Under Biden, the United States has yet to show leadership in the climate crisis

United States President Joe Biden delivers a speech at COP26, the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Scotland.  ANP image

United States President Joe Biden delivers a speech at COP26, the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Scotland.ANP image

The climate summit in Glasgow is expected to be the highlight of Biden’s European trip. Was it an embarrassment that the president dozed off early on Monday?

“To be honest, that didn’t surprise me, given his schedule over the past few days. Biden might be 78, but at my age I would have been tired too if you see what Biden has been up to since leaving for Europe on Thursday. He then left Washington in an eventful atmosphere. Before leaving, Biden hoped for agreement in Congress on, among other things, his climate plans. He then wanted to show the world what the United States is doing in the fight against climate change in Glasgow. But the deal never came.

After arriving in Rome, he then visited the Pope, spoke to the G20 on restoring the deal with Iran, he settled the dispute with the EU over import duties, he had a difficult conversation with Erdogan over Turkey’s purchase of a Russian weapons system and attempted to settle the dispute with Macron over the controversial Australian submarine deal. And then he had to go to Glasgow. That his eyes were closed during the opening ceremony is a bit embarrassing for Biden, but that’s it.

Biden wants to shine with his climate plans. He’s been in the White House for ten months now. Will he succeed?

‘Not yet. His speech in Glasgow was therefore not very strong. It’s a weakness of Biden that he can’t show what his plans are now. He wants to show the way, he wants to show the world how the United States will do its part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Biden has a $ 550 billion climate action subset that will promote wind and solar power, increased use of electric vehicles, and climate neutral agriculture, but that has yet to be passed in Congress. ”