REMARKS for CDA, a.i. Ambassador Daniel Rubinstein
February 26,2023
Your excellencies, members of American Chambers of Commerce from across the region, I’d like to thank you for the opportunity to address the conference today. You have a dynamic agenda of topics to discuss, and I am thrilled by the leadership role of U.S. firms in the Middle East and around the world in addressing climate change and promoting the transition to a green economy. President Biden and his administration have reasserted the United States as a leader on climate issues worldwide, and we have all pressed to limit global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius, an even more ambitious target than the 2 degrees Celsius called for in the 2015 Paris Agreement. The reason for this is that the scientific community has repeatedly found that at 1.5 degrees we start to hit tipping points that will fundamentally alter the quality of life on our planet for generations to come. Whether as leaders in policy or industry, I think we can all agree that we have a collective responsibility to be good stewards of this planet; after all, we only have one. So, thank you for your participation in this important conference and the efforts that you and your companies are taking to promote a transition to a more sustainable world economy.
The United States is doing its part to address the climate crisis, both at home and abroad. The $369 billion Inflation Reduction Act, which President Biden signed into law last August, is the largest step taken by a single piece of legislation to combat the climate crisis. It positions the United States to meet President Biden’s goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, and getting halfway there by 2030, as reflected in our ambitious nationally determined contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement.
The United States is also acting to lead a clean energy future that leverages market forces, technological innovation, and private sector investments to tackle the climate crisis. Investing in clean energy manufacturing, diversifying energy supply chains, and accelerating innovation will help boost energy security and prevent energy crises like the one caused by Russia’s war on Ukraine.
