US President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed an executive order directing the federal government to get to net-zero emissions by 2050.

The order aims at leveraging buying power to slash its carbon emissions by 65% by 2030 and utilise the federal purse to purchase clean energy, electric vehicles and make buildings more energy efficient.

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“As the single largest land owner, energy consumer and employer in the nation, the federal government can catalyze private-sector investment and expand the economy and American industry by transforming how we build, buy and manage electricity, vehicles, buildings and other operations to be clean and sustainable,” the order said.

According to a White House fact sheet, the federal government maintains 300,000 buildings, 600,000 cars and trucks in its vehicle fleet. The order directs the federal government to purchase only zero-emissions light-duty vehicles by 2027 and ensure all government vehicles must be zero-emissions by 2035.

“True leaders turn adversity into opportunity, and that is exactly what President Biden is doing with this executive order today. Putting the weight of the federal government behind reducing emissions is the right thing to do,” Senator Tom Carper, the Democratic chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, said in a statement. 

As per the order, the federal government must reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of federal buildings by 50% by 2032, and getting buildings to net-zero by 2045.

“States should follow the federal government’s lead and implement their own emissions reduction plans,” Carper added.

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The White House said the order should make federal agencies more resilient to the effects of climate change and increase the sustainability of supply chains, lessening future disruptions of and damage to federal operations, assets and programs.

Environmental groups generally hailed the order as a positive step, although some questioned the 30-year time frame to achieve net-zero emissions.

(With AP inputs)