Top 10 Priorities for President Biden to Tackle the Climate Crisis

The World Resources Institute outlines ten priorities for President Biden to address the climate crisis, centered on the principles of inclusive prosperity, focusing on carbon-heavy sectors, and supporting subnational action. Key recommendations include committing to a 45-50% emissions reduction by 2030, passing a $2 trillion climate-smart stimulus package, and phasing out new passenger vehicle sales of polluting cars by 2035. The plan emphasizes a 'whole-of-government' approach combining standards, investments, carbon pricing, and environmental justice to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

• The Biden administration should commit to reducing total greenhouse gas emissions by 45-50% below 2005 levels by 2030 to align with the Paris Agreement's 1.5 degrees C goal and reestablish international leadership.
• A proposed $2 trillion climate-smart stimulus package is recommended to create jobs and grow the clean energy industry, with a requirement that at least 40% of funding benefits disadvantaged communities.
• The U.S. should mandate that all new passenger vehicles sold after 2035 produce zero emissions, following similar trends in California and a 15-state initiative for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.
• Clean electricity standards should be scaled to 55% by 2025, 75% by 2030, and 100% by 2035 to enable the decarbonization of power plants, transportation, buildings, and industry.
• Urgent action is needed to tackle 'super pollutants,' specifically by implementing the Kigali amendments to phase down HFCs and strengthening rules to curb methane leaks.
• The administration should replace fossil fuels with electricity in buildings by requiring electric heat pumps for appliance replacements and encouraging all-electric new construction.
• To address hard-to-abate industrial emissions, the government should set emission performance standards for cement, steel, and plastics, and provide funding for research and demonstration projects.
• The U.S. must scale up carbon dioxide removal through both natural methods, such as increasing tree cover, and technological approaches like direct air capture and carbon mineralization to meet the 1.5 degrees C limit.
• International leadership should be restored by rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement, delivering $2 billion in outstanding pledges to the Green Climate Fund, and submitting a new national climate plan to the UN.
• Carbon pricing is identified as an essential component of an effective climate plan to hold emitters accountable and accelerate the retirement of pollution sources.

APA

Lashof, D. (2020). Top 10 Priorities for President Biden to Tackle the Climate Crisis. World Resources Institute. https://www.wri.org/insights/top-10-priorities-president-biden-tackle-climate-crisis

Chicago

Lashof, Dan. Top 10 Priorities for President Biden to Tackle the Climate Crisis. World Resources Institute, 2020. https://www.wri.org/insights/top-10-priorities-president-biden-tackle-climate-crisis.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lashof |first1=Dan |title=Top 10 Priorities for President Biden to Tackle the Climate Crisis |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=7 November 2020 |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/top-10-priorities-president-biden-tackle-climate-crisis |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lashof2020top, author = {Lashof, Dan}, title = {{Top 10 Priorities for President Biden to Tackle the Climate Crisis}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2020}, month = nov, url = {https://www.wri.org/insights/top-10-priorities-president-biden-tackle-climate-crisis}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }