President Biden arrived in Scotland for a major summit on Monday promising to deliver the largest-ever U.S. effort to deal with climate change even as his plans remain in limbo back in Washington.
Standing with fellow global leaders in Glasgow at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as the COP26 summit, Mr. Biden plans to promote a $555 billion investment in cleaner forms of energy and “climate-smart” practices in a bid to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 50% below 2005 levels in 2030, “all while creating good-paying, union jobs at home.”
Yet Mr. Biden heads into the meeting without the legislative win he needs to support his goals, as members of his own party bicker over the final details of a framework the White House announced last week to pass a roads-and-bridges infrastructure bill and parallel social-spending legislation.
Mr. Biden on Sunday said Congress will vote on the sweeping package, “God willing,” this week.
“Heading into COP26, President Biden announced the Build Back Better Framework – the largest U.S. effort to combat climate change in American history alongside his Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal that the President is confident can pass both chambers of Congress and be signed into law,” a White House fact sheet said Monday.
“The Build Back Better Framework will cut greenhouse gas pollution by well over one gigaton in 2030, reduce clean energy costs for working families, give our kids cleaner air and water, create hundreds of thousands of good-paying, union jobs, and advance environmental justice while investing in a 21st-century clean energy economy,” it said.
Mr. Biden will also tout his President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience (PREPARE) to recognize and combat climate risks and mitigate against their impacts across the globe and try to demonstrate America’s commitment to the Paris Agreement.
Former President Trump withdrew from the agreement, but Mr. Biden rejoined it after his inauguration.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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