Challenges Facing Biden in the Battle against Climate Change

When US President Joe Biden led Americans into rejoining the Paris Agreement, it wasn’t an easy task as his action was met with backlash from Republicans. Senator Ted Cruz reacted by stating that Biden was “more interested in the views of the citizens of Paris than in the jobs of the citizens of Pittsburgh.

Cruz’s sentiments were echoed by Republican Congresswoman Laureen Boebart who stated that she doesn’t work for the people of Paris. There was social media uproar as most users corrected Cruz arguing that the Paris Accord wasn’t specifically targeted for the people of Paris, but had a multinational approach. 

US rejoined the Paris Accord at a time when developed countries had failed to meet the financial target of helping poor countries adapt to climate impact.

Crusaders of climate change promised to commit $100 billion every year in the battle of climate change. The amount that was proposed was meant to assist developing countries to fight climate change. According to World Wildlife Fund’s deputy climate lead Vanessa Perez-Cirera, at least 30 percent of the projected amount has been accounted for.

Biden’s climate envoy John Kerry notes that if the world commits itself to fighting climate change, then poor countries “will pay the highest price.” 

Perez-Cirera argued that: “If we do not adapt to climate justice there will be a huge impact in terms of social unrest.” She further stated that the social unrest would result to international disputes with regard to water and food.

United Nation Environment Programme (UNEP) projected about $500 billion per year as the amount required to finance actions against climate impacts such as floods, sea level rise and droughts. The money was set aside to restore natural habitat and manage altered ecosystems.