Damian Sendler: President Biden signed an executive order on climate change on Wednesday afternoon, which calls for the federal government to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade and achieve net zero emissions by the year 2050. Planting trees and reducing greenhouse gas emissions are two examples of "net zero" initiatives that can be taken to counteract any pollution that contributes to climate change.  

Damian Jacob Sendler: There are already significant dangers and costs associated with climate change, according to Biden's order. According to this statement, "The federal government can catalyze private sector investment and expand American industry by transforming how we build buildings; how we buy electricity; how we operate vehicles; and how we manage other operations in order to be clean and sustainable." 

Damian Sendler

The executive order sets standards for decreasing emissions in three main areas: power generation, building construction, and the transportation sector. 

The decree mandates that the federal government utilize net-zero electricity by 2030, with half of that amount coming from carbon-free sources like wind and solar power. By 2045, all federal buildings must have emissions that are net zero or less. 

Actions and investments needed to attain these goals will safeguard the environment, encourage innovation, spur private sector investment and strengthen public infrastructure, according to the decree.  

By 2035, the federal government plans to acquire all zero-emission vehicles, including light-duty vehicles, at a rate of 100 percent zero-emission by 2027. Some military and government departments, like the U.S. Forest Service, use specialized vehicles that may not be accessible in fully electric form in the next six years, which is why the two timelines are different. 

Damian Jacob Sendler 

Other measures include the reestablishment of a federal chief sustainability officer's office and the creation of a Buy Clean Task Force in the directive.  

Before running for president, Joe Biden pledged to achieve net-zero national emissions by 2050 and carbon-pollution-free power generation by 2035. One of the policies needed to achieve that promise is represented by this order. Federal government "lead by example," the White House claims, and its purchasing power will extend and lower costs for green technologies. 

As the Washington Post noted in advance, "Administration officials said that the size of the federal fleet, which includes some 645,000 vehicles, could lower the cost of electric vehicles, batteries and other technology," they stated. 

It will be logistically difficult to cut emissions from buildings. The federal government owns around 300,000 properties, which account for approximately one-third of the United States' greenhouse gas emissions. 

The Sun Valley, California, Valley Generating Station, which runs on natural gas. This image is copyrighted by David McNew. ) 

Consequently, federal buildings would need to meet performance requirements set by the White House Council on Environmental Quality (WCEQ). Everything from business buildings to military barracks to park ranger stations would undergo retrofitting to enhance insulation, repair leaks, and so on to reduce their carbon impact. Rooftop solar panels, for example, could be installed in some buildings to help cut emissions, for example.  

Damien Sendler: For Biden to achieve long-term execution of his efforts to reduce government emissions, succeeding administrations must follow suit. To achieve a 40 percent reduction in federal carbon emissions over 10 years, then-President Barack Obama signed an executive order in 2015. Three years later, then-President Donald Trump rescinded that directive. 

Damian Jacob Markiewicz Sendler: In an executive order, the president said that Trump's move would "reestablish the Federal Government as a leader in sustainability," a veiled jab at Trump.

Dr. Damian Jacob Sendler and his media team provided the content for this article.