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On day 1 of his presidency, Joseph R. Biden Jr. brought the United States back into the global climate agreement. His administration has made bold promises to reduce emissions. He urged other countries to set their own ambitious climate targets.

Since that time, politics and war stood before any meaningful climate law.

Now the White House is taking another step forward to advance its climate agenda. The $5.8 trillion budget request for fiscal year 2023, made public on Monday, includes nearly $45 billion for several federal agencies to tackle climate change.

It’s trying to prepare us for the reality of life on a warmer planet.

It doesn’t include big-ticket items to get the United States to move away from the burning of fossil fuels, which is the main cause of climate change. as my colleague As Coral Davenport points out, The president’s proposed spending “says little about what the federal government will do to truly address the country’s two biggest contributors to climate change: greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles and power plants.”

What the United States is doing to rapidly reduce its own emissions is critical to the rest of the world. The country is the largest emitter in history; Its current emissions are second only to China.

Remember that the proposed budget is a wish list for how taxpayers will spend their dollars. It must be approved by Congress. So Biden’s political test lies in passing both houses before the November midterm elections while his party still controls Congress.

Not to put too thin a point on it. But the midterms will be crucial in determining US climate policy.

For now, here’s what my colleagues and I found notable in his proposal.

It aims to strengthen America’s image abroad. Biden is trying to do good his promise helping poor countries expand renewable energy and adapt to the effects of warming, with $11.4 billion in annual climate finance by 2024. His proposed budget envisions supporting this money a year early. It is unclear whether Congress will do this. Congress approves the 2022 budget request barely approved $1 billion for international climate finance

On Monday, the Natural Resources Defense Council, an advocacy group, urged lawmakers to make changes. “If enacted, this will help tackle the anemic international climate funding Congress has recently approved, and all parties should rally around this plan,” the group said.

There was immediate opposition from a key Republican. Senator James Risch of Idaho is the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee. said on Twitter He said climate aid “will not stop malicious acts from Russia, China and Iran”.

It is an extreme air budget. The United States Forest Service would hire more than 3,000 new staff to fight wildfires, and the Environmental Protection Agency would receive more money for wildfire prevention. The Ministry of Agriculture will receive $1.8 billion, coral wrote, to make sure rural homes are built to withstand extreme weather events. The Pentagon would mostly get $3 billion. prepare military installations for climate effects.

It is a nod to demands to combat environmental racism. The Budget creates a new office within the Department of Justice to investigate how environmental risks are disproportionately affecting communities of color. It will allocate $1.45 billion to various programs run by the Environmental Protection Agency to protect communities facing disproportionately high levels of air and water pollution.

Cars are still king. The largest portion of the $142 billion earmarked for transportation will be used to repair roads and bridges – or maybe build new highways, as some Republican state governors prefer. A Analysis by the Eno Transportation Center He calculated that 15 percent of the agency’s budget would be devoted to public transport.

Drilling works will continue on public lands. The Bureau of Land Management, which issues permits for oil and gas drilling on public lands, will receive $1.4 billion under the proposal, while another $237 million will go to the program that oversees offshore drilling. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has prompted calls from administration officials to export more gas to Europe in an effort to reduce the continent’s dependence on Russian energy. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission recently scaled down plans consider how natural gas projects affect climate change and environmental justice. Because of the federal court order, the administration, temporarily stopped new drilling on public lands.

essential news

Increasing coal, earning millions: Senator Joe Manchin is helping a power station that has long been the sole customer of its private coal business. Along the road, also blocked climate action.

Before you go: Turning cities into sponges

Climate change is making floods worse by transforming into wetlands and floodplains with urban expansion. That’s why engineers, architects, urban planners and officials around the world are looking for ways to retrofit or restructure cities to better deal with water – basically acting like a sponge. The idea is to move away from the traditional, rigid infrastructure of concrete walls, culverts and sewer systems towards solutions that mimic nature. You can do read full article here.

Thank you for reading. We’ll be back on Friday.

Claire O’Neill and Douglas Alteen contributed to Climate Forward.

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