US President Joe Biden disembarks Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on July 20, 2022. – Biden is travelling back to Washington, DC, after delivering remarks on the climate crisis in Somerset, Massachusetts.
“The health of our citizens and our communities is literally at stake… Our national security is at stake as well… And our economy is at risk. So we have to act.” But he stopped short of declaring a formal climate emergency, which would grant him additional policy powers. Upon his return home, when asked about the emergency designation, Biden told reporters: “I will make that decision soon.”Biden began his term last year promising to fulfil campaign pledges to tackle the global climate crisis, but his agenda has faced blow after blow.
And last month, the conservative-leaning Supreme Court ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency cannot issue broad greenhouse gas regulations without congressional approval.“I will do everything in my power to clean our air and water, protect our people’s health, to win the clean energy future… Our children and grandchildren are counting on us. Not a joke.”
The White House said in a statement that Biden was seeking “to turn the climate crisis into an opportunity, by creating good-paying jobs in clean energy and lowering costs for families.”