Madison, WI — Today, President Biden is gathering global leaders from the world’s major economies to galvanize efforts to tackle the climate crisis and significantly reduce air pollution during this decade in order to limit warming to 1.5 degree Celsius. Wisconsin environmental, faith and environmental justice groups say the Summit will drive ambitious climate action in the U.S. that will cut pollution, create jobs, expand clean energy and protect public health.
The two-day Leaders Summit on Climate follows historic commitments by the Biden administration to address the climate crisis and set ambitious climate pollution reduction goals per the new Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Climate Agreement.
The president’s commitment to building back better and hosting the global Summit within his first 100 days of office underscores his goal of returning the U.S. to a position of global climate leadership.
During the Summit, President Biden will call on other nations to commit to invest in clean energy technology and infrastructure and global climate action. By returning the U.S. to a position of global climate leadership, President Biden is setting a course for a clean energy future and committing to ambitious action to tackle the climate crisis and create good-paying jobs here at home.
President Biden’s American Jobs Plan invests more than $2 trillion over the next eight years – including more than $620 billion in improvements to transform our transportation infrastructure. These investments will create millions of new jobs across the country. President Biden has also made a commitment to environmental justice by directing that 40% of the benefits from these investments are directed to disadvantaged communities.
Wisconsin Environment State Director Megan Severson issued the following statement:
“Global warming is the existential challenge of our times, but we have more solutions at our fingertips than ever before. Rejoining the Paris agreement was just step one. Now the Biden administration has taken another big step by committing to cut global warming pollution in half by 2030. That’s exactly the kind of bold leadership we need. But just as critical are the policies we implement to get there. We look forward to working with the administration to accelerate a rapid transition to renewable sources of energy and to facilitate faster and more widespread adoption of zero emissions electric vehicles.”
Wisconsin Green Muslims Founder and Director Huda Alkaff issued the following statement:
“Investing in pollution-free, efficient, renewable energy will create family-supporting jobs in Wisconsin communities, while helping address environmental injustice and economic inequity. Environmental justice, as indicated in the Biden-Harris administration plan, should be a central part of the domestic and international policies including fulfilling the U.S. contribution to the Green Climate Fund.”
National Wildlife Federation’s Wisconsin Outreach Consultant Jeremy Gragert issued the following statement:
“By hosting this summit and recognizing that the United States remains a top global carbon polluter, the Biden-Harris administration is demonstrating that the nation is ready to once again show global leadership to tackle the climate crisis. The recent reveal of the American Jobs Plan shows clear intent to lead by example with a bold agenda of investment in resilient infrastructure and clean energy that bring job creation and new opportunities for all Americans, while protecting vulnerable communities and wildlife.”
