Joe Biden will announce Tuesday that he will end uranium mining in a vast area around the Grand Canyon during a trip to the western United States aimed at convincing Americans of the benefits of his climate policy.
Ali Zaidi, Biden’s climate advisor, said on the plane that took the 80-year-old Democratic president to Arizona, that this area, which will be designated a “national landmark”, will cover an area of more than 400,000 hectares.
Indigenous tribes have been calling for action to reduce mining activity around the Grand Canyon, a natural wonder.
Zaidi said that this situation would prohibit the launch of new uranium mining projects at the site, without affecting the exploitation rights that already exist. The creation of this new protected area is a tribute to the tribes’ rich history and to protect a “very important ecosystem” around the Colorado River.
Joe Biden chose for this ad the state of Arizona, where temperatures approached 50 degrees Celsius weeks ago and where the low flow of the Colorado River threatens the water supply of residential communities as well as the agricultural sector.
existential threat
After that, Biden will travel to New Mexico and then to Utah, where he will present his programs to veterans.
The date of this trip was not set by chance, as it coincides with the one-year anniversary of the passage of the inflation reduction act (IRA) that was the focus of his electoral platform, and the White House wants to highlight this event.
Although it was named so to make it easier to adopt in Congress given inflation at the time reached its highest level in 40 years, this plan actually targets carbon dioxide emissions and aims to reduce them by 40% by 2030 compared to 2005.
Therefore, $370 billion will be invested in the field of energy transition, especially in the manufacture of batteries for electric cars or solar panels.
Joe Biden has always classified climate change as an “existential threat”, criticizing members of the Republican opposition who question it.
In addition to addressing the heat crisis, Biden’s visit to Arizona comes with electoral incentives.
The Democrat narrowly won Arizona in 2020, and it is among the few states that are expected to be decisive in determining the winner of next year’s presidential election.
Don’t tell the whole story
“The president has translated the greatest risks we face into a major economic opportunity,” Zaidi said, speaking of climate change.
But he struggles to get his message across, especially to independent voters.
And more than half (57%) of Americans disapprove of the Democratic president’s handling of climate change, but admit they don’t know what’s in the plan, according to a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll released Monday.
For her part, White House spokeswoman Karen Jean-Pierre confirmed from Air Force One that opinion polls “do not tell the whole story” and do not necessarily reflect basic trends.
“We will continue to talk” about Joe Biden’s economic and environmental successes and “hope the message gets through,” she added.
AFP