US: Massive spending bill likely to result into 'largest effort to combat climate change'

The United States government has announced that a massive supply bill or spending bill will result into the “largest effort to combat climate change in American history”. The US President Joe Biden administration revealed that hundreds of billions of dollars would be allocated for supporting renewable energy, electric vehicles, and additional severe weather-related countermeasures. The Guardian, however, reported that certain necessary components of Biden's initial strategy were overlooked.

After conducting several talks with two centrist Democratic senators, Joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema, who have resisted significant sections of the initial spending bill of 'Build Back Better bill', the White House stated that it would scaled-down proposed bill and would pass it in both houses of Congress, which will help in setting the US on track to meet climate goals. Announcing a framework for the Build Back Better Act, President Biden-led administration, as per the official statement, called the framework the largest effort to combat climate change in American history.

"The framework will cut greenhouse gas pollution by well over one gigaton in 2030, reduce consumer energy costs, give our kids cleaner air and water, create hundreds of thousands of high-quality jobs, and advance environmental justice by investing in a 21st century clean energy economy – from buildings, transportation, industry, electricity, and agriculture to climate smart practices across our lands and waters," as per the statement. 

Spending bill to combat climate change

In the proposed framework of the spending bill, nearly $555 billion investment, as well as tax credits are targeted at boosting the adoption of renewable energy like solar and wind. It will also provide a tax reduction of up to $12,500 for anyone who purchases an electric vehicle.  

The spending bill would also fund the deployment of new electric heavy vehicles such as trucks and buses, as well as develop a community resilience to the devastating natural catastrophes like wildfires and floods. It would also create a new "civilian climate corps" that will engage 300,000 people.

According to the White House, the proposed bill would overall reduce global warming emissions by 1 billion tonnes by the year 2030 and further bring the US far closer to its target of cutting carbon pollution by 50% within the ten years. Biden claimed at a news conference on Thursday that the spending bill would be “the most significant investment to address the climate crisis ever” and will further genuinely reshape the country, the Guardian reported. 

The US President went on to say that the bill would help in setting up solar panels and wind farms, along with increasing the number of electric cars on US highways in the coming three years and would further install 500,000 additional charging stations. Quoting the president, the Guardian reported, “We are once again going to be the innovators. It’s a big deal.” 

Biden even warned that the weather in the upcoming time will not be better, but rather will become a lot worse. “It’s a blinking code red for America and the world,” he added. Meanwhile, the US President Biden requires every Senate Democrat to vote in favour of the bill to resolve Republican opposition to implement the US' major attempt to address the escalating climate change problem. 

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