Climate change is an "imminent and clear danger" as well as an "existential threat to our nation and to the world," US President Joe Biden said.
"The health of our fellow citizens is at stake," as well as our national security and our economy, Biden added during a visit to the northeastern state of Massachusetts.
He was speaking at the site of a former thermal power plant, a major polluter, which will be converted into wind energy.
Because Congress is not doing what it needs to do, Biden said he will use his executive powers. Congress just rejected his environmental reform agenda.
As he spoke, large parts of Europe were gripped by extreme heat, and in the US, which was not spared, about 100 million people live in areas under severe or excessive heat warnings.
"Our children and our grandchildren depend on us. This is no joke. If we don't limit (warming) to less than 1,5 degrees, we will lose everything. There will be no going back," Biden said.
His adviser told CNN that the president will act at his own pace and that he has a certain number of powers that he can use, including declaring a climate emergency.
Among the decrees is the allocation of additional funds to protect areas facing extreme heat and for measures to encourage wind energy production in the US.
The White House said it is determined to keep its climate pledges, including cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
Biden, who brought the US back into the Paris climate agreement that his predecessor Donald Trump abandoned, announced in April 2021 that the US would reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 50 to 52 percent by 2030 compared to 2005.
However, the president faces limits on his authority on environmental issues, as well as on other issues such as abortion and gun regulation. He does not have a clear majority in Congress and the judiciary is against him.
Bonus video:
