President Joe Biden recently visited Europe to attend two summits in Rome and Glasgow and show people everywhere that America will continue to play a leading role on the world stage. Biden joined other world leaders in essential talks about climate change as the US rejoined the Paris Agreement. The President asked fellow leaders to make plans to combat climate change and also take robust action for economic prosperity, peace, and security. Additionally, he talked about his Build Back Better Framework, a plan that focuses on ending the climate crisis, and his Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal.
According to the White House, the new plan will reduce greenhouse gas pollution by more than one gigaton in 2030. It will also lower costs for clean energy, give American children access to cleaner air and water, create numerous jobs, and promote environmental honesty while also investing in a modern clean energy economy. The new strategy seems bold, and other robust actions may also follow it. However, while the Build Back Better Framework shows America’s intention to capture the economic opportunity addressing climate change presents, it does not come without its own issues.
Disappointment Over Lack of Action
Although leaders of the G20 major economies took a similar stand against climate change and urged significant and effective action to reduce global warming, there were some notable absences. President Joe Biden declared he was disappointed that more could not have been done at the G20 summit in Rome and criticized both China and Russia for not bringing proposals to the table. According to Reuters, Biden said his disappointment is related to the fact that Russia and China did not show up in terms of any commitments in managing the climate crisis.
The American President was not alone in finding parts of the summit underwhelming, as climate activists were also disappointed by the few concrete commitments offered during the event. Concerns also rose because both China’s President Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin were not present in Rome for the summit, choosing to attend via video conference instead. However, both leaders may have chosen to avoid travel because of toughening COVID-19 restrictions in their home countries. The Russian leader was later quoted saying that his strategy was “not just to reach carbon neutrality, but to make sure that within the next three decades, the amount of greenhouse gas emissions in Russia is lower than, for instance, that of our neighbors and colleagues in the EU.”
Facing Global Challenges
Facing important issues like climate change is a global effort, but different countries might decide to take different decisions. While the US and Italy initially pleaded in favor of stopping net emissions by 2050, China favored 2060, and other big polluters like India and Russia have also said no to the 2050 target date. As a result, the world leaders only settled on the fact that stopping net emissions “by or around mid-century” is important. According to Reuters, this compromise actually removed the 2050 deadline set in previous versions of the final statement, making the targeted date less specific.
Even so, the agreement was seen as good news by some leaders, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel going as far as to suggest it is a positive signal for COP26. Like Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, others were somewhat disappointed by the decisions and said they would have liked to see more interest. However, with China being the world’s biggest CO₂ emitter, it comes as no surprise that the Asian country opposed the initial proposal of 2050 as a target date. Maybe even more important is that climate change is not the only issue to split American and Chinese opinions, and tensions between the world’s two largest economies are now growing. As a result, President Joe Biden has not only tried to convince US allies about the importance of addressing issues like climate change during his European trip, but has also tried to shift focus to the strategic issues posed by a rising China.
What Will the Future Bring?
By presenting his Build Back Better plan in Europe, President Biden tried to reestablish America’s role in stopping the climate crisis at home and abroad. It also paved the way for building the clean economies of the future. However, containing Chinese and Russian ambitions might prove more difficult than expected. Nevertheless, as Biden later said at the COP26 summit, the choices leaders make today will probably resonate for decades to come. “By coming together to make a difference in the lives of people all around the world, we have to show — and I think we will show — that democracy is still the best way for delivering results. Let me say it again: Democracy is still the best way for delivering results,” he added.
