US President Joe Biden delivered a robust address to the UN climate summit in Egypt on Friday, mixing dire warnings over the fate of the planet with pledges to lead and fund the fight against climate change.
“If we are to win this fight, every major emitting nation needs to align with the 1.5°C targets,” Mr Biden said, referring to an agreement reached in Paris in 2015 to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
He said the US was on track to slash its carbon emissions and urged all nations to ramp up their own efforts to avert catastrophic global warming.
Mr Biden also touted the recent passage of a $369 billion spending package to green the US economy.
“The climate crisis is about human security, economic security, environmental security, national security and the very life of the planet,” Mr Biden said.
The US, he said, was “on track” to achieve its pledge of cutting emissions 50 per cent to 52 per cent of 2005 levels by 2030.
“At this gathering, we must renew and raise our climate ambitions,” he said.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has sent energy prices soaring, has raised concerns that solving the climate problem has dropped on the priority list of many countries.
“Russia’s war only enhances the urgency of the need to transition the world off its dependence on fossil fuels,” Mr Biden said.
Mr Biden’s 22-minute address was briefly interrupted when protesters in the meeting’s main hall stood up and attempted to unfurl a banner protesting against the use of fossil fuels.
