The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan got all the attention, but it is not the only important change to American foreign policy this year. In the same month that President Joe Biden declared he would end the United States’ longest war, he also announced a target for dramatic reductions in America’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Fulfilling this promise will be difficult in view of partisan polarization and thin Democratic majorities in Congress, but doing so is essential for maintaining a livable environment for the twenty-first century.
Biden’s announcement, delivered on Earth Day, holds the potential for opening a new chapter in the political economy of the United States. His target of reducing emissions by roughly 50 percent by 2030, on the way to reaching net zero emissions by 2050, will entail a massive reorientation of the United States’ economy and its foreign policy. But the gains from doing so would be equally massive: the Biden administration could rescue the global environment and renew the tattered U.S. social contract by advancing a pro-climate vision that inspires a new generation of Americans.
