President Biden on Tuesday celebrated his record overseeing historic action to fight climate change and warned that the Republican trying to succeed him, Donald J. Trump, would unwind those accomplishments and condemn “future generations to a more dangerous world.”
The president delivered remarks to an adoring crowd at the Bloomberg Global Business Forum event during New York Climate Week that featured the actress Jane Fonda as well as Michael R. Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York.
Hours after addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Mr. Biden appeared at the Bloomberg event and took what amounted to a victory lap. He boasted that the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which is plowing more than $370 billion in tax rebates and subsidies into wind and solar energy, batteries and electric vehicles, was the largest climate investment “in the history of the world.”
The president credited the law with reopening shuttered factories and creating more than 300,000 jobs, but also with fundamentally changing the conversation about climate change from one of planetary doom to one of economic opportunity. He also made a point of linking his policies to Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee.
“Kamala and I have pursued an ambitious climate policy focused on growth,” Mr. Biden said. “This is a new formula on climate. Creating jobs and reducing pollution,” he said.
Ms. Harris has not detailed how she would address climate change. Her campaign website highlights the climate law and pledges to “unite Americans to tackle the climate crisis as she builds on this historic work.”
The president did not refer by name to Mr. Trump, the former Republican president who is running to retake the White House. Instead, he referred to him as “my predecessor,” warning that his policies would cause economic devastation.
In response, Karoline Leavitt, Mr. Trump’s campaign spokeswoman said, “Does anybody care what Joe Biden has to say anymore?”
Mr. Trump has promised to dismantle Mr. Biden’s climate policies and promote more development of fossil fuels, the burning of which is driving climate change. Mr. Trump has said his administration would “drill, baby, drill” and “develop the liquid gold that is right under our feet.”
Mr. Trump has railed against renewable energy, particularly windmills, by falsely suggesting they harm whales and pose health hazards.
Mr. Biden took a swipe at that misinformation, to the delight of the crowd. “By the way,” Mr. Biden said in a sotto voce remark, “windmills do not cause cancer.”
For many world leaders in New York this week, the November election loomed over discussions. Mr. Trump has also pledged to withdraw the United States from the Paris agreement on climate change, as he did during his first term. Mr. Biden has rejoined the treaty.
Ms. Harris, if elected, is expected to continue global engagement on climate and strengthen U.S. targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
Mr. Biden described cutting fossil fuel pollution as a moral imperative. He spoke of touring communities ravaged by climate-fueled wildfires, hurricanes and floods and added that he had seen “more acreage burn to the ground than the entire state of Maryland — just wildfires.”
He described leaders of other countries, including Kenya, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, India and Japan, as eager to expand investments in clean energy and made the case that the world needed the United States to realize a global transition away from fossil fuels.
“If we don’t lead who the hell leads?” Mr. Biden asked. “Who fills the vacuum?”
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