On Friday, President Joe Biden reportedly signed an executive order directing all branches of the federal government to concentrate on resolving the issue of “environmental justice.”
In a statement, the White House said that racial discrimination had led to a scenario where minority groups were more prone to experience different environmental ills and were also allegedly more vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
The whole-of-government approach to climate change that Biden has long praised would “deepen” as a result of the executive order.
“For far too long, communities across our country have faced persistent environmental injustice through toxic pollution, underinvestment in infrastructure and critical services, and other disproportionate environmental harms often due to a legacy of racial discrimination including redlining. These communities with environmental justice concerns face even greater burdens due to climate change.” The statement from the White House read.
“Racism is a fundamental driver of environmental injustice,”it continued.
In order to coordinate “environmental justice policy” across the federal government, Biden, who presented the executive order in the Rose Garden on Friday, also established the White House Office of Environmental Justice, which is run by a Federal Chief Environmental Justice Officer.
The Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, both of which dedicated large sums of money for climate projects and incentives for renewable energy, were passed before the most recent presidential order.
To promote the greater use of electric automobiles, Biden administration officials have suggested new vehicle emissions restrictions, tightened energy efficiency criteria for mobile homes, and imposed new emissions limits for household goods like gas stoves and refrigerators.
Even after the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act and the Inflation Reduction Act were passed, certain Democratic legislators have reaffirmed their calls for more stringent climate legislation: Last week, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) revived the Green New Deal, a proposal that would radically alter the US economy in an effort to combat climate change.
The resolution’s wording demands that the United States use renewable and emission-free energy sources to satisfy all of its energy needs.
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