Scientists on Monday welcomed the passing of US President Joe Biden’s “historic” climate bill while calling for other major emitters—namely the European Union—to follow suit and implement ambitious plans to slash emissions.
August 8, 2022
Scientists on Monday welcomed the passing of US President Joe Biden’s “historic” climate bill while calling for other major emitters—namely the European Union—to follow suit and implement ambitious plans to slash emissions.
The bill, which would see an unprecedented $370 billion invested in cutting US emissions 40 percent by 2030, should provide a launchpad for green investment and kickstart a transition towards renewable energy in the world’s largest emitter.
It passed the Senate on Sunday night after months of arduous negotiations and only after a number of tax and energy provisions were tacked on to Biden’s original proposal.
Michael Pahle, from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, said the bill was particularly relevant to EU lawmakers, who he said were on the verge of adopting “the world’s most ambitious climate policy” in the form of the bloc’s “Fit for 55” plan.
“The EU’s policy can only succeed—economically and politically—when major emitters and trade partners take similar action,” he told AFP.
“Especially in face of the changing geopolitical landscape, US-EU cooperation is key and the bill an important enabling factor.”
The EU initiative—which envisages a 55-percent emissions fall by 2030—has no set budget as yet.
But a recent assessment found member states would need to spend an 350 billion euros more each year than they did between 2011-2020 in order to hit the climate and energy targets.
Simon Lewis, professor of global chance science at University College London, said the US bill showed how lawmakers can advance climate legislation while responding to voters’ short-term concern over fuel price inflation.
