WASHINGTON (March 1, 2021) — U.S. President Joe Biden made climate action a core pillar of his campaign and is now doing the same for his presidency. On January 27, President Biden signed a sweeping executive order that included a commitment to reach net-zero emissions by no later than 2050, and just last week the United States formally rejoined the Paris Agreement.
The next big climate moment for President Biden will be one of the most consequential decisions of his presidency – adopting a 2030 emissions reduction target that will be a centerpiece of the United States’ national climate plan under the Paris Agreement. The Biden administration has announced it will unveil this new target ahead of the Leaders’ Climate Summit on Earth Day, April 22.
Key figures and major organizations are calling for the U.S. to choose an ambitious and attainable target to cut emissions 50% or more below 2005 levels by 2030. Those backing this target include Washington Governor Jay Inslee and former NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg, along with NGOs like World Resources Institute, Environmental Defense Fund, Union of Concerned Scientists, Natural Resources Defense Council, World Wildlife Fund, Ceres, C2ES, The Nature Conservancy and others.
But how do we know if reaching this 50% reduction target is feasible? And what would the real-world implications be for different industries, job creation and economic growth? What level of ambition does the science indicate is needed? And how does a 50% reduction target compare to goals set by others, such as the United Kingdom and the European Union?
On March 8 at 11:00am ET, journalists are invited to join a media briefing hosted by World Resources Institute, Environmental Defense Fund, the Union of Concerned Scientists, Natural Resources Defense Council and the University of Maryland, who will profile in-depth modeling and analysis that shows how a 50% reduction target is attainable. The briefing will dig into recent research from a variety of groups – such as America’s Pledge (now America Is All In), EDF, NRDC, Princeton University, the University of Maryland and more – and discuss the collective leadership we need to see from the Biden administration, Congress, states, cities, businesses and more to achieve this target.
Speakers:
- Kevin Kennedy, Senior Fellow, World Resources Institute
- Susanne Brooks, Senior Director of U.S. Climate Policy & Analysis, Environmental Defense Fund
- Starla Yeh, Policy Analysis Group Director, Climate & Clean Energy Program, Natural Resources Defense Council
- Rachel Cleetus, Policy Director, Climate and Energy Program, Union of Concerned Scientists
- Nathan Hultman, Founder and Director, Center for Global Sustainability, University of Maryland
Register here: https://wri.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_XHrthpzJQXuk45s8_emJUQ
