PBS高端访谈:拜登:应对气候变化,我们是认真的（在线收听）

JUDY WOODRUFF: A sea change on climate change. As one of his first actions, President Biden is doing a 180-degree turn from his predecessors policy and vowing to confront the issue head on. White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor begins our coverage.

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: A climate crisis and a call for dramatic action. Today, President Biden underscored his sweeping break from former President Trump, signing a new batch of executive orders.

JOE BIDEN, President of the United States: Our plans are ambitious, but we are America. We're bold. We're unwavering in the pursuit of jobs and innovation, science and discovery. We can do this.

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: President Biden had already moved to rejoin the Paris climate agreement, the same accord that President Trump withdrew from. The new executive actions include pausing and reviewing new oil and gas leases on federal public lands and water, addressing environmental injustices faced by disadvantaged communities, and building jobs focused on clean energy. During the presidential campaign, candidate Biden advocated a $2 trillion effort to reduce global warming. Today, his presidential envoy for climate, former Secretary of State John Kerry, doubled down on that goal.

JOHN KERRY, U.S. Special Envoy For Climate Change: It's a lot of money, but you know what? It costs a lot more if you don't do the things we need to do. Workers are going to see that, with the efforts of the Biden administration, they're going to have a much better set of choices and, frankly, it will create more jobs.

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Most Republicans have pushed back on climate change efforts, saying they cost too much. They argue that clean energy means slashing jobs. The Biden administration, though, insists that these new policies will create new well-paid employment opportunities, jobs designed to focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and developing new technology. Today, as part of that push, the president's nominee for energy secretary, former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, advocated his energy plans at her Senate confirmation hearing.

JENNIFER GRANHOLM, U.S. Energy Secretary Nominee: We don't want to see any jobs sacrificed. The president's plan of building back better, which would create more jobs in energy, clean energy.

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Meanwhile, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee heard from Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the nominee for ambassador to the United Nations. She warned that the U.S. must reengage with the world to challenge China's growing power.

LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nominee: We know China is working across the U.N. system to drive an authoritarian agenda that stands in opposition to the founding values of the institution, American values. Their success depends on our continued withdrawal. That will not happen on my watch.

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: The Veterans Affairs Committee heard from Denis McDonough, nominee for Veterans Affairs secretary.

DENIS MCDONOUGH, U.S. Veterans Affairs Secretary Nominee: If confirmed, I will work tirelessly to build and restore VA's trust as a premiere agency for ensuring the well-being of American veterans.

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: And the Senate Commerce Committee advanced former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg's nomination for transportation secretary. And on the pandemic, today, the president's COVID response team held its first public briefing.

WOMAN: Thank you all for joining us today.

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: It came amid growing calls to distribute vaccines faster. Andy Slavitt is the White House senior adviser for COVID response.

ANDY SLAVITT, Senior White House Adviser For COVID Response: We are taking action to increase supply and increase capacity. But, even so, it will be months before everyone who wants a vaccine will be able to get one.

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Yesterday, the president announced that the U.S. will order an additional 200 million vaccine doses. He said that will mean there will be enough doses for 300 million Americans by summer. Today, Slavitt said that, ultimately, the nation will need 500 million shots to vaccinate everyone 16 and older. For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Yamiche Alcindor.

朱迪·伍德乐夫：气候变化问题突出，是拜登首要解决的问题之一。和前任总统特朗普相比，拜登在该问题的态度上发生了180度大转弯，发誓要直面这一问题。白宫记者亚米什·阿尔金德为我们报道。

亚米什·阿尔金德：气候危机呼吁我们采取重大措施，今天，拜登总统强调了自己较特朗普总统所做的重大突破，签署了一批新的行政命令。

乔·拜登，美国总统：我们的计划目标远大，因为我们是美国人，我们胆子大。我们不会停止追求就业和创新、科学和发现，我们可以做到。

亚米什·阿尔金德：拜登总统已经采取行动重新加入特朗普总统退出的巴黎气候协议。新的行政措施包括：暂停并审查联邦公共土地和水域上新签订的石油和天然气租约，解决弱势社区面临的环境不公问题，以及为清洁能源领域创造就业机会。候选人拜登在总统竞选期间提出了一项2万亿美元的计划来减少全球变暖，今天他的总统气候特使、前国务卿约翰·克里正在这一目标上发力。

约翰·克里，美国气候变化特使：这是一大笔钱，但是你知道吗？如果我们不去做我们该做的事情，那么将来会付出更加沉重的代价。在拜登政府的努力下，工人们会看到更好的选择，就是说，他们会获得更多的就业机会。

亚米什·阿尔金德：大多共和党人反对在气候变化问题上做出努力，称其成本太高，他们认为清洁能源便意味着裁员。不过，拜登政府坚持认为这些旨在专注于减少温室气体排放和开发新技术的新政策将创造新的高薪就业机会。今天，作为发力的一部分，总统提名的能源部长、前密歇根州州长詹妮弗·格兰霍姆在她的参议院听证会上提出了自己的能源计划。

詹妮弗·格兰霍姆，美国能源部长提名人：我们不希望看到任何工作岗位牺牲，总统的重建计划将在能源和清洁能源领域创造更多的就业机会。

亚米什·阿尔金德：与此同时，参议院外交关系委员会听取了被提名的美国驻联合国大使琳达·托马斯-格林菲尔德的发言。她警告说美国必须重新和世界连接，以此来挑战实力日益增强的中国。

琳达·托马斯-格林菲尔德，美国驻联合国大使提名人：我们知道中国正在联合国系统内推动一种专制议程，以此来对抗该联合国成立时原有的价值观——美国价值观。他们的成功取决于我们的不断退出，我是不会允许这种事情在我眼皮子底下发生的。

亚米什·阿尔金德：退伍军人事务委员会听取了退伍军人事务部长提名人丹尼斯·麦克多诺的发言。

丹尼斯·麦克多诺，美国退伍军人事务部长提名人：如果提名通过，我将为建立和恢复确保美国退伍军人福祉的首要机构——退伍军人管理局的信任而不懈努力。

亚米什·阿尔金德：参议院商务委员会提名前印第安纳州南本德市市长皮特·布蒂吉格担任交通部长。今天，总统的新冠应对小组就新冠问题举行了首次公开简报会。

女子：感谢大家今天的到来。

亚米什·阿尔金德：与此同时，人们对分发疫苗的呼声越来越高。安迪·斯拉维特是白宫应对新冠肺炎的高级顾问。

安迪·斯拉维特，应对新冠的白宫高级顾问：我们正采取行动增加供应和产能。但即便如此，要想将疫苗分发到每个人的手中还需要几个月的时间。

亚米什·阿尔金德：昨天，总统宣布美国将额外订购2亿剂疫苗。他说，这样的话到了夏天美国就能够有足够的疫苗供3亿美国人使用。今天，斯拉维特表示美国将需要5亿剂疫苗来为所有16岁及以上的人接种疫苗。这里是“PBS新闻一小时”，我是亚米什·阿尔金德。