Mere Words: Biden Pledges for Carbon Neutrality, but Has Achieved Little Action

Joe Biden urges world leaders to cut carbon emissions at a virtual meeting of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF). Source: BBC

As world governments fight in over stagnating debates on climate policy, oceans continue to rise, smokestacks continue to run, and emissions continue to increase. The world is down to the wire, and even America, as a global hegemon, cannot escape these impacts. California already battles wildfires that grow in intensity and breadth each year, putting lives and communities at risk. With such culling approaching, President Biden issued a dire message: America only has a decade left to confront climate change before irreversible impacts manifest. 

Indeed, the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change at the United Nations predicts that, without urgent mitigation by 2030, temperatures may rise by 1.5 ℃, leading to disastrous social, economic, and environmental consequences. After the publishing of this report, world governments raced to release pledges of carbon neutrality. For example, the United States promised to decrease emissions by 50% from 2005 levels. 

But, many pledges ring hollow, especially in the US. Despite the heavy rhetoric on sustainability, the Biden Administration’s climate plan lacks crucial policy details. Currently, his plan rests firmly on his infrastructure bill, which he presents as an environmental bill. If passed, the bill would spend $650 billion on clean energy, $174 billion on electric vehicles, and $213 billion on energy-efficient residential housing. But, merely throwing money onto an issue produces elusive results at best. The current plan relies too heavily on federal spending and not enough on incentives for the private sector, which account for 70% of all global emissions. To truly combat climate change with syncretism, the public sector must lead the private sector and promote policy entrepreneurship. 

To do so, Biden must address one glaring hole in his climate plan: his refusal to pass a carbon tax. Such a tax would use financial incentives to prevent corporations from emitting too much carbon, using operating costs as an asset in the fight for carbon neutrality. Sweden, already renowned for sustainability, passed a carbon tax that has reduced emissions by 27% since 1990.

But, climate change is a global issue. Indeed, it is the single issue affecting every single nation, necessitating any climate change solution including globalism. For Biden to heed global actions in his climate plan, he must directly discipline western multinationals that operate in the Amazon. For example, American beef and soya companies, Cargill and JBS, lobby for forest deregulation in the Amazon and even harvest on protected rainforest land. As a result, the Amazon now emits more carbon than it absorbs for the first time in human history. But, if Biden starts sanctioning or fining these companies, then Amazon will have a stout supporter behind its back, especially at a time when deforestation sanctions in the Amazon fell 20% last year. Targeting the financial incentive behind climate change will promote benefits never seen before. Such a policy not only incentivizes private conglomerates to change through economic incentives but also respects the sovereignty of Brazil. 

Additionally, Biden must use foreign aid and investment to fight against climate-harming projects from other countries. In the 21st century, illiberal powers, such as China and Russia, weaponize foreign aid. For example, China’s Belt and Road Initiative commonly funds harmful dams and coal-powered projects overseas. Scientists predict that these coal projects will raise temperatures by 2.7 ℃. The countries that bid for these projects lack global investor relations and capital. But, Biden can combat this by advancing the US Blue Dot Network. This network, newly formed under the US Department of State, seeks to counter illiberal foreign aid and promote responsible green energy. By promoting such a policy, the US not only promotes a green future but also spares developing countries from debt-trap diplomacy, murky investment deals, and high-interest rates that are common from illiberal foreign financing. 

The sand in the hourglass is falling fast. To truly combat climate change, Biden needs more than words and money. Simply put, a pledge is only a pledge -- mere rhetoric or "malarkey." If Biden fails to translate words into tangible action, then his lethargy not only condemns Americans to climate disaster but the world as well. The stakes are high -- the time is now; the bar is set; the clock is ticking away.