December, 09 2020, 11:00pm EDT
Five Years After the Paris Agreement Was Signed, Biden Must Fulfill His Climate Mandate
WASHINGTON
On Saturday, 12 December, world governments will convene virtually at the Climate Ambition Summit to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the Paris climate agreement. The meeting takes place in the lead up to COP26, scheduled for November 2021. Eyes are on national governments, who are expected to present bolder climate plans, including COVID-19 recovery plans, and new finance commitments. Biden's team has stated that he will not be involved in the summit as a signal of respect to the presidential term of Donald Trump.
350.org Executive Director May Boeve gave the following response:
"When Trump exited the Paris climate agreement, he expected global climate ambition to crumble. Instead, the world stayed the course on climate action. Now that people in the US have chosen new leaders, it's time to double down on transformative action. On Day One in office, President-elect Biden must fulfill his promise to rejoin the Paris agreement; then he must go beyond Paris to meet the scale of the climate crisis by committing to greater ambitions that rapidly reduce greenhouse gas pollution, set substantial year-on-year targets to phase out fossil fuels, and bring forward a regenerative people-centered economy, powered by renewables.
"The climate crisis has only worsened since the Paris agreement was signed in 2015: 2020 is on track to be the Earth's warmest year on record, yet fossil fuel companies still plan to increase extraction of oil and gas. While many of our representatives have dragged their feet on necessary climate action, our movement has only ramped up the fight. Our lives, homes, and planet are at stake and we're not backing down on our demands for bold climate action and fossil fuel accountability from Biden and all officials representing our communities at the summit."
This anniversary arrives on the heels of the world's largest climate commitment. New York State is set to decarbonize its massive US$226 billion pension fund by 2040 and divest from oil and gas companies by 2025.
350 is building a future that's just, prosperous, equitable and safe from the effects of the climate crisis. We're an international movement of ordinary people working to end the age of fossil fuels and build a world of community-led renewable energy for all.
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"My child is human!" said Nasbeebah Hajjaj, a Palestinian-American woman who held up her 16-month-old son, Hamza. "Stop killing Palestinian children!"
The anti-war group CodePink said Hajjaj immigrated to the U.S. with her family when she was two months old, and has lost approximately 20 family members to Israel's bombardment of Gaza since October.
The group targeted Austin's testimony a month after the Biden administration released its 2025 budget request—a proposal that includes $1.1 trillion in military-related spending. Despite growing calls from U.S. lawmakers and rights advocates, the White House has not announced conditions for military aid to Israel, which has been widely accused of human rights violations as it has assaulted Gaza and blocked humanitarian aid from reaching Palestinians.
Israel's bombardment has killed at least 33,899 Palestinians so far, and more than two dozen people have died of starvation in recent months as international experts have warned parts of northern Gaza are facing famine.
At least 13,000 children have been killed, and the United Nations reported in February that 70% of those killed overall have been women and children—even as Israel and the U.S. have insisted Israeli forces are targeting Hamas.
The International Court of Justice issued a preliminary ruling in January saying Israel is "plausibly" committing genocide in Gaza, and lawmakers including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) have expressed support for the ruling—but the U.S. has dismissed the court's findings, including at Austin's hearing last week.
While Hajjaj held up her son at Wednesday's hearing, another protester, identified by CodePink as Helen, addressed the defense secretary.
"Secretary Austin, why are you denying Israel's genocide in Gaza? Why are you denying genocide in Gaza?" said Helen, who was arrested after being led out of the hearing. "The whole world sees it! You know the laws of war! You know you have blood on your hands! You have blood on your hands! We have blood on our hands."
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The risk of conflicts of interest increases as military-dependent tech companies go public.
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About 4,000 Volkswagen workers in Tennessee are voting on whether to unionize with the United Auto Workers. Labor journalist @hamiltonnolan says it's the most important union vote in years and could be the "first domino" in a wider push to organize the auto industry in the South. pic.twitter.com/RWFnO5KznI
— Democracy Now! (@democracynow) April 17, 2024
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