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CLIMATEWIRE | President Joe Biden announced Thursday that he will strengthen the United States’ climate target by aiming to cut planet-warming pollution 61-66 percent by 2035, in a move that his successor is certain to disregard.

The new goal marks an increase over Biden’s 2021 pledge to slash greenhouse gases 50-52 percent by 2030 over 2005 levels, but is a downgrade from what modelers say would have been possible under a future president who acts aggressively to slow rising temperatures.

President-elect Donald Trump has indicated the opposite.

Instead, the target will likely be jettisoned after Trump takes office, reflecting his promises to expand fossil fuel production and dismantle Biden’s climate agenda.

Though the incoming administration could just ignore the target, the goal offers an ambitious marker that states, cities and businesses can aspire to meet, even as the Trump presidency attempts to roll back federal climate programs.

“President Biden’s new 2035 climate goal is both a reflection of what we’ve already accomplished … and what we believe the United States can and should achieve in the future,” said John Podesta, senior White House adviser for international climate policy, in a call with reporters.

The move comes amid increasing pressure on the Biden administration to make urgent environmental commitments in the waning days of the president’s term, even if Trump has no intention of honoring them. U.S. officials say it sends an important signal to the world of what the U.S. could do in the face of those challenges.

“American industry will keep inventing and keep investing. State, local, and tribal governments will keep stepping up,” Biden said in prerecorded video remarks for the announcement.

It also includes at least a 35 percent reduction of methane, a short-lived but potent greenhouse gas that the Biden administration has prioritized tackling through regulations and global agreements.

“We’re looking to governors, mayors, business leaders, and more to carry this important work forward,” said Podesta.

The targets — known as nationally determined contributions, or NDCs — are required under the Paris Agreement, the global deal to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius in the postindustrial era. The White House said that it is formally submitting the new target to the United Nations’ climate change secretariat. Trump is expected to withdraw from the agreement.

‘A North Star’

Observers argued that the new target showcases the ability of the world’s largest economy to tackle climate change without federal help.

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