The Defense Department’s Role in the New Sustainability Executive Order

Dec 27, 2021 | Erin Sikorsky
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On Dec. 8, President Biden announced a new executive order, Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability, which directs the federal government to achieve a carbon pollution-free electricity sector by 2035 and net-zero emissions economy-wide by no later than 2050.

Achieving a carbon pollution-free electricity sector and net-zero emissions will require strong participation from the Defense Department. In 2020, the Pentagon accounted for 56 percent of total U.S. government emissions in 2020 and consumed 52 percent of the domestic electricity usage by the U.S. government. Reducing these emissions will be a challenge but also an operational opportunity for the department. Building ships, airplanes and tanks that leverage new renewable energy technologies can increase the military’s self-sufficiency and help it maintain freedom of maneuver in a warming world.

Obama signed a similar executive order in 2015 aimed at curbing federal emissions by 40 percent over 10 years. After coming into office, President Trump repealed the order. It is possible a president elected in 2024 could do the same to Biden’s climate-related executive orders.