How’s Biden Doing on the Climate Crisis?

President Biden has made bold commitments on climate and environmental justice. Halfway through his first term, we’re holding him and his administration accountable for keeping those promises. Earthjustice’s attorneys and policy experts rated Biden’s progress on goals that the U.S. must achieve — and soon — if we want to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. The verdict: Though there are reasons to celebrate, the president still has much work to do in his first term.

Check out the scorecard below to see the policy areas where Biden is already moving us toward a just and sustainable future — and the ones where his administration needs a push.

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Climate Goal	Rating
Restore U.S. climate leadership	Major progress
Rejoin the Paris Agreement	major progress
Set ambitious climate and environmental justice goals	major progress
Appoint climate leaders to the cabinet	major progress
Accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels	Little / No progress
End new oil and gas leasing and reject coal lease renewals on federal land	little / no progress
Stop a massive fossil fuel infrastructure buildout, including exports and pipelines	little / no progress
Protect the Arctic from drilling	some progress
Stop taxpayer dollars from going to fossil fuel lifelines like petrochemicals, carbon capture, and dirty hydrogen	little / no progress
Regulate energy intensive industries like proof-of-work cryptocurrency mining	little / no progress
Move towards zero-emissions and 100% clean energy	Some progress
Invest big in clean energy and electrification
Accelerate transmission infrastructure in an equitable way	some progress
Fill the vacancy at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission	little / no progress
Secure strong energy efficiency standards	some progress
Electrify the U.S. Postal Service	major progress
Advance just and equitable climate solutions	Some progress
Direct 40% of climate investment benefits to the communities most impacted by pollution	some progress
Make sure frontline communities have a say in projects that impact their health and well-being	little / no progress
Defend Tribal sovereignty, respect treaty rights, and improve consultation	some progress
Change the way we use land to be a part of the solution	Some progress
Protect forests that absorb climate pollution
Invest in climate-friendly agriculture resources for farmers	major progress
Ensure bioenergy initiatives provide real climate benefits	some progress
Strengthen health and environmental protections	Some progress
Clean up coal ash	major progress
Strengthen methane pollution standards for the oil and gas industry	some progress
Strengthen soot and smog pollution standards	little / no progress
Cut carbon and hazardous air pollution from power plants	little / no progress