Since taking office, President Biden has made addressing climate change one of his highest priorities. On April 22-23, the U.S. will host 40 world leaders to discuss setting more ambitious carbon-reduction targets at the Leaders Summit on Climate.

Many climate advocates, businesses and policy experts are eager to see the administration roll out its emissions goal in preparation for the next United Nations Climate Change Conference later this year in Scotland. But they aren’t standing still on the issue. In addition to increased climate-consciousness from investors and ambitious carbon commitments from states and utilities, a coalition of 310 businesses, including Apple, Google and Microsoft, urged the administration to commit to reducing emissions by at least 50 percent by 2030 in order to “inspire other industrialized nations to set bold targets of their own.”

We asked three of our experts—who specialize in energy policy, advanced nuclear technology and international trade—what would be the most encouraging developments from this international meeting.

Here’s what they hope to see from the summit:

1. We Need All Carbon-Free Technologies to Be Included

“I’m excited to see what comes out of the summit as more leaders press for serious action on climate. Serious action on climate, though, means valuing nuclear alongside wind and solar. Any meaningful plans to drastically reduce carbon emissions must include nuclear energy—which provides reliable, carbon-free electricity 24/7—as part of the technologies to achieve that vision.”

—Matt Crozat, NEI’s senior director of strategy and policy development

2. We Need Innovation to Be Prioritized 

“I’m hoping to see a broader recognition from the administration that the U.S. has the unique opportunity to take the lead in nuclear deployment worldwide to combat climate change. A key element of that is completing all of the advanced nuclear demonstration projects underway between now and 2030. In addition, private sector investment and leadership with focused and sustained government support are essential to take advantage of that opportunity.”

—Everett Redmond, NEI’s senior technical advisor for new reactors and advanced technology

3. We Need the U.S. to Lead in Carbon-Free Energy

“There are significant U.S. interests at stake in providing leadership to help other countries decarbonize power. It's not just climate security in the balance; it's U.S. national security too. A substantial portion of the zero-carbon energy required to stabilize the climate must come from nuclear reactors, according to studies by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and other researchers. If we aren't providing nuclear energy, other countries that don't share our values or standards will.”

—Ted Jones, NEI’s senior director of national security and international programs