Biden's New Climate Plan Would Spend $2 Trillion in Four Years

Biden is amping up his campaign promises to leverage the federal government in the fight to reduce greenhouse emissions in the U.S. economy.

1 minute read

July 19, 2020, 11:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Electric vehicle

Tada Images /

"On Tuesday, Biden unveiled a new climate plan that expands on his initial proposal by spending $2 trillion over four years instead of $1.7 over a decade," reports Zoya Teirstein. 

"It calls for getting rid of all emissions from the electricity sector by 2035, creating a million new jobs building electric vehicles and charging stations, retrofitting existing buildings and constructing new ones to make the housing sector energy efficient, and ensuring that 40 percent of the benefits of this spending on green initiatives goes to disadvantaged communities," explains Teirstein.

Among some smaller pieces of the climate plan are several programs intersecting with the interest of planners, including promises to invest in plans and infrastructure that prioritizes bikes, pedestrians, and micromobility.

Additional news coverage of Biden's new climate plan is available at Smart Cities Dive, NPR, New York Magazine, and the Associated Press. An opinion piece saying the plan would be a disaster for workers and the economy needs the kinds of deregulation pursued by the Trump Administration, is available on Fox Business.


Thursday, July 16, 2020 in Grist

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 21, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Interior of Place Versailles mall in Montreal, Canada.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units

Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

May 22, 2025 - CBC

Flat modern glass office tower with "County of Santa Clara" sign.

Santa Clara County Dedicates Over $28M to Affordable Housing

The county is funding over 600 new affordable housing units via revenue from a 2016 bond measure.

May 23 - San Francisco Chronicle

Aerial view of dense urban center with lines indicating smart city concept.

Why a Failed ‘Smart City’ Is Still Relevant

A Google-backed proposal to turn an underused section of Toronto waterfront into a tech hub holds relevant lessons about privacy and data.

May 23 - Governing

Pale yellow Sears kit house with red tile roof in Sylva, North Carolina.

When Sears Pioneered Modular Housing

Kit homes sold in catalogs like Sears and Montgomery Ward made homeownership affordable for midcentury Americans.

May 23 - The Daily Yonder