Presidential Documents

24397 

Federal Register 

Vol. 87, No. 80 

Tuesday, April 26, 2022 

Title 3— 

The President 

Proclamation 10372 of April 21, 2022 

Earth Day, 2022 

By the President of the United States of America 

A Proclamation 

Fifty-two years ago, millions of people gathered across our country in a 

rally to protect our planet. This collective action gave birth to a new movement and spurred the creation of landmark environmental laws that protect 

the air we breathe and the water we drink. Today, we must recapture 

that spirit and, as I said in my Inaugural Address, heed a cry for survival 

that comes from the planet itself. 

In their most recent report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 

provided yet another round of evidence that climate change is no longer 

in the distant future—it is here. Last year, extreme weather and climate 

disasters cost our communities $145 billion and claimed hundreds of lives. 

In the summer of 2021 alone, nearly 1 out of every 3 Americans experienced 

a weather disaster. The climate crisis is upending lives across the country 

and around the world. Environmental injustices continue to exact a toll 

on the health of communities of color, low-income communities, and Tribal 

and Indigenous communities. A number of wildlife species in the United 

States and around the world are facing an extinction crisis unparalleled 

in human history. The environmental challenges of our time call for historic 

action, and we intend to meet the moment. 

That is why my Administration has launched the most ambitious environmental and climate agenda in history. We have made the bold commitment 

to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the United States by 50 to 52 percent 

by 2030, reach 100 percent carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035, and 

achieve net zero emissions economy-wide by no later than 2050. To work 

toward these goals, we have taken action across every sector of the economy, 

including setting the strongest-ever standards for greenhouse gas emissions 

from passenger vehicles, tackling super-pollutants like methane and 

hydrofluorocarbons, investing billions in the deployment of clean technologies, and launching the American offshore wind industry. 

In addition, I was proud to start the ‘‘America the Beautiful’’ initiative, 

our first-ever voluntary national conservation goal to conserve 30 percent 

of America’s lands and waters by 2030. 

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to 

build on these actions and accelerate our Nation’s ability to confront the 

environmental and climate challenges we face. It will allow us to remediate 

and reclaim abandoned mine lands and oil wells leaking methane while 

putting Americans to work in good paying jobs; invest in coastal wetlands 

and habitats that can protect infrastructure and homes during storms; replace 

lead pipes that plague underserved communities and remove dangerous 

chemicals from our drinking water; restore watersheds and rivers; create 

fish passage to protect iconic species, such as salmon; restore forests as 

carbon sinks; build resilience to climate impacts including droughts, heat, 

floods, and wildfires; and build a national network of electric vehicle charging stations to accelerate our transition to electric mobility. 

As my Administration implements this agenda, we are following through 

on our commitment to ensuring that our investments advance equity and 


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24398 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 80 / Tuesday, April 26, 2022 / Presidential Documents 

justice and reach communities across the country—including rural communities, communities of color, and low-income communities. We will be 

guided by the steadfast conviction of Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson, 

my friend and former colleague, that ‘‘every person has the inalienable 

right to a decent environment,’’ including those who have long been shut 

out of decisions that directly affect their lives and who are most likely 

to bear the brunt of pollution and climate change. 

The responsibility to confront the climate crisis is not solely on the United 

States. It requires leaders across the world committing to a clean energy 

future. On my first day in office, I fulfilled my promise to rejoin our 

Nation to the Paris Agreement to tackle the climate crisis at home and 

abroad. 

For the future of our planet, for our health, and for our children and 

grandchildren, we must act now. Let us stand united in this effort to save 

our planet and, in the process, strengthen our economy and grow more 

connected to each other and the world we share. 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States 

of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution 

and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 22, 2022, 

as Earth Day. I encourage all Americans to participate in programs and 

activities that will deepen their understanding of environmental protection, 

the urgency of climate change, and the need to create a healthier, safer, 

more equitable future for all people. 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-first 

day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-two, and of 

the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and 

forty-sixth. 

[FR Doc. 2022–09012 

Filed 4–25–22; 8:45 am] 

Billing code 3395–F2–P 


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