WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The United States on Friday officially rejoined the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, said U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
"The United States officially becomes a Party again today," Blinken said in a statement, calling the Paris Agreement "an unprecedented framework for global action."
"Climate change and science diplomacy can never again be 'add-ons' in our foreign policy discussions," he said. "Addressing the real threats from climate change and listening to our scientists is at the center of our domestic and foreign policy priorities."
Blinken said the United States will re-engage with the world on climate change issues.
Citing concerns about the pact's threat to the U.S. economy, former President Donald Trump announced U.S. withdrawal soon after he took office in 2017.
Biden reversed his predecessor' policy on his first day in office by signing an executive order returning the United States to the agreement. He also announced a plan to hold a summit on climate issues on Earth Day, April 22.
Biden picked former Secretary of State John Kerry to be his special envoy for climate, indicating the importance of this issue in his foreign policy.
The Paris Agreement on climate change, agreed on by almost every country in the world in 2015 after lengthy negotiations, aims to tackle climate change by cutting greenhouse gas emissions and sets a global target of keeping the rise in the average temperature no higher than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.