Thunberg Says 'Strange' to Think Biden is Climate Leader Given 'What His Administration is Doing'

From the first day of his presidency, Joe Biden has pursued an active environmental policy, but inflation and energy prices have forced him to take a number of measures, criticised by eco-activists.

Swedish eco-activist Greta Thunberg has said that she doesn't understand why people think of Joe Biden as a climate leader, taking into account "what his administration is doing".

Thunberg was asked during an interview with KK Ottesen of The Washington Post if her example inspires some world leaders, including Biden.

"It should not fall on us activists and teenagers who just want to go to school to raise this awareness and to inform people that we are actually facing an emergency", she said. "The US is actually expanding fossil fuel infrastructure. Why is the US doing that?"

The eco-activist also noted that she was dissatisfied with the results of the COP26 UN Climate Summit. She commented on the final document, where participants "for the first time mentioned" fossil fuels.

"It makes you wonder what they have been doing all these decades, without even mentioning fossil fuels in the context of a problem that is largely caused by fossil fuels", the activist said.

In November, delegates from nearly 200 countries attended in the COP26 Convention on Climate Change in Glasgow. "Countries agreed to step up efforts to reduce raw coal energy consumption and eliminate inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, while targeting the poorest and most vulnerable".

Participants also agreed on rules to implement Article 6 of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. The article stipulates the introduction of specific mechanisms to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and carbon trading. Aside from this, many countries, including Canada, Brazil, China, Indonesia, the US, the UK, and Russia agreed to end deforestation in eight years.

Biden, so far, has revealed his ambitious plans regarding energy transition, planning huge investments in the green economy in his $1.75 trillion "Build Back Better" plan that hasn't yet passed the Senate.

The US president signed an executive order on 8 December for the government to achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and reach 100 percent clean electricity by 2035.

At the same time, the current administration has had to adjust its energy course amid a growing supply chain crisis and record-breaking inflation after the global pandemic. Last month, the White House announced Biden's decision to release 50 million barrels of oil from the nation's strategic reserves. The US authorities said that this will help balance supply and demand in the market and lower oil prices. Biden has also called to increase oil production.