Biden unveils $5 trillion plan for climate change 'revolution'

June 4 (UPI) -- Democratic 2020 hopeful Joe Biden on Tuesday unveiled the details of his ambitious plan as president to fight climate change -- which calls for net-zero emissions, a fully clean energy economy within 30 years and investments worth trillions.

The plan, termed a "Clean energy Revolution," calls for a federal investment of $1.7 trillion for the first 10 years -- and private, state and local investments to total $5 trillion. Biden said part of the federal funds for the plan will come from repealing Republican-led tax cuts made under President Donald Trump.

Biden's plan lays out five key goals -- reaching net-zero emissions and 100 percent clean energy economy by 2050, building a "stronger, more resilient" nation, rallying the climate change fight worldwide, fight polluters who "disproportionately harm" low-income Americans and minorities and helping American workers with the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy.

Biden said the Green New Deal, an aggressive climate change plan introduced this year by House Democrats, serves as a "crucial framework" of his plan.

"It powerfully captures two basic truths, which are at the core of his plan -- the United States urgently needs to embrace greater ambition on an epic scale to meet the scope of this challenge, and our environment and our economy are completely and totally connected," the plan states.

Parts of Biden's plan are "smart infrastructure investments" to impact climate change and rejoining the 2015 Paris agreement, from which Trump withdrew after taking office in 2017. The former vice president also said he would not accept campaign contributions from oil, gas and coal companies or industry executives.

"Today, President Trump denies the evidence in front of his own eyes; hides climate science produced by his own administration and actively rolls back the progress we've already made," Biden said in a video posted Tuesday. "It's reckless. It's irresponsible and it is unacceptable."

Biden's plan came just days after environmental organization Greenpeace gave him a D-minus grade for his stance on climate, up to that point -- ranking him 18th of the 20 candidates the organization evaluated. It ranked Washington Gov. Jay Inslee No. 1, noting that he's building his entire campaign on climate issues. Democratic hopeful Beto O'Rourke announced a $5 trillion climate package in April.