President Joe Biden has announced his withdrawal from the November presidential election, endorsing Kamala Harris as his chosen successor.
This decision comes after mounting pressure for him to stand down following a tense debate performance against Donald Trump.
During his tenure, President Biden has made significant strides in climate policy.
Shortly after taking office, President Biden signed an executive order to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement, a global treaty aimed at limiting temperature rise to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels.
This move reinstated the US commitment to international climate action.
Joe Biden’s administration has also taken steps to reshape the US energy sector.
He signed an executive order halting the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline and has directed federal agencies to review and reverse numerous environmental regulations weakened under Donald Trump’s administration.
Aiming to bolster the transition to clean energy, Joe Biden has committed to upgrading the federal vehicle fleet to electric vehicles (EVs) and investing in battery technology and renewable energy.
Additionally, Mr Biden has set a goal to establish a carbon pollution-free electricity sector by 2035 and achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
A few months ago, under a new rule announced, oil and gas companies will have to pay more to drill on public lands and follow tougher rules for cleaning up old or abandoned wells.
However, the rule does not ban new oil and gas leases on public lands, as many environmental groups and President Joe Biden had hoped for during his 2020 campaign.
His administration set an ambitious goal of deploying 30GW of offshore energy by 2030.
A few days ago, Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, vowed to end the electric vehicle (EV) mandate, halt the establishment of new auto manufacturing plants abroad and redirect funds from renewable energy projects to infrastructure improvements.
Speaking at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Mr Trump criticised the current administration’s support for EVs, promising to end the mandate on his first day in office.
He claimed this move would protect the US auto industry and reduce costs for American consumers.
