New Protections for the Environment on the Horizon

Since President Biden took office, a slew of environmental regulations have been announced, which hopefully will take the needed action to protect the earth–and its inhabitants. Alongside ordering the review of more than 100 rules concerning endangered species, water, air, and climate change, the new administration has pledged to put the planet first.

Biden’s policies have already come under fire, not simply from the fossil fuel industry, but also from critics who say the regulations will threaten jobs. Biden has countered the arguments by saying ‘millions’ of Americans will be able to get jobs "modernizing our water systems, transportation, [and] our energy infrastructure to withstand the impacts of extreme climate".

February 08, 2021

By: Lucy Sherriff

Shop This Look

Photo By: Bloomberg

Photo By: JTBaskinphoto

Photo By: Paul Souders

Photo By: Jed Share/Kaoru Share

Photo By: Jacobs Stock Photography Ltd

Oil

In one of his first executive orders as President, Biden rescinded the construction permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline. The proposed 1,200 mile-long pipeline would have carried oil from Alberta, Canada, down to Nebraska, running through Native American land. The pipeline was approved by the Canadian government under Barack Obama’s presidency, but Obama did not issue the permit required, on advice of the EPA. Despite concerns, former President Trump had approved the pipeline in 2020.

Biden has also issued orders aimed to freeze new oil and gas leases on public lands, as well as doubling offshore wind-produced energy by 2030, although the oil and gas freeze has already proved controversial in the energy industry.

Protecting National Monuments

A review of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante in Utah has been planned, as well as Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monuments off the New England coast, in order to determine whether “restoration of the monument boundaries and conditions would be appropriate." The review follows former President Donald Trump’s opening of nearly two million acres around the area to mining, logging, and drilling. At the time, it was the largest rollback of federal land protection in US history. Biden aims to conserve at least 30% of federal lands and oceans by 2030.

National Security

Biden has made climate change a national security issue; instructing every agency to take climate change into account when formulating policies and improving access to information on the issue. Biden directed agencies to make “evidence-based decisions guided by the best available science and data." He has also created a National Climate Advisor position, who will lead the White House’s office of Domestic Climate Policy.

Rejoining the Paris Agreement

On his first day of presidency, Biden signed an order to rejoin the Paris Agreement, the international treaty on climate change, which works towards limiting global warming to 2 degrees below pre-industrial levels. The agreement has been accused by some global leaders, such as Nicaragua, for not going far enough.

Creating a Climate Protecting Community

Biden’s plan also calls for the creation of a “Civilian Climate Corps Initiative”, which officials say “put a new generation of Americans to work conserving and restoring public lands and waters”. The plan aims to offer well-paying jobs to younger Americans in roles addressing climate change, and is inspired by Franklin D Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps.