Re-entering in real terms.
What does that mean for
the United States?
What does it mean for Biden for
the federal government for
individuals who might be watching
this because from what you're
saying, there are these goals
you're supposed to get to,
but it doesn't necessarily mandate,
here are particular things that you
need to do here are things that you
can't do.
So it's pretty freeform.
In what particular way is it
binding on either, the Senate or
for Biden in particular.
>> Yeah, well, most importantly it
shows a clear recommitment to
climate change for this
administration across the board,
which they have talked about in the
campaign and I'm certainly really
focused on consistently throughout
their earliest days in office.
But the Paris Agreement is The way
in which countries have
agreed that they're going
to address the shared problem.
And it is such a shared problem
that everybody needs to be a part
of but nobody can achieve alone
that it really is important that
the countries of the world have
a shared sense of
where they're going.
They're at least on the same page
about what that goal is and
that everybody has a role to play.
And so it was an
international matter.
It's important for the rest of
the world to see loud and clear and
be able to believe in trust that
the US is back at the table and
that the US is committed to this as
a domestic matter,
it also means that the US
is working on then figuring
out what that next target will be.
And so there was a target put on
the table in 2015,
when the last administration
pulled out of the Paris Agreement,
it was signaling essentially that
they were no longer committed to
achieving that target and
so the world needs to know what is
it the US has committed to doing.
So huge economy a big emitter
it needs to do its part across
the board in terms of helping
tackle climate change that starts
with domestic actions, and
how they play on the global stage.
Not only the UN negotiations on
climate but every other time
that world leaders get together,
talking about anything these days.
Climate is a part of that
discussion in the US as
an influential voice.
So then being there in a positive,
constructive and
aligned matter is important.
And then at home working on that
new target, which they are doing,
working very hard on right now in
which they have committed to
releasing by earth day,
which is April 22nd.
So a little under a month from now
President Biden is hosting
a head of state level summit for
I think about 40 countries.
They just sent the invites out
yesterday to a what they're calling
a leader level summit on
climate change
specifically to address climate
that's on Earth Day April 22.
And they have subsequently
committed to having their own
target on the table by then.
So right now that across every
corner of the government agencies,
cabinet secretaries, their staff
are looking at they're crunching
the numbers on what is it that we
can do on climate in particular,
they're looking at that through
the lens of what is it that we can
and need to do to help this economy
recover from COVID.
Fortunately, more and more climate
solutions are positioned to be
effective drivers of growth and
economic recovery and job creation.
And so those are questions that
they're going to be able to look at
hand in hand and
find quite a few measures that
are both beneficial to society,
to health to job creation,
the economy and to our shared
global problem with climate and so
the government has talked about
taking a whole of government
approach to climate change.
President Biden has talked about
his agenda to build back better.
And those two come together with
climate action as a real pillar of
how we build back this economy.
So they're crunching
those numbers now.
Everybody's watching to see what
that number is that comes out on or
before April 22.
And that will be significant in
terms of certainly the action it
sets in motion in terms of domestic
policy and processes and
also the signal that it
sends the world as to just how
ambitious they're ready to be.
>> And just quick reminder to
the audience in the run up to that
basically sort of deadline for
Earth Day we're doing quite a bit
of coverage on the environment,
climate and all of that.
We'll also be doing a special on
Earth Day we're going to be
bringing in environmental
activists and that sort of thing.
So definitely forward to that.
Jane one last question I want to
ask you, though, has to do,
I guess with the ratcheting
process that you're talking about.
So along the way,
we have to see our countries doing
what they need to do.
So, let's say in theory,
it shows that some are not.
What are the tools that can be used
to influence that either carrots or
sticks that would not lead to
a state deciding you know what,
it's not worth it.
If I leave,
I can do whatever I want.
And if one state backs out,
maybe others do, is that a concern?
And what are the tools to try to
influence them without producing
that outcome?
>> Yeah.
Well, I mean,
one of the interesting things we've
seen is how the Paris Agreement and
the process for
the ratchet actually held firm and
kept itself together and kept
moving forward even when the us
government commitment was wavering.
And so the biggest economy and
amongst the biggest economies and
emitters in the world was wavering
from that over the last four years
we actually saw the rest of
the countries of the world not
abandoning the agreement no one
else left the Paris agreement in
that time period.
In addition, what we saw was
an outpouring of leadership and
commitment and sort of pro climate
action push from not only some of
the other countries Countries
in the world but a lot of the other
influential entities out there and
so, my current work is with what we
call the non state actors and
so only national governments can be
actual signatories and
parties to the Paris Agreement.
But obviously climate action and
policy impacts everyone and so
businesses investors,
cities, states, civil society,
universities, groups,
from across society and the economy
have come out over the last
five years since Paris there were
a number of them advocating for
a strong Paris Agreement, but
since then that has only grown
in terms of the demand.
For action, those committing
themselves to specific action and
so there's a strong base,
of commitment to climate action
amongst other actors, who are also
influential politically.
And so, that's a part of the answer
is that, there's a real momentum
here that you're seeing in terms
of the non governmental or
non national government actors,
which is helpful.
The essentially boils down to
the economics.
It's such a shared concern and
actually the economic opportunity
of, well the impacts of not acting
on climate and the opportunity to
potentially establish oneself
whether you're a business
investor or country or city or
state jurisdiction as a leader in
the low and zero carbon economy
that we know we're turning towards
is now starting to tip the scales,
such that the dynamic of that
conversation is quite different
than it was even five years ago.
And certainly sort of seven, eight,
10 years ago, when it felt more
about, of sort of who had
an obligation to carry what burden.
And certainly there's, that's
a perspective that's important.
But in fact the way most people
are evaluating the opportunity
now to take action or
not take action is about risk that
they need to mitigate impacts that
they're feeling in ways in which
they see a competitive advantage to
getting ahead of the curve on
climate action as opposed to being
left behind by trends that
are really growing quite quickly,
in terms of the advantages of
acting on climate.
>> And what you'd referred to
earlier some of the economic
benefits in terms of growth that
could be achieved.
Jen Austin is the director of
strategy and policy at the cop high
level champions for climate action.
Jen really want to thank you for
taking time out to to help catch me
and our audience up to speed on
all this.
I really do appreciate.
>> Thanks so much for
having me pleasure and
I'll tune in for
the Earth Day version as well.
>> Thank you.
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