Biden’s climate task force has first meeting 

The White House’s new National Climate Task Force held its first meeting Thursday, seeking a return to “credibility” on climate change.

The task force was created by an executive order from President Biden last month, which stated that its purpose is to facilitate a government-wide approach to fighting climate change. 

The group, which is made up of Cabinet members, gathered virtually and discussed matters including “early actions, near-term priorities and key milestones,” according to a White House readout. 

The White House said that participants were also encouraged to talk about the way their agency is prioritizing climate in its decisions and how it plans to “collaborate with additional agency partners.”

At agencies where the Biden nominees haven’t been confirmed, chiefs of staff, acting secretaries or deputy and assistant secretaries participated. 

A White House spokesperson declined to provide details on the actions, priorities and milestones, but directed The Hill to a New York Times article with more information on the meeting. 

Gina McCarthy, a climate adviser to Biden and chair of the task force, told The Times that the meeting was focused on creating jobs and making sure the agency leaders understood their part in helping the country reduce emissions. 

“Over the past four years we have not earned a lot of credibility on climate,” the adviser said. “It’s time we turn that around.”

The Times also reported that the task force launched a working group to focus on issues like low-cost energy storage and sustainable fuels for planes and ships and announced $280 million in grant opportunities for new technology. 

Biden has pledged to make combating climate change a priority and set the country on the path to carbon neutrality by 2050.