Washington (April 20, 2021) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) released the following statement today after media reported that the Biden administration plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions at least in half by 2030. The announcement comes ahead of the Leaders Summit on Climate this Thursday.
“The United States must be an undeniable global leader in climate action in order to meet the scope and scale of the climate crisis. We cannot preach temperance from a barstool and not pay our fair share when approximately 40 percent of all the excess CO2 in the atmosphere is red, white, and blue, and the Biden Administration understands this commitment. A 50 percent reduction by 2030 is technically feasible and well within our reach—we can and should fight to pass legislation and deploy funding that will allow us to exceed that target. If we commit to investing in solutions worldwide—through the Green Climate Bank and other international finance mechanisms—and enacting policies to address the climate crisis with the urgency it deserves we can regain the mantle of global leadership in clean energy deployment and emissions reductions.
“The United States should also include methane emissions reduction targets in the national commitments and dialogue at this week’s Leaders Summit on Climate. Immediate methane reductions are feasible using existing technology and regulatory powers, and would facilitate more ambitious economy-wide nationally determined contributions of greenhouse gas reductions as part of the Paris Climate Agreement negotiations.
“I look forward to continuing to work with the Administration and Congress to ensure proper finance mechanisms and a methane emissions reduction target is in our final NDC goal.”
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