s decision to exit Paris immediately and brought the US back to the negotiating table, the world has had to wait for over 18 months to see Biden take any meaningful step toward cutting carbon emissions in the US, which is by far the largest major polluter per capita emissions; its total emissions in 2019 stood at 5.2 gigatons, or 15.6 tons per capita per year. This compares poorly with even large economies such as India (1.87 tons) or China (7.38 tons). Historically, too, the US is responsible for the bulk of carbon emissions, accounting for 21 percent of all carbon ever emitted by human activity.
Thus, it was key that the US begin some meaningful action to cut its emissions. Biden’s signature legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act, fits the bill nicely, even if just a start. With over $369 billion allocated to climate and energy provisions, the act seeks to change how the country’s energy is produced and is expected to put the US on the path to its stated goal of cutting its carbon emissions 40 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. Though that is clearly far from enough to save the world, most environmentalists would welcome the idea of the US taking climate change seriously, at least. The act also should spell an end to the decision of the Biden administration to boost oil and gas output to combat sky-high energy prices.
But while the act is certainly expected to nudge the US toward tackling climate change in a serious manner, the country needs to do far more to come anywhere close to its commitments, both binding and moral, in cutting carbon emissions and leading the battle against climate change and global warming.
First, the US would need to not only ensure that it meets the commitment of 40 percent of emissions from 2005 levels, or not even the 50 percent as agreed in Paris but as climate scientists have been pointing out the battle to restrict the rise in global temperatures to below 1.5°C from pre-industrial era is almost certainly lost and the world needs to do much more than meeting current commitments to even keep the rise below 2.5°C.
As of now, no major economy is anywhere on the path to even meet its commitments, let alone doing anything more. Here, the US is definitely among the laggards rather than the leaders. But Biden’s legislation fails on another key measure that is of immense significance to the billions of people living in poor countries around the world facing the worst impact of climate change through desertification, rising sea levels, flash floods, and prolonged droughts.
One of the key commitments of the US and other developed economies has been to provide adequate financial assistance to help these countries mitigate the impact of climate change and also cut their own emissions by getting access to the latest technologies, most of which are with the developed countries. The rich world has consistently failed to honor its commitments for financial aid that is supposed to have been at least $100 billion each year for well over a decade.
