Biden emphasizes urgency to fight climate change: 'The science is clear'
President Joe Biden addressed leaders at the COP26 conference, declaring that countries need to act and act now.
"It’s simple," the president said. "Will we act? Will we do what is necessary? Will we seize the enormous opportunity before us? Will we, or will we condemn future generations to suffer?"
The upcoming decade will determine whether collective transformative action around the globe will be enough to curb global warming, Biden said.
"We only have a brief window left before us to raise our ambitions," Biden said, adding that the time frame is "rapidly narrowing."
The effects of the pandemic made "painfully clear" that "no nation can wall itself from borderless threats," Biden said, adding that no one can escape the worse consequences of climate change.
But it is in the self-interest of every country to create green energy and healthier ecosystems for the planet, he said.
"We’re standing at an inflection point in world history," Biden said.
Biden stated that the U.S. will be able to meet its ambitious target to reduce emissions by 50% to 52% by 2030 but called on the rest of the world to do the same.
"We can do this, so let’s get to work," the president said.
