New Delhi: US President Joe Biden said that the climate crisis is an existential threat to the "very life of the planet" at an annual international summit on Friday. He urged world leaders for global action to combat the crisis and added that the time to confront the situation is running out.
Addressing the COP27 United Nations climate conference in Egypt, Biden said “We can no longer plead ignorance to the consequences of our actions, or continue to repeat our mistakes.”
Speaking at the conference, Biden said that the United States is following through on promises to cut its greenhouse gas emissions, and worked to buoy the image of the U.S. as a global leader against climate change, a statement by the White House informed.
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"We're proving that good climate policy is good economic policy," Biden added. The US has pledged to cut its greenhouse gas emissions between 50 and 52% by 2030.
Reiterating the importance of cutting down on gas emissions, "The climate crisis is about human security, economic security, environmental security, national security and the very life of the planet," he said, as per the White House statement.
Biden announced a slew of new US initiatives and funding to help developing countries, including in Africa, adapt to environmental challenges. “The United States is acting; everyone has to act. It’s a duty and responsibility of global leadership. Countries that are in a position to help should be supporting developing countries, so they can make decisive climate decisions – facilitating their energy transitions, building the path to prosperity [that’s] compatible with our climate imperative,” he said.
Biden added, “If countries can finance coal in developing countries, there is no reason why we can’t finance clean energy in developing countries.”
The US is the world’s second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases behind China and it is the largest historically.