The World Daily
United States and Canada Declare 2050 Net Zero Emissions Goals

U.S. President Joe Biden and Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, appearing via video conference call, give closing remarks at the end of their virtual bilateral meeting from the White House in Washington

 

By Patryk Krych | The World Daily | FEBRUARY 24th 2021

 

According to the United States President Joe Biden, both he and the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have agreed to a joint effort in working towards achieving net zero emissions for both countries by the year 2050.

Since the inauguration of US President Joe Biden, several environmentally focused changes had been occurring in the United States, primarily via the Biden administration. The most notable and celebrated of these decisions involved the return of the US into the 2015 Paris Climate Accords, which are working towards lowering environmentally harmful emissions. The target of net-zero emissions by 2050 is a vital part of this goal, and of the accords.

“We’re launching a high-level, climate-ambition ministerial and to align our policies and our goals to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050,” said Biden on Tuesday, in a speech that had followed a meeting with the Canadian PM.

Thus far, the Biden administration has made several such environmentally focused changes. The one that led to this particular commitment was the revocation of the permit for the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. This decision was made during Biden’s very first month in office, and had it not been made, the pipeline would have transported well over 830,000 barrels of crude oil between the US and Canada.

“It is absolutely clear that climate change is a threat to our collective security and the security of our nations,” said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. “Whether you like it or not, it is a matter of when, not if, your country and your people will have to deal with the security impacts of climate change.”

The decision to commit to a 2050 net zero emissions goal is considered to be a vital one, as many other countries involved in the Paris Climate accords have made their own goals and commitments to it too. The main purpose is to waylay a set of predicted disasters that climate scientists fear will take place unless global temperatures are limited to a rise of no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2050. The united worldwide goal to reach net zero emissions by 2050 is important to this cause.

British PM Johnson said that around the world, 16 million people are being displaced annually by circumstances of extreme weather, increasing both fatalities and rates of migration and poverty. What’s more, the number of weather displacements is rising each year as well.

He and others have added that violent and erratic weather patterns would only be the beginning of it, as another side affect of the changing climate would be severe droughts, food and water shortages, flooding and worsening wildfires. This would affect developing countries in particular, where poverty levels are already higher in general. What’s more, the resultant rising of global sea levels would prove ruinous to coastal communities.

Canadian PM Trudeau himself said that “U.S. leadership has been sorely missed over the past years,” in specific reference to addressing several environmental issues. “As we’re preparing the joint rollout and communique from this one, it’s nice when the Americans aren’t pulling out all references to climate change and, instead, adding them in.”

Trudeau added that during the discussions that took place on Tuesday, he and Biden had “discussed collaboration to beat COVID-19 — from keeping key supplies moving and supporting science and research to joint efforts through international institutions.”

During the meeting, Trudeau further stated that he’d like Canada to be able to purchase COVID-19 vaccines from the US manufacturing facility Pfizer, in order to aid its own struggling vaccination programs. While climate change is a major issue that had thankfully been addressed, handling the current crisis of the pandemic sooner will help to work towards such goals quicker, and is ultimately a necessary focus.

 

By Patryk Krych | © The World Daily 2021

 

 

Categories:
Environment
Tags:
North AmericaUSACanadaParis AgreementClimate Change