Biden to unveil new efforts to fight climate change, wildfires on 52nd Earth Day

April 22 (UPI) -- President Joe Biden on Friday will announce a spate of measures intended to increase environmental protections and help fight climate change on the 52nd edition of Earth Day.

The White House said that Biden will unveil plans to, among other things, expand his administration's efforts to reduce greenhouse gases and better protect the nation's forests from destructive wildfires.

Biden will travel to Seattle on Friday to make the announcement and detail the efforts. He was in Oregon on Thursday for a Democratic fundraiser.

The president is scheduled to speak about the environmental measures at 1:30 p.m. EDT.

The White House said that Biden will deliver remarks and sign an executive order to safeguard mature and old-growth forests on federal lands, combat global deforestation and strengthen reforestation partnerships across the United States.

The executive order will highlight nature-based solutions to reduce emissions and build resiliency in the ongoing efforts against climate change.

As part of the new efforts, officials say that Biden intends to leverage historic investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, strengthen forests and grow jobs through partnerships with states, tribal leaders and other key groups.

Biden's goals for the executive order include reducing wildfires over 10 years through a partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, the White House noted. The plan is to utilize science-based fuels and forest health treatments to treat millions of acres across federal and non-federal lands.

President Joe Biden, pictured here speaking to reporters on Thursday at the White House, will detail portions of his new environmental proposal in Seattle on Friday, which is the 52nd Earth Day. Photo by Yuri Gripas/UPI

The Department of the Interior also outlined a five-year plan for monitoring, maintenance and treatment efforts that focus on fire-prone regions across tribal lands.

Biden is scheduled to wrap his West Coast trip on Friday by calling on Congress to lower health and energy costs for families and protecting communities from intensifying climate impacts. He will deliver remarks on those priorities from Auburn, Wash., at 3:30 p.m.

The White House said that the president's actions stem from the growth in extreme weather and wildfire events. A number of wildfires have already ravaged western communities so far this year in California, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and the Pacific Northwest.

After he's finished in Washington state on Friday, Biden will travel to Delaware for the weekend before returning to the White House.

Friday is the 52nd edition of Earth Day in the United States. It was established in 1970 due to the efforts of a U.S. senator in response to an oil spill in California in 1969.