President Joe Biden drew attention this Wednesday to the climate changewhich currently has its maximum expression in the United States, from north to south, with temperatures ranging between 30 and 40 degrees Celsius, with peaks of 43 in the center of the country.
“I come here today with a message. As President, I have a responsibility to act urgently and decisively when our nation faces a clear and present danger. And that’s what climate change is all about. It is literally, not figuratively, a clear and present danger. The health of our citizens and our communities is literally at stake,” the president said in a speech in the state of Massachusetts.
Biden announced A series of measures to face the current heat wave, which do not include the emergency declaration that some Democrats have called for, but define the creation of a Wind Energy Area in the Gulf of Mexico, which would cover 700,000 acres and generate enough electricity for three million homes , as well as steps to drive more wind development on Florida’s Atlantic and Gulf Coasts.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will also spend $2.3 billion on infrastructure to make Americans more resilient to heat waves, floods, droughts, wildfires and other weather-driven disasters. And besides, there are plans to help people pay for refrigeration costs.
“This Congress, despite the leadership of the men and women who are here today, has failed in its duty,” Biden stressed.
“Let me be clear: climate change is an emergency. And in the coming weeks I am going to use the power that I have as president to translate these words into formal and official governmental actions for the appropriate proclamations, executive orders and regulatory power that the president possesses, ”he emphasized.
“Again it sounds like hyperbole: our children and grandchildren are counting on us. If we don’t keep it below 1.5 degrees Celsius, we lose everything. We can’t turn it around. And the world is counting on us,” he stated.
The president reiterated during his remarks the promise to use his executive power to combat the climate crisis in the absence of action by Congress
In fact, Republicans have not been receptive to the Biden administration’s attempts to fight climate change and spur investment in green technology. However, Democrats hoped to use their dominance in the House and the Senate reconciliation process to unilaterally pass some climate change bills.
