FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
12/19/24
MEDIA CONTACT:
Edder Díaz Martínez
edderdiazmartinez@greenlatinos.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Biden Administration released its updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the Paris Agreement, setting emissions reduction targets of 61-66% below 2005 levels by 2035 and a 35% reduction in methane emissions. While these steps represent progress, they fall short of the transformative action and ambition needed to address the climate crisis at the scale justice and science demand.
As the world’s largest historical emitter and leading oil and gas producer, the U.S. bears a moral responsibility to lead the fight against climate change. This NDC lacks a concrete plan to phase out fossil fuels and ignores its duty to fund a just global transition for lower-income nations. Still it provides guidance for subnational governments like states and cities to take the reins and lead on climate action despite harmful action expected from the Trump Administration.
“I commend the Biden Administration for recognizing the need to address methane emissions and reduce greenhouse gases, but this NDC does not go far enough,” said Irene Burga, Director of Climate Justice and Clean Air at GreenLatinos. “The science is clear: to protect our planet and communities, we must immediately halt fossil fuel expansion, commit to a managed decline of fossil fuels by 2031, and provide robust climate finance to those most impacted by this crisis. This is a matter of justice, and we call on leaders at every level to treat this NDC as the floor, not the ceiling, for climate ambition.”
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About GreenLatinos
GreenLatinos (NOTE: GreenLatinos is ONE WORD) is an active comunidad of Latino/a/e leaders, emboldened by the power and wisdom of our culture, united to demand equity and dismantle racism, resourced to win our environmental, conservation, and climate justice battles, and driven to secure our political, economic, cultural, and environmental liberation.