U.S. Diplomatic Mission to Italy

08/01/2021 | News release | Distributed by Public on 08/02/2021 04:04

A united world can beat back climate change

Preserving our planet requires the collective action of every nation on earth. Each country must do its part, even if its contribution is small, said Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry.

'We have to make choices - together. Life is about choices,' Kerry said at the Royal Botanic Gardens in London on July 20. 'So is governing.'

Therefore, the Biden-Harris administration has announced new policies to ensure the United States creates climate solutions at home and stays on target to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius. Proposed actions by the U.S. include:

  • 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations across the country by 2030.
  • A carbon-free power sector by 2035.
  • $35 billion invested in clean energy research, development and demonstration.
  • Net zero emissions achieved no later than 2050.

'We do all this knowing full well that no country and no continent alone can solve the climate crisis,' Kerry said. 'We can't afford a world so divided in its response to the climate crisis when the evidence for compelling action is so strong.'

Internationally, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has recommended scaling up green technology everywhere to limit global warming temperatures.

The IEA says by 2030 the world must :

  • Increase renewable energy from wind and solar to four times its present level to reach 1,000 gigawatts installed per year.
  • Ensure 60% of new-car sales around the world are electric vehicles.
  • Invest in green hydrogen and clean fuels to slash emissions from heavy industry, shipping and aviation.
  • Develop the equivalent of installing the largest carbon capture and storage facility currently in operation every nine days.

Accomplishing this will fuel a global clean-energy investment boom reaching $4 trillion by 2030.

'The countries that take decisive action now to create the industries of the future,' said President Biden in April, 'will be the ones that reap the economic benefits of the clean energy boom that's coming.'

By U.S. Mission Italy | 1 August, 2021 | Topics: News | Tags: Climate