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Protecting publicly owned federal lands essential for reaching net-zero emissions April 28, 2021 11:11 AM CDT By Kaya Axelsson, Kate Cullen And Stephen Lezak
A petroleum industry storage tank and a drilling rig sit on leased land owned by the federal government, with the Front range of the Rocky Mountains rising up in the background, near Mead, Colo. | Brennan Linsley / AP
Editor’s Note:
The following article was originally written before the April 22 Earth Day summit of global leaders, at which new emissions targets were set, including a commitment from the Biden administration for a 50% reduction of the U.S. 2005 level by 2030. Biden and the Democratic-controlled Congress are making climate policy central to governing after four years of the disastrous a
Help Save People s World
The economic crisis has hit People s World hard. We need the support of all our friends and readers to continue publishing.
Protecting publicly owned federal lands essential for reaching net-zero emissions April 28, 2021 11:11 AM CDT By Kaya Axelsson, Kate Cullen And Stephen Lezak
A petroleum industry storage tank and a drilling rig sit on leased land owned by the federal government, with the Front range of the Rocky Mountains rising up in the background, near Mead, Colo. | Brennan Linsley / AP
Editor’s Note:
The following article was originally written before the April 22 Earth Day summit of global leaders, at which new emissions targets were set, including a commitment from the Biden administration for a 50% reduction of the U.S. 2005 level by 2030. Biden and the Democratic-controlled Congress are making climate policy central to governing after four years of the disastrous a
Achieving net-zero climate targets will depend on public lands
Aligning ambition with action will require a new era of federal leadership.
Since the start of the Biden administration, federal climate policy
seems to be waking up from a four-year slumber. But things are not as
they were in 2017. The planet is hotter, 57 million acres of American
forests have burned, and the global carbon budget is tighter than ever.
But there’s good news. Even while the Trump administration sought to
dismantle national climate policies, a growing number of local, state
and private-sector actors found ways to lead at home.
Our latest research,
On Wednesday, President Biden issued executive orders that create a moratorium for new oil and gas leases on public lands, the beginning of a pivot toward renewable energy sources. Despite Republican rhetoric to the contrary, this could actually represent the beginning of a major economic boom.
Relevant to energy, here’s what the new executive orders do:
Order the Department of the Interior to temporarily halt new oil and gas lease sales on public lands and in public waters. As of this article’s publication, it’s unclear for how long.
Order the DOI to review the oil and gas leasing program during that pause to ensure it serves the public interest.
Climate change has shortened the number of cold snaps in Raleigh and Durham, according to meteorological data. President Biden is prioritizing climate change with a National Climate Task Force. (Graphic: Climate Central)
WASHINGTON President Joe Biden plans to sign a host of executive orders on climate Wednesday that will put a hold on new oil and gas leases on federal property, place environmental justice in the center of climate reform and set goals of conserving nearly a third of the nation’s land and water.
On the leases, likely to be among the most contentious climate actions by the new administration, the secretary of Interior would be directed to pause all new oil and natural gas leases on public lands and offshore waters and initiate a review of all leases and permits related to fossil fuel.