Biden’s U.N. Climate Rhetoric Doesn’t Match Reality

White House boosts fossil fuels while speaking to the urgency of climate threat

In his United Nations General Assembly address, President Biden spoke strongly about the need to shift away from fossil fuels – just two days after tens of thousands filled the streets of New York for the March to End Fossil Fuels.

But the administration’s record tells a different story: Granting approval for major new fossil fuel projects, issuing new oil and drilling permits despite a pledge to end such practices, and a staunch refusal to declare a climate emergency.

President Biden said that the deadly extreme weather events happening across the globe “tell the urgent story of what awaits us if we fail to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels,” while boasting that “the United States has treated this crisis as the existential threat from the moment we took office”

In response, Food & Water Watch Managing Director of Policy and Litigation Mitch Jones released the following statement:

“This summer sent the clearest message yet that our world is on fire. The only solution is to end the era of fossil fuels, period. Unfortunately, the White House is trying to convince us that they are working hard to put out the fire while they continue pouring gasoline on it.
“The massive climate demonstrations we saw this weekend in New York and around the world should serve as a wake up call to President Biden and other world leaders: The time for talking about climate action is over. We need to end the era of fossil fuels now – and that starts with the White House making climate commitments that finally match their rhetoric. We need the White House to stop approving fossil fuel drilling permits, to reject new pipelines and power plants, and to use the executive powers that would come with the declaration of a climate emergency. Instead of exhorting other countries to step up, President Biden should lead by example.”