President Biden issued an executive order Wednesday afternoon that would reduce the federal government’s greenhouse gas emissions within the next decade and reach net-zero federal emissions by 2050. The term “net zero” means that any pollution contributing to climate change would be offset with equal measures to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, such as planting trees.
“The Federal Government faces broad exposure to the mounting risks and costs already posed by the climate crisis,” Biden states in the order. “As the single largest land owner, energy consumer, and employer in the Nation, the Federal Government can catalyze private sector investment and expand the economy and American industry by transforming how we build, buy, and manage electricity, vehicles, buildings, and other operations to be clean and sustainable.”
The biggest components of the executive order are setting standards for reducing emissions in three key areas: electricity generation, buildings and transportation.
Under the order, the government would use 100 percent net-zero electricity by 2030, including 50 percent produced from fully carbon-free sources such as wind and solar. Federal buildings would have to reduce their emissions by half by 2032 and reach net-zero by 2045.
