The American presidency is characterized by power, principle and influence. On Monday, President-elect Donald Trump will be inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States, concluding the Biden Administration’s time in office. When President Joe Biden was elected in 2020, millions of Americans hoped the country could recover from a horrific pandemic, geopolitical crises and climate change. The latter of the three was an issue which became more apparent every year since his election.
According to a Gallup Poll conducted in December 2024, Biden’s approval rating rested at 39%, a number polled only for Trump during his first term and former-President Jimmy Carter. Despite his unpopularity while in office, Biden’s actions to address the global climate crisis will likely outlive his 50-year career in politics.
In the beginning of his term, Biden invested in public works projects, which included the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. A part of this act included tax incentives for businesses to expand their investments in clean energy manufacturing. According to the White House, the private sector has announced over $110 billion dollars in such investments.
Per the IRS, tax incentives and credits generated under the Biden Administration came into effect when the Energy Production Tax Credit phased out at the end of 2024. This program offered annual credits to companies who built clean technologies which prevent gas emissions from entering the air. Compared to other administrations of the 20th Century, it was President Biden who made a valid attempt to tackle American capitalism and to decrease emissions and control global warming. The Electric Power Decarbonization Tax Credits offer a viable economic solution to shift, in some part, the otherwise dire American approach to climate change.
Still, Biden was no Roosevelt. This is not New Deal America. His popularity and concerns over age are largely what led to his ousting from a re-election campaign during the 2024 Presidential Election. In an ABC news poll, 57% of Americans said, if re-elected, Biden’s age would “‘severely limit’” his ability. This caused him a great deal of challenges, especially in passing climate policies with bipartisan support.
Additionally, the U.S. Energy Administration reports the U.S. produced more crude oil than any other time in its history under the Biden Administration in 2023. Although the country made influential strides in revising public climate policy, production in other ventures did not slow down either; it only increased. Further, NASA reports 2024 was the hottest year of recorded history. Both issues demonstrate how climate change will not slow its progress unless committed efforts are made over a significant period. This is why the climate “hoax” statements of the incoming Trump Administration are especially concerning. Yet, Biden will leave Americans on January 20 with some hope for their future.
In early January 2025, Biden designated two national monuments in California that will preserve 848,000 acres of land from all energy developments, including mining and drilling, according to the New York Times. Further, President Biden invoked an executive order that relied on provisions from the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to ban oil and gas drilling across 625 million acres of U.S. coastal waters. These actions represent a move to establish a legacy that will prove challenging to undo in the next administration.
If the Biden Administration will be remembered for nothing else, let it be remembered for its attempts to stabilize a world reckoning with its self-destructive tactics. One person cannot reverse the devastating consequences of a century of industrialization. That can never be accomplished in isolated actions or a single term. It will take protest, engagement and attentiveness in the coming 4 years.
In his farewell address Wednesday evening, Biden cautioned the public about an emerging American “oligarchy” which threatens democracy. He also said that there is always a “short distance between peril and possibility.” In a world quite literally on fire, public policy must be shaped by a sense of possibility, not by peril.
Aiden is a freshman studying journalism. Please note that the views expressed in this column do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk to Aiden? Reach him on Instagram at @aiden_with_an_i_ or email him at ar260223@ohio.edu.
