WASHINGTON (100.1 FM and AM 1020 KDKA) — It took less than a day into his term for President Joe Biden to fulfill a promise made during his campaign.
By way of an executive order, Biden rejoined the climate change-centric Paris Agreement.
The return comes a year and change after former president Donald Trump withdrew from the accord in November 2020.
Flora Cardoni, PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center field director, shared her thoughts on the U.S. finding its way back into the Agreement.
"By rejoining the Paris Agreement on day one, President Biden is sending a crystal clear signal to all Americans and to the world that the United States will once again lead when it comes to solving the climate crisis.
"By prioritizing this critical international commitment, the president is proving that he’s listening to the American people, including the more than 70 percent of Pennsylvanians who say they want their government to take climate change seriously.
“We are thankful for this first action because it comes with little time left to spare. The natural disasters in 2020 -- from the repeated storms pummeling the Gulf Coast to the devastation of more than 10 million acres burned by wildfires -- show that we are changing the Earth’s system in unprecedented and unsustainable ways.
“While we are grateful for this action, we also know it is only the start. We need to fully power our country with clean, renewable energy, and we must do it quickly and thoroughly.
"With President Biden leading the way, Congress should step up as a full partner and pass bipartisan, comprehensive climate legislation that meets the targets for greenhouse gas emission reductions that the scientific community has told us we must achieve.
"The days of dirty, fossil fuel-burning, 19th-century technology must be numbered in order to reach a cleaner tomorrow and ensure that future generations of Pennsylvanians have a livable climate to call home."