With the counting of ballots continuing across the United States, former vice president Joe Biden looks to be inching towards the presidency, in a hard-fought contest. A Biden win will cause a major shakeup in global climate action, ousting a president who withdrew the United States from the Paris agreement, and delivering an ambitious pivot of the world’s largest economy towards green industries.

As part of his pitch to American voters, Biden’s presented a plan on energy and climate change that included commitments to transitioning to a zero emissions electricity system by 2035 and net-zero emissions by 2050.

To achieve this, Biden committed to a $US2 trillion ($A2.8 trillion) plan for establishing a new green economy, including support for the automotive industry to grow production of electric vehicles, boost zero-emissions public transport, and heavy investment in the research and development of new clean energy technologies.

Read the full article on the Renew Economy website, featuring commentary by Prof Frank Jotzo