[ad_1]
The Democrat says he is confident the campaign is on track for victory as Donald Trump launches legal action to challenge the results in key states.
Joe Biden vowed last night to immediately return the United States to the Paris Agreement on climate change as the US elections entered their final stretch and Democrats are confident they are closing in on victory in what remains a harrowing race. hard fought.
The former vice president refused to declare victory last night, despite recording crucial victories in Wisconsin and Michigan that put him within a short distance of the 270 Electoral College votes required for an outright victory. But ongoing counts in Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Nevada meant both candidates still had a path to victory overnight.
However, with President Trump lagging behind in the count in Arizona and Nevada, and Pennsylvania and Georgia still too close to call, Biden told supporters last night that it was “clear that when the count is up, we believe we will be the winners.” .
He added that once in the White House he would strive to heal the stark partisan divisions that had been evident throughout the campaign. “Once this election is finalized and behind us, it will be time to do what we have always done as Americans: put the harsh rhetoric of the campaign behind us,” he said.
Analysts warned that it could still be days, or even weeks, until a winner is formally declared, after the Trump campaign launched a series of lawsuits in swing states across the country to challenge the results and suspend the counts of ongoing votes in areas where the President directs.
However, attention has shifted rapidly, perhaps prematurely, to Biden’s political agenda and his ability to enact it, as Republicans appear keen to retain their majority in the Senate.
The elections coincided in the same week that the United States formally renounced the Paris Agreement on climate change, and last night, in a tweet, Biden reiterated that signing the United States’ endorsement of the agreement would be one of his first acts in the Oval Office. .
“Today, the Trump Administration officially abandoned the Paris Climate Agreement,” he wrote. “And in exactly 77 days, a Biden Administration will join it.”
His transition team also posted a short statement on their official website, under the url ‘Build Back Better’, stating that while “votes are still being counted in various states across the country,” they were now preparing for the transfer of power. “The crises facing the country are severe, from a pandemic to an economic recession, from climate change to racial injustice, and the transition team will continue to prepare at full speed so that the Biden-Harris Administration can become operational from the first day, “he added. the statement read.
Meanwhile, the UN provided a clear signal that the United States would be welcomed back into the Paris Agreement if Biden secured the White House.
In a joint statement, the UNFCCC and the governments of the United Kingdom, Italy, France and Chile expressed “regret” that the United States had decided to exit the global agreement and reiterated its commitment to work with all nations to accelerate climate action.
“There is no greater responsibility than to protect our planet and people from the threat of climate change,” the statement read. “The science is clear that we must urgently step up action and work together to reduce the impacts of global warming and ensure a greener and more resilient future for all of us. The Paris Agreement provides the right framework to achieve this.”
He added that the group would organize a virtual event on December 12 to mark the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement and would again ask governments to present more ambitious national climate action plans.
“We note with regret that the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement has formally entered into force today,” the statement concluded. “Heading into COP26 in Glasgow, we remain committed to working with all US stakeholders and partners around the world to accelerate climate action, and with all signatories to ensure full implementation of the Paris Agreement.”
Business groups similarly expressed disappointment at the Trump administration’s decision to waive the deal and called on governments to mobilize ecological recovery packages in response to the coronavirus crisis.
Talking to ReutersStephanie Pfeiffer, executive director of the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change, which represents companies with $ 30 trillion in assets under management, said a U.S. return to the deal would send a positive message to investors. “Re-committing to the Paris Agreement would provide an important policy signal, helping to unlock additional flows of investment capital to support sustainable growth and job creation in key sectors of the US economy,” he said.
Biden’s campaign platform focused heavily on climate change and clean technology, committing to introduce a new national goal of net zero emissions by 2050 and deliver a $ 2 trillion green investment plan. The promised stimulus package would aim to create millions of jobs in clean energy and electric vehicles, toughen fuel economy standards for cars, build 1.5 million sustainable homes, provide green improvements for another four million existing homes, help to implement zero-emission public transportation throughout the country. , invest in new railroads, support “climate-smart agriculture,” and create job opportunities from “plugging abandoned natural gas and oil wells,” while leveraging more than $ 5 trillion in private and state investment for development efforts. climate and environmental justice in the next 10 years.
Yet while Biden, if elected, would have the authority to re-enter the Paris Agreement and submit a new national climate action plan to the UN under the accord, analysts already warn that the failure of the Democrats to ensure Senate control and The Republican-leaning nature of the Supreme Court means that the Party’s ability to introduce new climate-related laws and spending measures could be severely limited.
As such, a Biden presidency would likely attempt to emulate President Obama by primarily using executive orders to introduce new decarbonization policies. But many of these orders, like the Clean Power Plan that aimed to cut emissions across the energy sector, quickly bogged down in court and Democrats can expect similar challenges to each and every new green measure from the US. Republicans in Congress and some carbon. intensive industrial groups.
But despite such constraints, green businesses and investors would still warmly welcome a Biden Presidency, confident that it would help accelerate international progress under the Paris Agreement and send a clear signal to investors and governors. state that the transition to a net zero emissions economy is looming. He passed.
Talking to ReutersMindy Lubber, CEO of sustainable investor group Ceres, said there were encouraging signs that state governors and companies would continue to accelerate decarbonization efforts regardless of the Trump administration’s decision to waive the Paris agreement. “There is a reason why investors stand up and say to go back to the Paris Agreement,” he said, “because they believe it is good for the economy and also for the environment and our future.”
