WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will announce a set of new initiatives and actions Tuesday aimed at protecting forests globally, spurring clean-energy innovation and reducing methane emissions during his second day at the United Nations’ COP26 climate summit in Glasgow.
Biden’s plan to conserve forests includes a commitment of up to $9 billion of U.S international climate funding to the effort by 2030, according to senior White House official who discussed the announcements on the condition of anonymity.
Other components involve incentives for forest conservation and restoration, and efforts aimed at increasing private investment and data collections for forest protection.
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Biden’s presence at the high-stakes COP26 summit comes as he’s been unable to get his climate agenda approved at home with Democrats in Congress still divided over his $1.75 trillion spending package.
On the first day of the summit, Biden touted his “build back better” proposal as “the most significant investment to deal with the climate crisis that any advanced nation has made, ever.” But until it passes, Biden must rely largely on executive authority for his biggest climate splashes.
As part of Biden’s plan to curb methane gas emissions, the Environmental Protection Agency will propose a new rule to regulate leak detection and repairs for the oil and gas industry. The rule follows…
