President Joe Biden is considering declaring a national climate emergency in the coming weeks, according to U.S. climate envoy, John Kerry.
The new calls for action came as brutal heat wave descended on the central United States this week after broke record-breaking temperatures in the United Kingdom and across Europe.
President Biden on Wedneaday announced $2.3 billion to help build infrastructure that can withstand extreme weather and natural disasters to help Americans cope with the extreme heat but stopped short of officially declaring a climate emergency.
The $2.3 billion funding “will help communities increase resilience to heat waves, drought, wildfires, flood, hurricanes, and other hazards by preparing before disaster strikes” and expand access to home air conditioners and community cooling centers as millions of Americans are enduring record-breaking temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Biden vowed tough action on climate change in his presidential campaign and pledged in international climate negotiations to cut climate pollution by 50 percent by 2030 and reach 100 percent clean electricity by 2035.
Democratic lawmakers and environmental groups have been calling for the White House to take aggressive measures on climate change after Democratic Senator Joe Manchin said last week he was not ready to support key climate provisions in Congress.
