Shortly after entering office, President Joe Biden set a climate goal of achieving a 100% clean energy economy and net-zero emissions in the United States no later than 2050. In doing so, he aims to direct 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal climate investments to disadvantaged communities. This is known as the Justice40 Initiative. Now, two years later, has there been any substantive progress? , The ambitious initiative prioritizes an “environmental justice” agenda by the Biden administration that’s focused on “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.”

In 2020, Joe Biden ran for president on the most ambitious climate action platform of any major presidential candidate in U.S. history. As President Biden reaches the midway point of his first term in office, it’s time to take stock of what his administration has accomplished, what is still a work in progress, and what is off track. , In 2021, with Biden’s signature Build Back Better legislation stalled in Congress, I graded the administration’s overall climate performance “incomplete.” Fortunately, with a new name and moderate revisions to its climate policy features, Biden was able to sign the Inflation Reduction Act into law in August 2022, raising his overall climate grade to a strong A-. But he will need to stay focused and implement superbly to maintain, and hopefully further improve, his grade.