The Biden Administration’s Climate Action Plan
Lilly Autry ’27
Katy Su ’28
In election season, approximately 37% of voters state that global warming is significant when considering their vote and want candidates who support climate action (Carman et al., 2024). As President Joe Biden’s term in office wraps up this fall, let’s reflect on his administration's extensive plans and actions.
Starting in 2022, Biden passed a historic piece of legislation called the Infrastructure Reduction Act, detailing several clean energy incentives, including consumer tax credits on products such as electric vehicles. It also led to the guidance of a draft tax credit in 2023 for clean hydrogen production, driving decarbonization, and better enabling U.S. goals of clean energy. This legislation guides the United States to reach its projected goal of reducing carbon emissions by 50-52% by 2030. (Lashof, 2024). The impact of the Infrastructure Reduction Act is also reflected in the massive surge of clean energy manufacturing projects– with billions in funding and hundreds of thousands of jobs created (Clean Economy Works). Another act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, was also passed. As the “largest investment in clean energy infrastructure in American history,” it aims to support public transport infrastructure and investment in clean drinking water (The White House, 2024).
Later on, at the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Biden announced the usage of $20 billion for investments targeting the reduction of methane emissions. The administration has outlined fifty steps of action in the Methane Emissions Reduction Action Plan, targeting the reduction of methane production across primary emitting sources: “oil and gas systems, abandoned coal mines, landfills, and agriculture” (White House, 2022). President Biden also joined the leaders of the launch of the Global Methane Pledge in 2021, whose goals are to rapidly reduce methane emissions to effectively achieve “near-term gains” and reach the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5℃ or 34.7℉ (Global Methane Pledge). He then signed an executive order with the following five goals, as stated on the White House website:
To achieve 100% carbon pollution-free electricity by 2030 (at least 50% being locally supplied clean energy)
100% zero-emission vehicle acquisitions by 2035, including 100% zero-emission light-duty vehicle acquisitions by 2027
Net-zero emissions from federal procurement no later than 2050, including a Buy Clean policy to promote use of construction materials with lower embodied emissions
Net-zero emissions building portfolio by 2045, including a 50% emissions reduction by 2032
Net-zero emissions from overall federal operations by 2050, including a 65% emissions reduction by 2030.
Although the above barely scrapes the surface of actions taken by the Biden Administration, it highlights the importance of electing officials with plans and actions ready to support our environment, reduce gas emissions, hinder the rapid rate of climate change, and make clean energy possible.
References
Carman, J., Ballew, M., Verner, M., Rosenthal, S., Kotcher, J., Maibach, E., & Leiserowitz, A. (2024, June 27). Understanding pro-
climate voters in the United States. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/understanding-pro-climate-voters/
Clean Economy Works | Tracking New Clean Energy Projects Across U.S. (n.d.).
Global Methane Pledge. (n.d.). Homepage | Global Methane Pledge. www.globalmethanepledge.org
Lashof, D. (2024). Tracking Climate Action Under the Biden Administration: Where Has Progress Been Made? Www.wri.org.
https://www.wri.org/insights/biden-administration-tracking-climate-action-progress
The White House. (2021, December 8). FACT SHEET: President Biden Signs Executive Order
Catalyzing America’s Clean Energy Economy Through Federal Sustainability.
The White House. (2024, January). Guidebook to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law | Build.gov.:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/build/guidebook/
The White House. (2022). DELIVERING ON THE U.S. METHANE EMISSIONS REDUCTION ACTION PLAN.
