On his first day in office, President Joe Biden signed an executive order for the US to rejoin the Paris Agreement. A new US Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), containing its emission reductions pledge, will be announced as Biden hosts a virtual Climate Leaders’ Summit on Earth Day, 22 April. Newly appointed US Climate Envoy John Kerry has been engaging leaders in a world tour, underlining the emphasis on climate in the Biden administration’s foreign policy priorities.
Around the world, the declaration that “America’s back” in the Paris Agreement was welcomed by civil society and leaders alike. And the move has isolated climate laggards such as Australia, for whom the Trump administration had provided political cover.