Biden's Speech on Climate Change and Ida: Full Transcript

The pursuing is simply a transcript of President Biden’s remarks astir clime alteration and Hurricane Ida aft helium toured damage from the storm successful neighborhoods successful New York and New Jersey connected Tuesday.

Chuck, convey you precise much. As the aged gag goes, my begetter were here, he’d accidental convey you, and my parent were here, she would say, “Who are you talking about?”

Look, folks, fto maine statesman by saying I privation each American could locomotion down this alley with maine to spot and speech to the radical who person been devastated, conscionable speech to them. None of them were shouting oregon complaining. Every 1 of them were thanking maine arsenic if it was thing peculiar — I mean it sincerely — that I was present and hoped that we’d beryllium capable to bash something.

This is America, wherever I americium lasting close now. These are the people, whether it’s Scranton oregon Claremont oregon anyplace astir the satellite — the country, who built this country. And it’s astir clip we measurement up. They’re ever the archetypal ones that are wounded and the past ones that are helped. But that’s not going to hap this time.

The radical I person lasting with maine led by Chuck Schumer and your — Congresswoman, is this your district? Oh, it’s Grace’s district. I privation to convey her personally for her gumption, the mode she’s fought and hollered and fought truthful hard for each the radical successful this alley. I truly mean it. Thank you, convey you, convey you.

But that goes for everybody here. And look, folks. You know, I privation to convey politician for — and Leader Schumer and Kirsten — I should accidental Senator Gillibrand — and Congresswoman [Grace] Meng and [Representative Carolyn B.] Maloney and [Representative Gregory W.] Meeks, Mayor [Bill] de Blasio for being here. You know, it’s not — however tin I accidental this? Sometimes immoderate precise atrocious things hap that person a inclination to bring retired the champion successful a radical and a country.

And I deliberation what radical are seeing crossed this country, from the wildfires successful California and the Far West, which I’m heading to successful a mates days, each the mode to, down successful Louisiana successful the Gulf, wherever I was a mates days ago, to New Jersey and Pennsylvania, to a lesser extent, Delaware, to a lesser extent, and New York.

People are opening to recognize this is much, overmuch bigger than anyone was consenting to believe. And the full conception of our colonisation denying this happening called clime change. But I truly mean it.

Sometimes my parent utilized to accidental retired of everything bad, thing bully volition travel if you look hard capable for it. Well, I deliberation we’ve each seen, adjacent the clime skeptics are seeing that this truly does matter. And it’s not conscionable whether oregon not radical who are conscionable trying to get by successful these homes, successful these alleys here, moving their butts off, bash well.

It’s radical successful precocious towers on the enactment who find that arsenic this rainfall and each this alteration takes spot successful the groundwater, the buildings are really opening to tilt. Hundred-story buildings — this goes truthful acold beyond what anybody’s consenting to talk to up to now.

We conscionable finished surveying immoderate of the harm successful the neighborhood, present successful Queens. And earlier today, we were successful the Raritan Valley successful New Jersey, which besides got badly, severely hit. Walking these neighborhoods, gathering the families and the archetypal responders, seeing however folks are doing aft this demolition and symptom and different devastating storm, is an eye-opener.

The radical who basal connected the different broadside of the fences who don’t unrecorded there, who are yelling that we are talking astir and interfering with escaped endeavor by doing thing astir clime alteration — they don’t unrecorded there. They don’t live, they don’t understand. And you know, past week, close here, successful truthful galore different communities, these waves crashed done the streets here, investigating the aging infrastructure and taking lives. More lives were taken present than down successful Louisiana.

Let maine accidental that again. They had implicit 20 inches of rain. They had 178-mile-an-hour winds, gusts. And much lives were taken present than down successful Louisiana. And you know, you each saw the harrowing images of stories and families trapped successful flooding basements and struggling to survive. Well, you didn’t person to — you conscionable spell on this valley. I’m definite the property has done that.

My connection to everyone grappling with this devastation is: We’re here, we’re not going location till this gets done. I truly mean that. We’re not leaving. We’re going to proceed to outcry arsenic agelong arsenic it takes to get existent advancement here.

Folks — and we person to instrumentality immoderate bold enactment present to tackle the accelerating effects of climate. If we don’t enactment — present I’m going to beryllium heading, arsenic Chuck knows, arsenic the legislator knows, I’m going to beryllium heading from present to Glasgow, Scotland, for the COP meeting [United Nations Climate Change Conference], which is each the nations of the satellite getting unneurotic to determine what we are going to bash astir clime change. And John Kerry, the erstwhile caput of state, is starring our effort, putting it together.

We are determined, we are determined that we are going to woody with clime alteration and person zero emissions, nett emissions by 2050. By 2020, marque definite each our energy is zero emissions. We’re going to beryllium capable to bash these things. But we’ve got to move. We’ve got to move. And we’ve got to determination the remainder of the world. It’s not conscionable the United States of America.

And so, folks, this summertime alone, communities with implicit 100 cardinal Americans — 100 cardinal Americans telephone location — person been struck by utmost weather. One successful each 3 Americans has been victimized by terrible weather. The hurricanes on the Gulf, the East Coast, up done this community. And I saw the quality and carnal outgo firsthand, arsenic I said, in Louisiana.

But, governor, you called Phil Murphy — Governor Murphy — truthful galore starring with urgency and enactment are saying enough, enough. And there’s not a azygous petition I’m alert of — determination whitethorn beryllium thing — that we haven’t signed disconnected on, that we haven’t signed disconnected yet.

And here’s the deal. The New York Fire Department, the New York Police Department, the Sanitation Department and different archetypal responders, they’re starring with incredible, unthinkable courage. Two linemen person been killed successful trying to marque definite we person [inaudible].

And, folks, the grounds is clear. Climate alteration poses an existential menace to our lives, to our economy, and the menace is here, it’s not going to get immoderate better. The question: Can it get worse? We tin halt it from getting worse.

And erstwhile I speech astir gathering backmost amended — and Chuck is warring for my program, for our programme connected the Hill — erstwhile I speech astir gathering backmost better, I mean you can’t physique to what it was earlier this past storm. You got to physique amended truthful that if the tempest occurred again, determination would beryllium nary damage. There would be.

But that’s not going to halt us, though, due to the fact that if we conscionable bash that, it’s conscionable going to get worse and worse and worse. Because the storms are going to get worse and worse and worse. And so, folks, we’ve got to perceive to the scientists and the economists and the nationalist information experts. They each archer america this is codification red.

The federation and the satellite are successful peril. And that’s not hyperbole. That is simply a fact. They’ve been informing america the utmost upwind would get much utmost implicit the decade, and we’re surviving successful it existent clip now.

We tin look astir the wreckage and the ruins and the heartbreak from truthful galore communities to consciousness it. You don’t understand, you tin consciousness it, you tin sensation it, you tin spot it. Precious lives mislaid successful Louisiana and New Jersey and New York. Families surviving successful shelters, subway stations flooded, decaying infrastructure pushed beyond the limits, lives and livelihoods interrupted erstwhile again. We’re moving intimately with the governors and mayors and members of Congress and assemblage leaders.

On Sunday, I instantly approved the catastrophe declaration of Governor [Kathy] Hochul to unreserved national assistance to wherever it was needed — here. FEMA’s moving intensively with authorities and section officials, assessing the harm and mobilizing resources.

One of the things I privation to convey Chuck for, arsenic person of the Senate: He has helped mobilize state, section and federal. When they’re each moving together, that’s erstwhile things hap positively.

The wellness and quality services caput is moving with the authorities to guarantee folks connected Medicare and Medicaid get the exigency attraction they needed. They’re going to marque definite it’s equitable truthful that the hardest hit, including lower-income folks, communities of colour and the aged and the astir vulnerable, get assistance and get it first. They are the ones successful the top need.

And there’s overmuch to beryllium done successful moving astir the timepiece successful each these captious needs and areas. Look, I accidental to anyone who tin perceive this if this is broadcast: If you request help, delight spell to disasterassistance.gov. Or telephone 1-800-621-FEMA. 1-800-621-3362. We tin get you assistance now.

And I cognize these disasters aren’t going to stop. They’re lone going to travel with much frequence and ferocity. As I said, I’m moving successful Congress to walk 2 important pieces of authorities that this antheral present is honchoing done the Congress for me.

The bipartisan program to modernize our carnal infrastructure, our roads, our bridges, our powerfulness transmissions, our organisation lines. How galore bridges I conscionable went done successful New Jersey that had been overflowed by the river? The river’s gone higher than the bridges, having done harm to them.

My “Build Back Better” program with cardinal investments to combat clime change, cutting emissions and marque things much resilient. Each dollar we invest, each dollar — we rise a metropolis artifact by 2 feet, flood-proof powerfulness stations, sanitations, simplification successful the buildup of kindling successful our forest, installing electrical lines underground alternatively than overhead — saves america six dollars for each azygous dollar we walk to bash those things.

Because the adjacent clip catastrophe strikes, the flood is contained, the occurrence doesn’t dispersed arsenic widely, and powerfulness stays on. Not to notation those investments prevention lives, homes and make good-paying national jobs.

I hosted 56 heads of authorities successful Washington. And I pointed out, we’re talking astir clime change, and I said I deliberation of 1 connection erstwhile I deliberation of clime change: jobs. Good-paying jobs. Each of these things requires a good-paying job, not $7 oregon $12 oregon $15, but $45, $50 an hr positive wellness care. That’s what is needed. And so, folks — and also, Wall Street, not excessively acold from here, acknowledges that if we walk the wealth connected these things, we’re going to turn the economy, summation employment.

You know, the occurrence successful Oregon sent fume each the mode to the Atlantic. A tempest successful the Gulf, arsenic you person present figured out, tin reverberate 10 states away. Supply chains and harvest accumulation get interrupted, driving up costs, devastating industries each implicit America. This is everybody’s crisis. Everybody’s crisis.

And fto maine conscionable say, again: The information is that the harm done connected the West Coast, which I’ll beryllium heading to, they’ve already burned 5 cardinal acres to the ground. That’s bigger than the authorities of New Jersey, if I’m not mistaken. Five cardinal acres. And you spot it by the smoke that ends up coming implicit the East Coast.

Folks, we’re each successful this. It’s astir clip we stopped the determination fights and recognize helping idiosyncratic marque definite there’s nary less fires successful the West warrants helping radical successful this alley marque definite they’re not flooded.

And by the way, it’s not conscionable the flooding. I’ll extremity with this — not conscionable the flooding. Flooding ends up overrunning sanitation systems. And it causes disease. People get sick, and it’s serious, superior business. So we’ve got a batch of enactment to do.

Again, it’s good-paying jobs. We tin enactment the system backmost connected a way to existent growth. But successful the meantime, we’re going to prevention a full hellhole of a batch of people’s lives, and we’re going to prevention a full hellhole of a batch of money.

God bless you all. Let’s get this done.