Environmental policy of the Joe Biden administration

The environmental policy of the Joe Biden administration includes a series of laws, regulations, and programs introduced by United States President Joe Biden since he took office in January 2021. Many of the actions taken by the Biden administration have reversed the policies of his predecessor, Donald Trump.

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Biden's climate change policy focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as under the Obama administration.[1][2] On his first day in office he rejoined the Paris Agreement.[3][4] In April 2021, he hosted a virtual climate summit with 40 world leaders.[5] In November 2021, Biden and other world leaders met at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) to negotiate goals to reduce global warming. After four years of absence under the former president, the U.S. sought to regain its credibility. The main climate target of the Biden administration is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the United States to net zero by 2050. John Kerry leads the effort as Special Envoy for Climate.[6]

On his first day in office, Biden began to make policy changes to protect the environment. He began revising and strengthening the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and ordered a number a of executive orders aimed at reviewing or undoing the environmental policies of the former administration, including the protection of wildlife,[7] the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline,[8] and drilling for oil and gas on federal lands.[9] He promised to end and reverse deforestation and land degradation by 2030.[10] As a first step in recognizing the impact of climate change on less developed nations which is largely the result of years of environmental damage caused by nations which have prospered, Biden signed an executive order to study the effects of climate change's impact on migration, including "options for protection and resettlement."[11] Biden appointed Pete Buttigieg as the Secretary of Transportation, and he is expected to work with the administration to reduce carbon emissions with plans such as improved public transportation, building a national network of electric vehicle chargers, and other strategies to reduce emissions.[12]

The Biden administration delivered a tax plan to congress that aims to start winding back fossil fuel subsidies, replacing the subsidies with incentives to start producing green energy.[13] His proposed budget includes a 30% increase in clean energy research and development, $2 billion to be invested in green energy projects and $6.5 billion to lend to communities to lend to rural communities in support of additional green energy, power storage, and transmission projects.[14] Biden has ordered the amount of energy produced from offshore wind turbines to be doubled by 2030.[15]

Climate change
Further information: Political positions of Joe Biden § Environment and climate change, Environmental policy of the United States, Climate change policy of the United States, and Climate change in the United States
Biden at the opening ceremony of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland on November 1, 2021

The final target of the administration is reaching carbon neutrality in the United States by 2050.[16] Joe Biden sees climate change as an "existential threat",[17] a view supported by most in the scientific community.[18][19][20] During his inauguration, Biden said: "A cry for survival comes from the planet itself, a cry that can't be any more desperate or any more clear." However, some activists have criticized the administration's policies for being insufficient to prevent catastrophic climate change.[21] Democratic control of the United States Congress raises the chances that the administration will be able to pass climate-related legislation, although members like Senator Joe Manchin hold key voting positions and could block proposed bills from passing the Senate.[22]

Biden's climate plan changed significantly in 2020. In the beginning, it was criticized by many environmental groups as not being aggressive enough or even being detrimental contrary to prior stances on climate. Biden consulted with them, mainly through the Biden-Sanders Unity Task Forces, and included many of their recommendations in his plans, after which it received more support.[23]

The administration set a target of achieving zero emissions from the power sector by 2035.[24] Other sectors with considerable emissions are agriculture and construction. Biden's climate plan includes a strong increase in green building. According to the plan, 4 million buildings in the United States should be upgraded, as well as 2 million weatherized in the next 4 years.[25] This is expected to create 1 million green jobs. The entire climate plan is expected to create 10 million green jobs.[26] This number is smaller than other proposals like the Green New Deal, which claims to guarantee a job for every American.[27][28]

Biden ordered the director of national intelligence Avril Haines to prepare a report about the impacts of climate change. Biden also included John Kerry – the Climate Envoy – in the National Security Council. He created a National Climate Task Force and the White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy. He said: "In my view, we've already waited too long to deal with this climate crisis and we can't wait any longer. We see it with our own eyes, we feel it, we know it in our bones." and "it's time to act". He also mentioned that climate action is linked with other aspects of his agenda such as health, jobs, and security.[17]

As of August 2021, some calculations suppose that the infrastructure bill, the budget reconciliation bill, if passed, will cut emissions by 45% by 2030. Administrative orders from Biden and some states should increase the reduction to 50%.[29]

In September 2021, the EPA planned to issue its final rule to reduce hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) emissions by 85% within 15 years. HFCs are greenhouse gases that are thousands of times more potent than CO2.[30]

In December 2021, Biden signed an executive order directing the US government to cut its own emission by 65% by 2030 with different measures including energy efficiency, electric vehicles and renewable energy.[31]

Social cost of carbon
See also: Greenhouse gas emissions by the United States

On the first day of his presidency, Biden signed an order directing a return to the Obama-era policy of taking into account the social cost of carbon when implementing new regulations, a practice that the Trump administration abandoned in 2017.[32] In February 2021, Biden raised the social cost of carbon in the US to $51 per ton, replacing the lower Trump Administration's estimates with the estimates developed under President Obama.[33] This figure has an impact on EPA regulations but not on the fuel price.[34] Carbon pricing is already in operation in a few US states. The $51 estimate is announced to be evaluated. It is lower than the EU carbon price but higher than the Chinese carbon price.[35] Some experts argue that this was too moderate if the U.S. is to reach its targets as stipulated in the Paris Agreement. Latest models of the social cost of carbon calculate a damage of "over $3,000 per tonne of CO2".[36]. as a result of economy feedbacks and falling global GDP growth rates, while policy recommendations range from about $50 to $200.[37]

In March 2022, the court allowed the Bidens administration to use the social cost of carbon, reversing a previous court ruling.[38]

Climate legislation

In the years 2021-2022 Biden promoted 2 bills that can reduce the US greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50% from the level of 2005: the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Build Back Better Act. The Build Back Better act faced strong opposition in the Senate and was not approved as of mid-January 2022.[39] The group of experts who made the analysis said that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act alone will make only a small reduction in emissions, but they did not count at all the impact of measures regarding highways and public transport.[40] The bill includes the largest federal investment in public transit in history.[41] The bill includes spending of 105 billion dollars in public transport. It also give 110 billion on fixing roads and bridges what includes measures for climate change mitigation - access for cyclists and pedestrians.[42]

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, was approved by the Congress[43][44][45] and signed by Biden into law in mid-November 2021.[46]

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

Biden's infrastructure plan is also a major pillar in his climate policy. The plan includes measures for reaching carbon neutrality in the electricity sector, supporting electric vehicles, and promoting energy efficiency on a very large scale. The plan should cost $2.3 trillion.[47][48] If passed, it can have a large influence on the Greenhouse gas emissions of the United States.[49] The plan, according to Biden's administration, should help rebuild the American economy and create millions of jobs. Biden's administration claims that economic and climate issues are linked.[50]

In June 2021 Biden and a group of democratic and republican senators agreed on a compromise; a 973 billion bill. According to an official press release “The Plan is the largest federal investment in public transit in history and is the largest federal investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak.” According to the document this should lower the GHG emission of the US.[51]

On 10 of August the bill was approved by the Senate. 19 Republican senators, including Mitch McConnell, voted for it, despite criticism from Donald Trump, who called it "the beginning of the Green New Deal". The bill includes spending of 105 billion dollars for public transit, 21 billion for environmental projects, 50 billion for water storage, 15 billion for electric vehicles.[52] 73 billion dollars will be spent on power infrastructure what includes its adjustment to renewable energy. 110 billion will be spent on fixing roads and bridges what includes measures for climate change mitigation - access for cyclists and pedestrians.[42] The plan also includes 1 billion for better connection of neighborhoods separated by transport infrastructure. According to Biden's administration the plan should add 2 million jobs per year.[53]

Build Back Better Act

A potential $23 billion worth of tax credits for nuclear generating plants are included in the proposed bill[54] while the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act which became law included modest amounts to support older plants and DOE's Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ADRP).[55]

Climate team

The following officials comprise Joe Biden's climate team:[56][57]

Name OfficeBackground
Gina McCarthy National Climate AdvisorObama-era EPA administrator, environmental advisor to five governors
John Kerry Special Envoy for Climate ChangeFormer Secretary of State, helped to create the Paris Agreement and signed it as a representative of the United States[58]
Jennifer Granholm Energy SecretaryFormer Michigan governor advocated the use of renewable energy and job creation
Deb Haaland Interior SecretaryCo-sponsor of the Green New Deal
Michael Regan Environmental Protection Agency AdministratorFormer secretary of North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, environmental regulator
Brenda Mallory Director of Council on Environmental QualityObama-era coordinator of environmental projects, environmental lawyer
Ali Zaidi Deputy National Climate AdvisorFormer Office of Management and Budget official, a lawyer focused on sustainability and climate change
Tom Vilsack Agriculture SecretaryThe United States Forest Service applies in his membership to the climate team of President Biden.

Domestic action

Energy efficiency

The executive order about emissions cut in federal agencies issued on 8 December 2021, contain measures about energy efficiency (sections 205, 206, 605)[59]

By the end of the year 2021, the Joe Biden administration reversed some of the rules established by Trump that reduce energy efficiency, but many of them stay in place.[60]

Oil and gas pipelines

The Biden administration supports the Line 3 pipeline owned by the Canadian corporation Enbridge.[61] However, the pipeline was still facing significant resistance as of September 2021.[62]

In January 2021, President Biden halted further development of the Keystone Pipeline by way of an executive order, which also directed agencies to review and reverse more than 100 Trump administration actions on the environment.[8] In June 2021, the pipeline project was canceled. It was considered an environmental threat by environmentalists, indigenous peoples, and the Biden administration.[63]

Environmental reviews of projects

In January 2021, Biden took some actions to improve the link between science and the policies of his administration on environmental issues. It includes improving the environmental reviews of big projects before they are given approval according to the NEPA, improving the function of the Environmental Protection Agency, and reestablishing a scientific body to calculate the social cost of all greenhouse gases, not just carbon dioxide. He ordered a stop to the oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, as well as stating that the voices of indigenous peoples should be taken into consideration in the process of approving projects. He has also begun the process of installing standards for methane emissions.[64]

In October 2021, the Biden administration filed an application for a "mineral withdrawal" which will put a hold on the development of a copper mine near Ely, Minnesota while the environmental impacts are studied. The proposed mine is located on the watershed of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, an area that is popular for canoeing, fishing, and hiking, and is the country's most visited wilderness area. The Obama administration had launched a similar study but 24 weeks into the 28 week study the newly elected Trump administration ended it, allowing the plans for the mining operation to continue. The completed study could lead to a 20-year ban on mining upstream from the BWCAW.[65][66]

In April 2022 the Biden administration restored an environmental law from the 1970s abolished by Trump. The law requires consideration of climate impacts and local community's interests before approving major projects.[67]

Drilling on public lands

One week after becoming president, Biden signed several executive orders aimed at combatting climate change and protecting the environment. He ordered the Interior Secretary to stop new oil and gas drilling in federal lands and water, and a review of existing projects. However, these pauses were only temporary and didn't stop drilling permanently.[9] Another order sets a target of protecting 30% of United States lands and waters by 2030, as well as set in motion the creation of a plan for climate financing and a climate target for the United States. Biden also signed a presidential memorandum establishing a process for documenting any instances in which "improper political interference" interfered with research or distorted data.[68] Biden also increased the social cost of carbon to $51, the price that had been set by the Obama administration but had been slashed to $7 by Trump.[69]

In response to the reviews, the Interior Department stopped many of the oil and gas drilling projects, took measures for the protection of wild animals, and restored national monuments. It is also preparing a review of the entire oil and gas leasing program of the United States.[70] However, the Biden administration does support an oil drilling project, known as "Willow", which was approved by the Trump administration. This decision was criticized by environmentalists.[71]

In early June 2021, the Interior Department suspended all oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This national wildlife refuge includes around 20 million acres where snowy owls, caribou and other endangered wildlife lives.[72] Days later, a federal court issued a temporary injunction against the Interior Department action, pending litigation filed by more than a dozen states.[73]

Attorneys general from Republican states successfully sued to lift the suspension that Biden had placed on the selling of federal gas and oil leases and on September 17 energy companies including Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Shell bid $192 million for drilling rights on federal gas and oil reserves in the Gulf of Mexico. In November 2021, it was reported that the Biden administration was preparing lease some 80 million acres to gas and oil drilling companies. More than 250 indigenous, social justice, and environmental groups wrote a letter to the Biden administration asking Biden to keep his promise to end new leases on public waters and lands and stop the sale which they believe "makes a mockery" of the climate commitments made at COP26. The lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico was further criticized after the Department of Justice debunked the justification that the sale was legally required by the June 2021 ruling blocking the pause on oil leases.[74][75]

In January 2022, a federal judge remanded the lease auction back to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management for relying on a distored Trump-era environmental impact assessment.[76][77] The administration also proposed another round of gas and oil lease sales in 2022, in Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, and other western states.[78][79]

In February 2022, the Biden administration suspended any further oil and gas leases on public lands. The decision came after a Trump-appointed judge reversed the social cost of carbon of $51 per ton, the figure established by Obama and restored by Biden, back to $7 per ton which had been Trump's cost estimate. The reversal was a result of a suit by 10 Republican attorneys general.[69]

Renewable energy
See also: Renewable energy in the United States

In his proposed 2022 budget, the Biden Administration has proposed a $10 billion investment in clean energy research and development, an increase of 30%. The budget also proposes $2 billion to be invested in green energy projects, as well as setting aside reserves of $6.5 billion to lend to communities to lend to rural communities in support of additional green energy, power storage, and transmission projects.[14] Biden has ordered the amount of energy produced from offshore wind turbines to be doubled by 2030.[15]

Nuclear energy

$6.6 billion is provided in the new infrastructure law to keep older nuclear power plants from being prematurely decommissioned.[55] Biden initiatives fully fund two new reactor demonstration projects, X-energy and TerraPower.[80]

Fossil fuel subsidies

The Biden administration has delivered a tax plan to congress that aims to start winding back fossil fuel subsidies, replacing the subsidies with incentives to start producing green energy.[13] It is estimated that ending tax subsidies for those companies could save the American taxpayer $121 billion over the course of the next decade.[81] He has also stated his ambition to make the United States' power sector completely free of fossil fuels by 2035, and will bring a law to congress with a legal commitment to make the grid 80% clean by 2030.[82] He has also made a commitment to ensure that all federal vehicles are electric. In a series of executive orders at the beginning of his presidency, Biden ordered an increase in the production of renewable energy on federal lands and water, the creation of the Civilian Climate Corps, and making the fossil fuel companies responsible for repairing faults that lead to environmental damage. As a part of a commitment to environmental justice, he also stated that 40% of all climate investments will be sent to the most historically vulnerable communities, and created a special body for dealing with the issue, the White House Environmental Justice Interagency Council.[83]

Deforestation
See also: Deforestation in the United States

In November 2021, Biden promised to end and reverse deforestation and land degradation by 2030,[10] in the COP26 climate summit's first major agreement.[84][85]

Wildlife

On the first day of his presidency, the Biden administration ordered a broad review of Trump-era policies pertaining to wildlife in the United States, including the gutting of the Migratory Birds Treaty Act and his decision to strip a number of animals, including gray wolves and the northern spotted owl, of their protections under the Endangered Species Act.[7] In June 2021, the Biden administration announced that they were beginning the process of restoring and strengthening wildlife protections that were loosened under the Trump Administration,[86] mainly in regards to the weakening of protections granted to endangered animals under the Endangered Species Act, and the extent to which their habitats have to be protected.[87]

Biden's administration set a goal of protecting 30% of the land and the water of the US. Currently, 12% of land and 26% of water are protected. The plan for achieving the target is called "America the beautiful" and include many measures like expanding urban green spaces, collaboration with indigenous people and more. Some of the measures have been already in place as of June 2021.[88][89] Nevertheless, because it requires 67 votes in the Senate it can be blocked by Republicans; the US remains the only UN member state which has not ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity.[90]

Transportation

The transportation sector is the biggest emitter of CO2 in the United States.,[91] and reducing transportation emissions will require a large-scale transition to carbon-free transportation. Biden promised to give all cities with populations greater than 100,000 people good public transport with low carbon options. United States Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg is expected to work toward achieving the goals, but nothing had been put into action as of June 2021.[12] Biden plans to increase the use of "zero carbon" transport, including cycling and walking.[92]

In August 2021, the EPA proposed new light-duty vehicle greenhouse gas emission standards for Model Years 2023 through 2026. The 2023 target would call for a 9.8% reduction over the 2022 target with subsequent year-over-year reductions of approximately 5%.[93]

In December 2021 the new greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles were adopted. They are 6% stronger than the original proposition made in August. They should prevent the emission of 3.1 billion tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. The benefits of the new standards overpass the cost by 190 billion dollars, including savings on fuel, reduction of the impacts of climate change and air pollution.[94] According to the EPA the reduction is "equivalent to more than half the total U.S. CO2 emissions in 2019".[95] The rules should cut the emissions from passenger cars and trucks (17% of the US greenhouse gas emissions) by 5%-10% in the years 2023–2026.[96]

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes:

  • $7.5 billion to build a national network of electric vehicle chargers
  • $5 billion for a "Clean School Bus Program"
  • $350 million for new wildlife crossings and corridors pilot project
  • $250 million for an electric or low-emissions ferry pilot program
  • $250 million to reduce truck idling at ports

Climate migration

The changes being considered could far surpass current international practices, with some experts saying it could potentially vault the United States to global climate leadership after four years in which President Trump dismantled the United States’ capacity for both climate action and refugee resettlement.[11]

Agriculture

Biden pledged to cut emissions from the agriculture sector in the US by 50% by 2030. In February 2022 the United States Department of Agriculture begun to implement a program designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector in the US. The sector accounts for over 10% of the overall emissions. The program includes a 1 billion dollars spendings on methods like No-till farming, Crop rotation, Carbon capture and storage, Manure management and Rotational grazing. The program includes measures regarding Forests. The agriculture sector in the USA has already heavily suffered from different impacts of climate change.[97][98]

International action

Paris climate agreement
John Kerry (right), U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, and his Russian counterpart Ruslan Edelgeriyev in Moscow on July 12, 2021[56]

Upon his first hours in office on January 20, 2021, President Biden signed an executive order bringing the United States back into the Paris Climate Agreement, after President Trump announced the country's withdrawal in 2017.[99] The move was welcomed by environmental groups and by the Union of Concerned Scientists.[32][100]

The General Secretary of the United Nations, António Guterres, congratulated Biden, stating that with the United States rejoining the agreement, the countries responsible for two-thirds of the global greenhouse gas emission will have made pledges to become carbon neutral. Without the United States, it was only half.[101] President of France Emmanuel Macron congratulated Biden saying, 'Welcome back to the Paris Agreement!'[16]

In February 2021, The United States officially rejoined the Paris Agreement. Speaking about the occasion, John Kerry mentioned the urgent need to act on climate change in the next 10 years, the impact that climate change will have on the future, and the impacts that it is already having, such as the latest extreme cold events in the USA that in his opinion is "related to climate because the polar vortex penetrates further south because of the weakening of the jet stream related to warming." This opinion is shared by many climate scientists.[102][103]

One week after Biden became president, he also began the process of creating a special plan for providing financial help for low-income countries in addressing issues related to climate change mitigation and climate change adaptation.[83]

In February 2021, Biden issued an order to begin the process of identification of climate refugees and finding ways to help those people.[104][105]

The Biden administration is urging China to speed up its commitment to becoming carbon neutral, with John Kerry saying that its pledge to reach net-zero emissions by 2060 is "not good enough".[106]

International climate summit
Main article: 2021 Leaders' Climate Summit

On the 22–23 April 2021, Biden hosted a virtual climate summit with 40 world leaders, organised by the administration.[5]

At the summit, Biden announced a new target for the US, previously having no Nationally Determined Contribution due to their withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. The new target aims to reduce GHG emissions by 50% - 52% by 2030 relative to the level of 2005, the amount specified by experts to adequately limit temperature rise.[107] The new target is described as a considerable step forward in the fight against climate change, although still not enough to limit global temperature rise to under the 1.5 degrees target. Overall, the commitments made at the summit reduce the gap between the government's current pledges and the 1.5 degrees target by 12% - 14%. If the pledges are accomplished, global emissions by 2030 will fall by 2.6% - 3.7% GtCO2e more than they would have with the pledges before the summit.[108]

At the beginning of May 2021, Climate Action Tracker released a more detailed report about the significance of the summit. According to the report, the summit, together with other pledges made from September 2020, reduce the expected rise in temperature by 2100 by 0.2 degrees. If all pledges are fulfilled, temperatures will rise by 2.4 °C, compared to the 2.9 °C increase that would arise from business-as-usual. In the most optimistic scenario, if the countries also fulfill the pledges that are not part of the Paris Agreement, temperatures will rise by 2.0 °C.[109][110]

Biden's administration also launched a number of coalitions and initiatives aimed at stopping climate change and helping to reduce its impacts. These include a Global Climate Ambition Initiative for helping low-income countries to achieve emissions targets and a "Net-Zero Producers Forum, with Canada, Norway, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, together representing 40% of global oil and gas production"[111]

United Nations climate summit
Main article: 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference
John Kerry joins Joe Biden at the First Movers Coalition of COP26

In November 2021, world leaders met at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) to negotiate goals to reduce global warming. While there was some progress, it is believed that the agreements reached are not sufficient to avoid the worst damage.[112]

Developing countries, which have already faced hardships due to intense droughts and flooding, asked that developed countries, largely responsible for global warming, establish a fund to help them cope. The more well-to-do nations, including the U.S., refused.

One of the successes of the conference was the US - China agreement on fighting climate change together. The framework includes commitments to:

  • Working for achieving halt in temperature rise on 2 and preferably 1.5 degrees, global Carbon neutrality.
  • Establishing environmental standards and policies needed for the transition to clean economy.
  • Moving toward Circular economy.
  • Control and reduce Methane emissions. China will adopt a national methane reduction plan as the U.S. has already done. In the first half of 2022 both countries will convene a meeting to accelerate the process.
  • Increase Energy efficiency and usage of Renewable energy. The U.S. will make its electricity sector, carbon pollution-free by 2035.
  • Working to stop globally the use of unabated thermal coal power generation. China will lower the use of coal how much it can during the 15th Five Year Plan.
  • Working to stop illegal deforestation by stopping illegal imports.
  • Giving financial and capacity building help to other countries.
  • Submitting new NDC to the year 2035 by 2025.
  • Create a special body: "“Working Group on Enhancing Climate Action in the 2020s,” that will coordinate the implementation of this agreement.[113]

At the conference, 40 countries, including the U.S. and five institutions promised to stop financing carbon intensive projects abroad by the end of the year 2022.[114]

At the conference US and UAE launched an initiative named "the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate)". In February 2022 the US gave 1 billion dollars to GHG emissions, cutting from its agricultural sector what can be considered as part of the implementation. The initiative needs another 8 billion dollars for being implemented as well.[115]

Reception

Environmental organizations and scientists responded positively to the Biden administration's actions on climate change on the first day of his presidency.[64][32] The decisions taken one week later were similarly welcomed by the environmental groups, like the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Sunrise Movement and partially by the Indigenous Environmental Network. However, the Western Energy Alliance filed a lawsuit against the decision to stop giving new permits for oil and gas drilling in federal lands and waters, whilst the Indigenous Environmental Network said that the decision did not go far enough.[83] There is also concern that the ban on new oil and gas drilling on public lands will not reduce greenhouse gas emissions because less than half of the existing permits are presently in use.[15]

Some have criticized Biden's environmental policies on the premise that they will eliminate jobs, a popular Republican argument against Biden in the 2020 election.[116] Biden has countered that his policies will actually create jobs in the transition to a green economy.[116] There is also the argument that climate change, if not acted upon, would cause the loss of many more jobs than any climate action on the part of the Biden Administration would.[117] According to Energy Innovation, a program aimed at reaching zero emissions by 2050 could save the U.S. 3.5 trillion dollars if it starts being implemented now, compared to a scenario in which it will begin to be implemented in 2030.[118]

The Biden administration's environmental policy has been characterized as a return to the Obama administration's climate change policy of reducing carbon emissions with the goal of conserving the environment for future generations. However, according to a letter sent to the administration by a group of young climate activists, returning to the policy of Obama and reaching carbon neutrality by 2050 will not be enough to stabilize the climate.[119] Others have criticized Biden's environmental policies for being too conservative, believing that they do not go far enough in comparison to policies put in place by politicians like the Green Party's Howie Hawkins, who created the original version of the Green New Deal, or Biden's primary rival Bernie Sanders.[120][121]

The attorney general of 21 Republican - led states sued Biden for canceling the permit to build the Keystone XL pipeline.[122] The attorney general of 14 Republican - led states sued him for the moratorium on new oil and gas leases on public lands and waters.[123] Many of those states suffer from severe, climate change induced, heat wave[124] and drought. Farmers are among the most affected.[125]

In February 2022 around 100 religious leaders called to Biden and congress to pass the build back better bill for protecting the climate. Those include Christians, Jews and others. Around 80% of catholic woman are members in the organizations that signed the letter. One of them mentioned that the bill suppose a spending of 555 billion dollars through several years while the Senate approved spending of 770 billion in 1 year for military tasks.[126]

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