Cindy Carr, cindy.carr@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, at the Climate Leaders Summit, the Biden Administration will put forth a US Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for the Paris Agreement that will cut emissions 50 to 52 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. The US’s commitment is in line with an analysis the Sierra Club released last week that underscores how advocates have driven progress and accelerated emissions reductions so much so that it will be achievable for the US to reduce emissions at least by half by the end of the decade.
On his first day in office, President Biden started the process of rejoining the Paris Agreement, and has called the climate crisis the “number one issue facing humanity.” Since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015, it’s become even more clear that rapid action is required to avert climate catastrophe. One degree Celsius of warming has intensified extreme storms and fires, claiming lives, homes, and sometimes entire communities. The 2018 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report confirmed at the time that we only have until 2030 before our carbon budget is completely spent.
In response, the Sierra Club’s International Climate and Policy Campaign Director Cherelle Blazer released the following statement:
“The Sierra Club applauds President Biden, National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy, and US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry for meeting the urgency of the moment and announcing an ambitious commitment to the Paris Agreement that will spur real change and once again position the US as a global climate leader. Now is the time to take bold action. We only have until 2030 before our climate budget is spent and federally, the US wasted the last four years under Trump. We now have a historic opportunity to undertake transformational change at the scale needed while fostering cleaner air and water, higher wages, greater equity, healthier communities, and a more stable climate.
“It is because of our collective work with allies across the movement that we still have a fighting chance to avert the worst effects of the climate crisis. The Sierra Club is prepared to continue to drive the progress that brought us to this moment and help to tackle the climate crisis and build back a stronger, clean energy economy for all.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.