Biden Vows to Cut Emissions, But U.S. Continues to Subsidize Fossil Fuels Amid Climate Crisis

The White House convened a virtual summit on the climate crisis this week, with 40 leaders representing the world’s major economies pledging cuts to greenhouse gas emissions. President Joe Biden said the U.S. would cut its emissions by at least 50% below 2005 levels by the end of the decade — nearly double the target set by the Obama administration six years ago. Biden’s pledge fulfills “a basic requirement of the U.S. being in the Paris Climate Agreement,” says New Republic staff writer Kate Aronoff, but still does not go far enough. “This is well, well below what the United States really owes the rest of the world, based on its historical responsibility for causing the climate crisis and the massive, massive resources this country has to transition very quickly off of fossil fuels.”

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[stevejoseph]

these are words. words we've heard before. what they don't tell you is that these goals are well below what we need to be doing

[kangaroofuno]

I guess that means we rather talk problems and solutions to death than actually cure it from the root

[kevinthomas]

My Dear young Gretta clearly these people don't give a dam about how they will be remembered in history they care about how much money they make in the here and now

[SG-eshf]

LOVE Gretta 😘🥰💪that's the type of attitude WE ALL need to pressure OUR elected politicians with AND MORE.

[AaronJacksonJS]

"The planet is fine! It's the people... The people are fucked! Difference.... Difference!!!" - George Carlin

[seconds]

Antony Blinken is fixated on ''China is the world's largest carbon producer.''
Don't understand why he thinks his cherry picked statistic means anything when China has 4.5 times the population of the US when China's carbon emissions are about double that of the US. Never mind the 250 years the US had burning coal to develop it's nation without any criticism.

[valeriehaider]

Dems /reps need to clean house.. get RID of the old players.. keeping the younger squad players..

[SithCelia]

"Reclaiming my time" is polite Congressional speak for "BULLSHIT!" Gods bless Katie Porter! She is an inspiration to anyone who needs to see what can occur when corporate scum are held to account and not allowed to get away with smooth talk.

[computertooter]

Here's the problem with what Katie Porter's question as to why the "...taxpayers" have to pay subsidies to the oil and gas industry?" Because legislators like her write them the check. To frame this as 'taxpayers paying" is blurs the fact that the oil and gas industry is receiving money because legislators are giving it to them in the bills that they write. It is not as if the general population is writing them a check, it is the legislators in Congress that is doing that. It is not technically "taxpayer" money that they are spending, it is the government's money they are giving them. What gall they all have in call the titans of the oil and gas industry on the carpet all the while it is they who are handing them the money to do what they are being yelled at for. See the game being played? So who is at fault here? Who are the real villains in this story? The people who are funding the oil and gas cartel, meaning Congress, and are writing the law they must follow or the oil and gas industry who are doing what Congress allows them to do? How much longer are we going to let legislators, like Katie Porter, spew this nonsense?

[LawrenceCarroll]

The title of this excellent interview with Kate Aronoff says it all. As long as we subsidize the oil & gas companies, we’re destroying ourselves . . . and a true “free market.” (That term has been so utterly corrupted I have to laugh when I use it.)

[theciakilledjfk]

Biden also vowed to leave Afghanistan, but an army of mercenaries will remain. We're talking with a guy who just disbanded the police oversight commission, while at the same time talking about Justice blah blah blah. If you think appointing the first Native woman To some cabinet position and saying a few nice words about cutting emissions means anything, I feel sorry for you.

[noveavincent]

Self driving cars will stop for and open your doors to police.

[samdegoeij]

Miss Aronoff said it correctly, no more empty words and empty promisses!

[budaiyanjing]

How can the US guarantee that you will not reverse the policy after this president?

[freshseeker]

We need to reduce consumption and energy wastes first!

[SG-eshf]

LOVE 💓 THE PACE & MOMENTUM OF THIS ADMINISTRATION 👍🦾 KEEP IT UP!!

[BaseMechanic]

When are we going talk about the root cause of most of the worlds problems? The socioeconomic system that we operate under, capitalism.

[samdegoeij]

Lovely words and beautiful promisses are nice but, they are what they are, just words. Actions first then words! Abolish the filibuster and then go after the main polluters THE RICH!

[RichardHofmeisterII]

Military budget is $850B. Thats 47% of the income taxes of all income tax paid by us. Taxpayers. Use the military money to de carbonize.

[jebediyahosayzar]

The powers to be does not know how to do anything good for the people or the earth we need to live on.