Grade: B
NICOLÁS ORTEGA ILLUSTRATION FOR FOREIGN POLICY
It would be all too tempting to grade the Biden administration’s climate policy as an F. After all, the world is failing to curb greenhouse gas emissions fast enough. U.S. policies—or lack thereof—are a major factor in that failure. But domestic politics are the major impediment here. That starts with the failure, so far, to pass even the pared-down $555 billion climate portion of the Build Back Better Act. The administration also sent the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which aims to rein in hydrofluorocarbons, to the Senate for ratification, but the Senate has yet to act. On the foreign-policy front, things look a bit better. Rejoining the Paris climate agreement, of course, was the bare minimum. The Global Methane Pledge, a promise to cut methane emissions by at least 30 percent by 2030, was a major deal spearheaded by the United States.
“Is Biden’s Foreign Policy Grade A Material? More than 30 experts grade the U.S. president’s first year of foreign policy.” Foreign Policy 20 January 2022.