Today, President Biden will announce a new target for the United States to achieve a 50-52% reduction from 2005 levels in economy-wide net greenhouse gas pollution in 2030 — building on progress to date and by positioning American workers and industry to tackle the climate crisis.
The announcement made during the Leaders Summit on Climate that President Biden is holding to challenge the world on increased ambition in combatting climate change is part of the President’s focus on building back better in a way that will create millions of good-paying, union jobs, ensure economic competitiveness, advance environmental justice and improve the health and security of communities across America.
On Day One, President Biden fulfilled his promise to rejoin the Paris Agreement and set a course for the United States to tackle the climate crisis at home and abroad, reaching net zero emissions economy-wide by no later than 2050. As part of re-entering the Paris Agreement, he also launched a whole-of-government process, organized through his National Climate Task Force, to establish this new 2030 emissions target — known as the “nationally determined contribution” or “NDC,” a formal submission to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Today’s announcement is the product of this government-wide assessment of how to make the most of the opportunity combatting climate change presents.
Climate change poses an existential threat, but responding to this threat offers an opportunity to support good-paying, union jobs, strengthen America’s working communities, protect public health and advance environmental justice. Creating jobs and tackling climate change go hand in hand — empowering the U.S. to build more resilient infrastructure, expand access to clean air and drinking water, spur American technological innovations and create good-paying, union jobs along the way.
To develop the goal, the Administration analyzed how every sector of the economy can spur innovation, unleash new opportunities, drive competitiveness and cut pollution. The target builds on leadership from mayors, county executives, governors, tribal leaders, businesses, faith groups, cultural institutions, health care organizations, investors and communities who have worked together tirelessly to ensure sustained progress in reducing pollution in the United States.
Building on and benefiting from that foundation, America’s 2030 target picks up the pace of emissions reductions in the United States, compared to historical levels, while supporting President Biden’s existing goals to create a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035 and net zero emissions economy by no later than 2050. There are multiple paths to reach these goals, and the U.S. federal, state, local and tribal governments have many tools available to work with civil society and the private sector to mobilize investment to meet these goals while supporting a strong economy.
News item from The White House
BG says
“To develop the goal, the Administration analyzed how every sector of the economy can spur innovation, unleash new opportunities, drive competitiveness and cut pollution. The target builds on leadership from mayors, county executives, governors, tribal leaders, businesses, faith groups, cultural institutions, health care organizations, investors and communities who have worked together tirelessly to ensure sustained progress in reducing pollution in the United States.”
The Utilities in CA via Lorena Gonzalez and AB1139 are currently working on killing residential, commercial, and agricultural grid-tied solar by retroactively gutting NEM for all solar home and business owners. This bill will also allow Utilities to circumvent the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) who they are concurrently negotiating for NEM 3.0. It is a punitive measure for anyone who installed solar. There would be no financial incentive for people to install new solar or maintain existing systems.
I think there are 3 obvious reasons for why Utilities are doing this:
1) Maintain a monopoly on production by killing competition
2) Get back market share and control of electrical production ensuring maximum profitability
3) Collect all of the Federal Green Recovery money that is on the horizon/Push through Utility scale solar on the mandate to decarbonize (over environmental groups objections).
The fight with utilities for the right to produce your own electricity will be on going but if this bill passes, it spells certain doom for the grid-tied solar in the nation and world wide.
CALSSA and other organizations around CA are organizing but this issue could use a serious spot light.
Solarman says
“The announcement made during the Leaders Summit on Climate that President Biden is holding to challenge the world on increased ambition in combatting climate change is part of the President’s focus on building back better in a way that will create millions of good-paying, union jobs, ensure economic competitiveness, advance environmental justice and improve the health and security of communities across America.”
This is based on politics and “political promises” and does not take into account the actual dynamics of the work environment or the “metrics” of the management or board of directors of companies across the U.S.. Today the buzz word and claim is ‘metric based’, (merits) in the work place. The up side, when an employee works hard, they can be “rewarded” by an increase in salary that goes towards their lifestyles. On the down side when this ‘same’ employee becomes ‘aged’, the employee doesn’t meet the “merit” and fails to perform to the point of termination. IF managements goal is an overall RIF, increase the merits so more folks fail, then you don’t have to worry about age, sex, orientations, race, it’s all (about) failed merits. Yeah, being able to step around 100 years of labor law on one action is not building a better more secure tomorrow in the labor workforce.
semper solaris says
That is definitely an interesting way to look at it Solarman. I understand 100% when you say it’s based on politics and “political promises”. The big thing here is we have seen some good strides in the alternative energy world since Biden has taken office so hopefully most of these promises become real.
2030 is less than 10 years away. It is both just enough and not enough time. We will definitely see what happens by that time but hopefully more residential and commercial buildings will have some sort of solar panel + battery storage system installed.
Solarman says
I’m caught in that political and promises quagmire with the current grid tied system install at my home now. I am saving and should be able to pull the trigger on a dedicated panel to D.C. to microgrid with grid interactive and resiliency within a couple of years. I’m talking the big boys like Simpli-phi, Humless Universal, or someone like ELM Fieldsight microgrid in their 2030 series.
I should have stayed out of the politics and policies. When you understand (how) the grid works, then how utilities are actually allowed electric rate increases when ratepayers spend time, money and effort saving energy to help their budgets, then find out, many utilities will hypocritically ‘mention’, well if you don’t save energy we’ll have to build another generation facility and your electricity will cost you more. Then within a couple of years file a rate case and raise electricity rates, (because) they have “lost revenues” when you cut back on your electricity use to save money.
Then you read a story of Stephanie Pullman a I believe was a 72 year old woman in APS utility territory. The story goes in August of 2018, during a 105 degree F day, her power was cut off for about $177 dollars owed on her electric bill. She died that day. The ACC had the former CEO of APS at a meeting, asking questions like, what happened here, who came up with this policy and how did this happen. The answer is APS owes their allegiance to Pinnacle West and the share holders. Then proceeded to dance around, why such a policy was allowed to kill this woman. First you get tired, then you tired of being tired, when you get appalled to the point of getting tired of being tired, (of being tired). Then it’s time to DO something, like buy into the technology and become grid agnostic. So, ROI is worthless prattle, we need to make a profit is no longer my concern and these mindless sociopath CEOs don’t get paid by me to send their kids to Harvard, not even at a cheap $0.12/kwh to $0.16/kWh. I will buy into the technology, learn how to monitor, troubleshoot and repair this technology, just so I’m not dependent on the utility for my daily energy needs or promise of resiliency during storm events or downed lines. Just sayin’ I’m tiiirrrreeddddd.