COP27: Biden says the climate crisis is about "very life of the planet"
US President Joe Biden addressed the COP27 climate conference in Egypt on Thursday, saying the global climate crisis posed an existential threat to the planet and promising that the United States was doing its part to combat it.
"The climate crisis is about human security, economic security, environmental security, national security, and the very life of the planet," Biden said, before outlining steps the United States, the world's second-biggest greenhouse gas emitter, was taking.
"I can stand here as president of the United States of America and say with confidence, the United States of America will meet our emissions targets by 2030," he said
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His speech was intended to remind government representatives gathered in Sharm el-Sheikh to keep alive a goal of keeping the global average temperature rise within 1.5 degrees Celsius to avert the worst impacts of planetary warming. It came even as a slew of crises - from a land war in Europe to rampant inflation - distract international focus.
"Against this backdrop, it's more urgent than ever that we double down on our climate commitments. Russia's war only enhances the urgency of the need to transition the world off its dependence on fossil fuels," he said.
Prior to his arrival, Biden's administration sought to set the stage by unveiling a domestic plan to crack down hard on the U.S. oil and gas industry's emissions of methane, one of the most powerful greenhouse gases, in a move that defied months of lobbying by drillers.
