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These 6 numbers define the climate challenge in a changing U.S.
Joe Biden takes office during an increasingly obvious and destructive climate crisis. To rein it in, he’ll have to keep these 6 numbers in mind.
The numbers are in: 2020 tied with 2016 for the hottest year on record, a clear sign of a planet in distress.
The results are not surprising. Despite a seven percent drop in carbon emissions from fossil fuels in 2020, driven by COVID-19-related economic disruptions, humans still added some 40 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, on top of the trillions of tons we’ve put there already since the 19th century. Under that sustained pressure, global average temperatures continued to rise.
Incoming U.S. president Joe Biden has pledged to tackle the climate crisis head-on as soon as soon as he takes office on January 20. He has promised to rejoin the Paris Agreement, cancel the Keystone XL
