Data for Progress: Here’s how Biden can Leverage U.S. Purchasing Power to Take on Climate Change

The climate crisis threatens our nation’s health, economy, and security. Its effects are not far off into the future or purely theoretical. The crisis is here, happening in front of our eyes and hurting low-income communities and communities of color the most. It is happening because of choices too often dictated by the fossil fuel industry and their allies. But just as our society’s choices have led to the crisis, our choices moving forward can provide solutions.

The incoming Biden administration understands that we need to mobilize the federal government and the international community to tackle the climate crisis. They have committed to an all-of-government approach to take bold, decisive action to build a new clean energy economy. One of the most critical solutions to tackling this crisis will be leveraging the federal government’s enormous purchasing power. Every year, the federal government spends hundreds of billions of dollars on goods and services, and President-elect Biden has committed to using this procurement authority to reduce emissions and drive towards a more sustainable federal government. While Congress must work quickly to invest in more clean energy research and deployment and enact strong emissions standards, government purchasing is a powerful tool that President-elect Biden can use under existing authority.

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