Biden, headed to the exit, sets an aggressive climate goal for the US

President Biden announced a new goal to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by at least 61% below 2005 levels by 2035. This target is non-binding and likely to be ignored by President-elect Trump, who labeled climate change a “scam.” Biden, recognizing past efforts, claimed, “the boldest climate agenda in American history” includes significant investments in clean energy.

Despite U.S. emissions trending downward, the country is not on track to meet earlier goals. A study suggests Biden's policies could lead to a 38% to 56% reduction by 2035. However, Trump's possible rollback of environmental policies could hinder progress.

Biden's goal aims to reassure other nations of U.S. commitment to climate change efforts following previous withdrawals from international agreements.