Page 27 - bon-dia-aruba-20210423

A27
u.s. news Diabierna 23 aPriL 2021

At 'moment of peril,' Biden opens global summit on climate

WASHINGTON (AP) like it was ripped from a day-
— President Joe Biden time talk show.
convened leaders of the
world's most powerful Biden and Vice President
countries on Thursday to Kamala Harris addressed the
try to spur global efforts summit from separate lec-
against climate change, terns before joining Secretary
drawing commitments of State Anthony Blinken and
from Chinese President White House climate envoy
Xi Jinping and Russian John Kerry at a horseshoe-
President Vladimir Putin shaped table set up around a
to cooperate on cutting giant potted plant to watch
emissions despite their fellow leaders' livestreamed
own sharp rivalries with speeches.
the United States.
The format meant a cavalcade
"Meeting this moment is of short speeches by world
about more than preserving leaders, some scripted, some
our planet," Biden declared, apparently more impromptu.
speaking from a TV-style "This is not bunny-hugging,"
set for a virtual summit of British Prime Minister Boris
40 world leaders. "It's about Johnson said of the climate
providing a better future for efforts. "This is about growth
all of us," he said, calling it "a and jobs."
moment of peril but a mo-
ment of opportunity." The Biden administration's
pledge would require by far
"The signs are unmistakable. the most ambitious U.S. cli-
the science is undeniable. the mate effort ever, nearly dou-
cost of inaction keeps mount- bling the reductions that the
ing," he added. Obama administration had
committed to in the land-
Biden's own new commit- mark 2015 Paris climate ac-
ment, timed to the summit, cord.
is to cut U.S. fossil fuel emis-
sions up to 52% by 2030. But the U.S. summit also "To protect the environment ested in galvanizing interna- The new urgency comes as
marking a return by the U.S. marshaled an impressive is to protect productivity, and tional cooperation so as to scientists say that climate
to global climate efforts af- display of the world's most to boost the environment is look further for effective so- change caused by coal plants,
ter four years of withdrawal powerful leaders speaking on to boost productivity. It's as lutions to climate change as car engines and other fossil
under President Donald the single cause of climate simple as that," Xi said. well as to all other vital chal- fuel use is already worsening
Trump. Biden's administra- change. lenges," Putin said. Russia by droughts, floods, hurricanes,
tion is sketching out a vision Putin, whose government some measures is the world's wildfires and other disasters
of a prosperous, clean-energy China's Xi, whose country is has been publicly irate over fourth-biggest emitter of and that humans are run-
United States where factories the world's biggest emissions Biden's characterization of climate-damaging fossil fuel ning out of time to stave off
churn out cutting-edge bat- culprit, followed by the Unit- him as a "killer" for Russia's fumes. most catastrophic extremes
teries for export, line workers ed States, spoke first among aggressive moves against its of global warming.
re-lay an efficient national the other global figures. He opponents, made no mention The pandemic made gather-
electrical grid and crews cap made no reference to noncli- of his feuding with Biden in ing world leaders for the cli- But administration officials,
abandoned oil and gas rigs mate disputes that had made his own climate remarks, a mate summit too risky. That in previewing the new tar-
and coal mines. it uncertain until Wednes- live presentation that also saw didn't keep the White House get, disclosed aspirations and
day that he would even take moments of dead air among from sparing no effort on vignettes rather than specific
Japan, a heavy user of coal, part in the U.S. summit, and production problems. production quality. The pres- plans, budget lines or legis-
announced its own new 46% said China would work with ident's staff built a small set lative proposals for getting
emissions reduction target America in cutting emissions. "Russia is genuinely inter- in the East Room that looked there.
Thursday as the U.S. and its
allies sought to build mo- As of 2019, the last year be-
mentum through the sum- fore the pandemic, the U.S.
mit. South Korea used the had reduced 13% of its
summit to say it would stop greenhouse gases compared
all public financing of new with 2005 levels, which is
coal-fired power plants, an about half way to the Obama
important step that climate administration goals of 26 to
groups hope will help per- 28%, said climate scientist
suade China and Japan to Niklas Hohne of Climate
slow their own building and Action Tracker. That's owing
funding of coal power. largely to market forces that
have made solar and wind,
The coronavirus pandemic and natural gas, much cheap-
compelled the summit to er
play out as a climate telethon-
style livestream, limiting op- His administration insists
portunities for spontaneous the transformation will mean
interaction and negotiation. millions of well-paying jobs.
The opening was rife with Republicans say the effort
small technological glitches, will throw oil, gas and coal
including echoes, random workers off the job. They call
beeps and off-screen voices. his infrastructure proposal
too costly.