Paula Lugones
04/22/2021 8:32 AM
Clarín.com
World
Updated 04/22/2021 8:32 AM
US President Joe Biden seeks to consolidate this Thursday one of the greatest promises of his campaign: with the idea that the
United States will
once again be the world leader against climate change, he will commit at an international summit to cut emissions of polluting gases by at least half by 2030, almost double the initial US target under the Paris Agreement.
On
Earth Day
, Biden organized a two-day virtual meeting with 40 heads of state and government, including Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian Vladimir Putin, the leaders of the most polluting powers on the planet along with USA.
Argentine President Alberto Fernández has also been invited by Biden and, according to alphabetical order, he will give one of the first speeches after the opening of the American host.
The head of the White House has shown from day one in his office the decision to
reverse the disruptive policies
of his predecessor Donald Trump regarding climate commitments.
The president of the United States promises to drastically reduce emissions of polluting gases.
Photo: BLOOMBERG
He immediately re-subscribed to the Paris Agreement, which Trump had left, and appointed a man of his highest confidence, former Foreign Minister John Kerry, to work exclusively on the fight against climate change.
But to lead, big proposals are needed and, to this end, Biden will commit on Thursday to
cut U.S. greenhouse emissions by at least half by 2030,
almost double the initial goal that his country assumed under the Paris Agreement, which established between 26 and 28% by 2025, according to various media.
Although
this gesture is significant, this commitment is lower than that of the European Union (EU)
, which a day before the summit agreed to reduce its net CO2 emissions by "at least" 55% in 2030, compared to the 40% target. current.
Joe Biden and John Kerry, the US government's special charge for climate issues.
Photo: AFP
The pulse with China and Russia
Biden is counting on the achievement of having the leaders of Russia and China at the table for discussion.
Kerry told
The Washington Post
that
without a Chinese commitment there is no way to solve the pollution problem
and that is why he was invited to the summit, regardless of the differences that exist between Washington and Beijing on other issues.
Kerry anticipated that China will sign the joint statement that will come out of the summit meeting, where climate change is recognized as
a global crisis
.
While it will be the first time that Beijing recognizes that there is a "crisis" over the issue, the United States hopes even more: that Xi makes an announcement about some action or goal for 2030.
For the United States, the issue is extremely urgent
and you no longer have to set goals for 2050 until sooner, Kerry said.
"I have heard many people signing zero emissions for 2050, and I welcome them and it is fundamental, but there are still 30 years to go," he added.
The leaders of Russia, Vladimir Putin, and of China, Xi Jinping, will be part of the summit (here, in a November 2019 image at a BRICS group meeting).
And so he warned that if countries do not commit to reducing their emissions within nine years and the average temperature of the Earth is not kept below 1.5 degrees Celsius, it will be difficult to reach zero polluting emissions by 2050.
Biden's promise not only fulfills the wishes of environmental groups but also of the leaders of several large American corporations such as Apple, General Electric and Walmart, who signed (along with 300 other companies) a letter last week supporting a commitment from that. size and supporting the energy conversion policies promoted by the president.
The summit will last until Friday and in addition to Putin and Xi, French President Emmanuel Macron will participate;
the British Prime Ministers, Boris Johnson, the Italian, Mario Draghi, and the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel.
From the region, in addition to Fernández, there will also be the presidents of Colombia, Iván Duque;
from Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro;
from Chile, Sebastián Piñera, and from Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Pope Francis, the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, will also be speakers at the meeting.
Also participating will be the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, and the president of the World Bank, David Malpass.
Biden believes that not only with governments will he get out of this crisis and
seeks to involve the private sector
in the solution.
That is why the executive directors of Allianz, Citigroup and Bank of America, among others, will also participate.
Washington, correspondent
CB
Look also
Jair Bolsonaro tries before the United States to get rid of his image of "environmental villain"
Europe anticipates Joe Biden's climate summit and agrees to an ambitious emissions reduction plan