How Biden Can Make the US a Global Leader on Climate Action

This briefing by the World Resources Institute outlines three strategic steps for the Biden administration to re-establish the United States as a global leader in climate action following the 2020 presidential election. It emphasizes the need for a robust national climate commitment, increased financial support for developing nations, and the integration of climate change into core foreign policy to rebuild international trust and align with global trends toward net-zero emissions.

• To regain global leadership, the Biden administration should submit a bold nationally determined contribution (NDC) before the COP26 summit in Glasgow in November 2021. WRI specifically recommends a target to reduce emissions by 45-50% below 2005 levels by 2030, noting that action from cities, states, and businesses alone could potentially achieve a 37% reduction.
• The U.S. must increase financial support for climate solutions in developing countries to rebuild international trust. This includes paying $2 billion in outstanding pledges to the Green Climate Fund from 2014, contributing to the Adaptation Fund, and increasing funding for the Global Environment Facility.
• The administration should align public and private financial flows with the Paris Climate Agreement. This involves phasing out fossil fuel financing through the U.S. Development Finance Corporation and the U.S. Export-Import Bank, encouraging multilateral development banks to do the same, and implementing mandatory climate risk reporting for private sector finance.
• Climate change should be treated as a core foreign policy issue, utilizing heads-of-state meetings (G7, G20, APEC) and bilateral relationships to advance cooperation. Key diplomatic priorities include collaborating with the EU, engaging with major emitters like India, Indonesia, and Brazil, and establishing a working relationship with China, the world's other largest emitter.

APA

World Resources Institute (2020). How Biden Can Make the US a Global Leader on Climate Action. https://www.wri.org/insights/how-biden-can-make-us-global-leader-climate-action

Chicago

World Resources Institute. How Biden Can Make the US a Global Leader on Climate Action. 2020. https://www.wri.org/insights/how-biden-can-make-us-global-leader-climate-action.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=How Biden Can Make the US a Global Leader on Climate Action |date=12 November 2020 |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/how-biden-can-make-us-global-leader-climate-action |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2020how, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{How Biden Can Make the US a Global Leader on Climate Action}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2020}, month = nov, url = {https://www.wri.org/insights/how-biden-can-make-us-global-leader-climate-action}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }