The First Joe Biden Will Do As President Is Sign America Again To The Paris Agreement – NRK Urix – Foreign Documentaries And News

– It is my job to defend the United States and its citizens, and therefore we will withdraw from the Paris Agreement.

This was stated by President Donald Trump during a large-scale press conference outside the White House on June 1, 2017. On Wednesday, the United States formally withdrew from the agreement.

It could be short-lived if Joe Biden emerges victorious from the chaos that has emerged after Election Night.

Biden had this to say in the first debate against Donald Trump earlier this year:

– The first thing I will do is rejoin the Paris Agreement. See what happens when we get out of the deal. Everything falls apart.

If Biden is serious, the way back is much easier than the long process of getting out of it. All that is required is for the president to notify the UN, then the country is included in the agreement again after 30 days.

Then the hard work begins.

Green transition to two trillion

Biden has not only promised that the United States will rejoin the Paris Agreement, but he has also promised that the United States will lead the global fight against the climate crisis with him as president. Among the promises are:

• spend two trillion to make America green.
• that the United States should contribute $ 3 billion to the United Nations Green Climate Fund.
• work so that the United States has 100 percent renewable energy.
• that the United States will be climate neutral by 2050.

“Signing the United States to the Paris Agreement will be important for Biden, to show that the United States will once again participate in international cooperation,” says Guri Bang.

She is a researcher at the Norwegian Foreign Policy Institute (NUPI) and an expert in international climate and energy policy.

Bang has been researching climate policy in the United States for several years. She says that Biden also relies on implementing strong national policies that reduce emissions in the US to ensure his own credibility in the area.

– Biden talks a lot about reducing emissions. It also ties emissions cuts to the economic package to stimulate the economy, and ties it to green growth, green jobs, and the green restart, Bang says.

The United States has the largest emissions in history

The work that Biden has promised is formidable. Today, only China has higher greenhouse gas emissions than the United States. At the same time, the United States is the country that has emitted the most greenhouse gases in history.

Despite this, or perhaps because of it, the United States has played an important role in the main political game for the climate. As the world’s only superpower, they have pulled the strings, attracted and pushed other countries to reach an agreement. Among other things, getting the Paris Agreement to the finish line.

Under Trump, the United States has largely disappeared from international climate cooperation.

– We constitute 15 percent of the world problem. But we must also include the rest of the world. That is why we must re-sign the Paris Agreement, Biden has declared.

Ingen «walk in the park»

Will and ambition are one thing, in fact achievement is another. Biden faces a great challenge when it comes to implementing the national climate policy that is needed to fulfill the electoral promise.

When the United States first joined the Paris Agreement in 2015, it was considered that the president could re-register the country without Senate approval. Something that Obama also did.

But even if Biden can bring the United States back to the Paris Agreement himself, he could depend on a majority in Congress to pass some of his most ambitious climate measures. Among other things, he has announced a climate law, which may also generate skepticism among some Democrats.

Congress is responsible for legislation, taxes, and appropriation. Congress is made up of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both cameras must be left behind.

– If there is a Republican majority in the Senate, as it seems now, it will be difficult, says Bang.

So Republicans can block a lot of the climate ceilings.

Additionally, the individual state chooses to implement to reduce local emissions. Implementation at the state level.

Whatever happens in the next few days, Donald Trump will be president until January 20. So far it has cut or tried to cut 100 climate measures. Bang doubts he can implement much more while the United States is still out of the Paris Agreement.

– There’s not much I can do. Removing the regulations and package of measures takes time. Such amendments must go through lengthy bureaucratic processes, making it difficult to do much more before January, says Bang.