>> this is "dw news" live from berlin. the new u.s. president says america is taking the lead in the fight against climate change. president biden has signed executive orders aimed at reducing rising global temperatures. he will host a summit in april, saying the u.s. cannot meet the challenge on its own. coming up, show me the vaccines, the european union increasing pressure on astrazeneca. the eu is demanding that

vaccines made in british factories must be shared with europe. on this international holocaust remembrance day, the world is called on to remember and never forget the 6 million jews and millions of others who perished under the nazis. ♪ ♪ >> i'm brent goff. to our viewers on pbs in the united states and to all of our viewers around the world, welcome. it's an about-face in the u.s.'s position on climate change. u.s. president joe biden said america must lead the global response to the climate crisis. biden made the remarks at the white house before signing a raft of executive orders aimed at curbing rising temperatures worldwide. the orders established climate change as a major national security and foreign policy

issue for the u.s. biden said the climate crisis requires a "unified national response," likening the threat to the coronavirus pandemic. pres. biden: just like we need a unified response to covid-19, we desperately need a unified response to the climate crisis because there is a climate crisis. we must lead the global response because neither challenge can be met, as secretary kerry has pointed out many times, by the united states alone. we know what to do. we've just got to do it. brent: let's pull in our bureau chief. what a big change, president saying that the u.s. must lead the world's response in fighting climate change. that is something very different from what we use to hear from the white house. -- used to hear from the white house. edith: it is indeed a.

these are major steps that the administration is excepting climate change and telling the public that it is real. donald trump just denied climate change. president biden used the opportunity to talk about the importance of multilateral agreements, and he made it clear that the u.s. is willing to take the responsibility to lead in the global fight against the climate crisis. brent: what is inside president biden's climate plan? edith: it's a very, very important topic for him. the first day in office, he made a pledge to join the paris climate agreement and canceled the construction of the keystone pipeline. for our international audience, this is something the u.s. has been fighting over for many years.

the white house has made ambitious plans towards investing in clean energy projects, and just today, biden has signed an executive order to halt new oil and gas leases on federal lands. that's a huge and controversial topic here in the united states. brent: controversy, for sure. how does the rest of the country feel about bidens plan? edith: we have to keep in mind that there are still many communities in this country that depend on the oil gas and coal economy. many americans are worried about his ambitious plans. they are worried that they are losing their jobs. joe biden address to those fears and promised to bring back green jobs. this summer, the whole world

watched california burn to the ground because of wildfires caused by climate change. we reported intensively about that, and i was actually there myself. these images were almost apocalyptic. they did change the minds of many americans, even those who did not believe in climate change before these wildfires. brent: we remember those images. in his speech at the white house, president biden to reassure americans in a coal mining communities that they will not be forgotten. the president says he will make sure they have opportunities in his new green planet, but many people fear they will be left behind, like in gillette, wyoming, a city with the population of about 30,000. until recently, something of a coal boom town but not anymore. the industry is dying, and the

winds of change are blowing through in the form of clean energy, but not everyone is on board. >> gillette has hit a rough patch. coal mining here provided a whopping percent of 40% of the electricity needs that figure has dropped to 20%. many tools of former prosperity, mere memorabilia, and things are not likely to get any better for the state's fossil fuel industries around the country. >> biden has said he intended to move the u.s. away from fossil fuels. we take him at his word. we will do what we can to fight it. >> the oil and gas industry in wyoming lost one third of its jobs, from 13,000 down to 9000 in just one year. the coal industry lost when he 500 jobs in the last few years. only about 4500 people work in nicole, -- in coal. >> i think we are net losers.

>> however, the changing face of wyoming is looking increasingly like this. wind turbines as far as the eye can see. a wind park built on top of an old coal mine. 150 eight wind turbines generating clean energy no. warren buffett's holding company berkshire hathaway owns pacificorp. it plans to invest a total of $6 billion in wind and solar in wyoming. there's a problem. clean energy does not generate enough jobs to offset the combined losses suffered by the declining fossil fuel industry. in gillette, the city is betting on technology and research that will allow coal to become better. carbon capture and hopefully a good working relationship with the biden administration. for the mayor, this will make them -- >> winners. we are looking forward. we have already been working

with the department of energy, and if you take biden at his word, he wants us all to work together. i take comfort in that because that is what we want to do. >> it seems like it is not all gloom and doom for wyoming, embracing change will be key. brent: the european union has told astrazeneca that it must deliver more doses of its covid-19 vaccine. brussels has publicly expressed its frustration after the company announced delays to delivery, blamed on lower-than-expected production at its eu factories. the company responded to the eu's demand by describing delivery dates in its contract with brussels as target dates rather than legally binding deadlines. the eu says the shortfall should be made up by doses produced in the u.k., which the company says should go to britain because britain placed its orders first. here is the eu's health

commissioner. >> let me be crystal clear. they 27 european union member states are united. the logic of these agreements was as vital then as it is now. we provide risk investments upfront in order to get a binding commitment from the company to pre-produce, even before it gets authorization. not being able to ensure manufacturing capacity is against the letter and spirit of our agreement. we reject the logic of first-come, first serve. that may work at the neighborhood butchers, but not in contracts. brent: for more, i want to bring in a finnish politician and member of the european parliament. do you believe what astrazeneca is telling the european union?

>> it's hard to believe anybody these days because now we have different interpretations of a deal between the factories and european union, and we haven't seen the papers. the commissioner says we should be crystal clear. if you look at what astrazeneca's chief officer had said, he said it was an option for the british factories. that option was not taken on a. then you had something that is even more strange. you have the agreement to the

best of ability. that's a word at mother used about 60 years ago. i probably said to the best of my ability. brent: if that's in the contract, it's got to be legally binding. you can't come back later and say you don't like what is in the contract. isn't that what the european union is doing now? >> how do you judge that ability? it's very murky. you can have 15 lawyers on it, and it will cost you a million before you get results. my conclusion is that when we made this agreement, they didn't think about necessities, and that is what makes me angry. brent: do you blame the lawyers

for the european union? >> no. i wodn't like to be a member of the blame game, but if the lawyers had taken into account you had 500 million europeans eager to know what is going to happen, you must also understand you have to go public with what you have done. brent: astrazeneca says it is delivering vaccines to the u.k. because the u.k. ordered vaccines first. that is a reasonable explanation, or is it not? >> i think it's reasonable. i don't know if they were open in negotiations with the eu about this clause, or did anybody understand at that time

in august that we were going to be in the third wave? part of the problems we have isr discussing something in hindsight, and that is always problematic. brent: we appreciate your time and your insights tonight. thank you. >> thank you. brent: germany is considering additional radical steps to slow the spread of covid-19, including drastically reducing international air traffic to the country. the government is worried that current restrictions might not be enough if new more infectious coronavirus variants continue to arrive. >> for now, german airports like frankfurt remain open to travel, but that could soon be a thing of the past according to the german government. the plan put forward by the countries interior minister means air travel to germany could be reduced to near zero if

the new more contagious variants of the coronavirus spiral out of control. the first mdatory tests for people arriving could be introduced. >> we don't think about reducing our air travel to zero. we talk about more tts when you arrive in germany. he can come from countries like egypt, dubai without having a test. >> the fear of new variants israel in germany. at hospitals have stopped new admissions, and several staff are in quarantine because they tested positive. scientists are working feverishly on establishing how widespread the mutations are. the german government wants a europe-wide solution to stop the spread. >> we are still urging people to refrain from traveling to high risk countries, particularly

those where variants have been found. we are also discussing the suggestions to tighten suggestions for travel into the eu and trans-european travel. >> german politicians face a dilemma. the current restrictions on public life seem to be working. the number of daily new infections has been falling overall, but in light of the threat posed by new variants, it is likely they will have to be extended. brent: let's have a look at some other stories making headlines around the world. large crowds of protesters are marching in warsaw in opposition to an almost total ban on abortions. it goes into effect today. the ruling by the country's top court says abortions are only legal in poland in the cases of rape, incest, or when the mother's health is in danger. it third night of clashes has

erupted in the lebanese city of tripoli. crowds are protesting about lebanon's economic crisis, which has made worse by a coronavirus lockdown. the red cross says dozens were injured last night when protesters threw molotov cocktails at security forces. at least 53 have been killed in a collision between a passenger bus and fuel truck in western cameron. authorities sayore than 20 others were injured in the crash. officials say the truck was illegally transporting fuel and was speeding. police in the russian capital moscow have rated several homes and offices linked to jailed opposition leader alexey navalny. authorities targeted the headquarters of his anticorruption foundation, as well as his own apartment where they arrested his brother. police say the searches are linked to alleged violations of covid-19 rules during mass protests last weekend.

on sunday, tens of thousands rallied in cities across russia to demand navalny's release from prison. police also rated a rented flatware navalny's wife has been living. dw spoke to her lawyer about the searches. >> we can see that there are mass searches of the homes of the employees of the anticorruption fund today. they are clearly being treated in a biased way by authorities. their rights to legal protection are being violated. as their lawyer, i would say that at the moment, her rights are being violated. so are the rights of others who are not being allowed to see their lawyers. unfortunately, this is a common practice.

brent: russian president vladimir putin has welcomed the extension of a key nuclear agreement with washington, saying it will help to reduce global tensions. the russian parliament unanimously ratified the five-year extension. putin submitted the bill to parliament after his first phone call with the new u.s. president joe biden tuesday. the new start treaty is the last remaining arms reduction pact between the u.s. and russia. it was due to expireext week. >> please raise your right hand. >> with presidents biden and putin vocating for an extension of the treaty, the move was widely expected but nonetheless welcome in the current tense climate. >> both the unid states and russian federation have tended to put weapons of mass destruction into a separate basket, no matter how bad the bilateral relationship is. >> rose negotiated new start for the u.s. nearly a decade ago and said at the moment, washington

may have needed the deal more than moscow. >> we are entering into the modernization of our nuclear arsenal in the united states. the russians have well completed their modernization, and to my mind, it is in our best interest to ensure predictability and stility forhe next fi years until 2-26 so we can ensure we have stability. >> european allies can exhale as they look ahead. >> an extension of the new start treaty is not the end. it should be at the beginning of renewed efforts to strengthen arms control, to look into how we can cover more weapon systems, and also include more nations, for instance china. >> the nato chief is one of those calling for new start to be the new start of wider negotiations, particular lay with beijing, its burgeoning arsenals a concern. the trump administration tried

to bring china to the table. russian military experts say the u.s. should not expect moscow's help. >> at this point, russia is not going to use any pressure on china to join the agreement. such pressure will be absolutely useless and will spoil the russian-chinese relations. >> it's too early to predict future arms-control cooperation. brent: today, germany's parliament marked international holocaust remembrance day, commemorating the 6 million jews and other victims of the nazis. the day falls on the anniversary of the liberation of the nazi concentration camp in auschwitz. speakers at the ceremony in the buddhist dog warned against the resurgence of anti-semitism.

♪ >> a day of remembrance for the victims of the nazi regime. representatives of the country's jewish community took part in the commemoration, including chancellor angela merkel. this year, the ceremony marked 1700 years of jewish life in germany. this holocaust survivor and former head of the central council of jews warned of a worrying recurrence of anti-semitism. >> i don't need to present you with the timeline of anti-semitic incidents. they take place openly, blatantly, almost daily. conspiracy theories are becoming more and more popular. anti-semitism is bringing in votes. it has become socially acceptable again. >> the bundestag's president echoed her concerns.

>> it is devastating to have to admit that our culture of remembrance does not protect us from a brazen reinterpretation or denial of history. nor does it protect us from new forms of racism and anti-semitism, such as those spreading in schoolyards, on the internet, >> chilling reminders remain. this site lies empty due to the pandemic with the 76th anniversary of its liberation marked online by an ever smaller group of survivors. there is concern that the lessons of the past could die with the witnesses. the director of the museum says virtual visits are no match for an in person visit. >> nothing will replace the opportunity to experience the place. it isn't just about seeing and listening.

this is about looking around, walking around, touching, experiencing the perspective, and understading. > he hopes the site can open again soon so people can once more come to remember those murdered in the name of naziism. brent: fewer and fewer survivors of the holocaust remain to tell us their stories. one man who survived the concentration camp survived -- spoke with dw about his experience and the importance of not forgetting. >> this man had a sheltered childhood in a jewish family in transylvania, but it suddenly ended when he was 13 years old. >> the germans occupied transylvania in 1944. a short time later, we were deported to auschwitz.

my entire family was murdered there. through various coincidences, and i can say with gods's help, i stayed alive. >> his sister and mother were immediately killed in the auschwitz gas chambers. he pretended he was older and was sent to various concentration camps for 4 -- for forced labor. >> all the persecution of the jews in auschwitz and doc howe might have hardened or numbed me emotionally. i wano longer able to react to things as a normal person would. >> shortly before liberation, he managed to escape. he later wen to university, built a career, and started a family >> my wife and i livedogether

for seve years before we got married. i never talked about my past with her. sometimes, i feel as if it were sunk in the concrete. in cement. >> now it is important for him to talk about it and about anti-semitism today. that worries the 90-year-old very much. >> a store was selling grapefruit from south america, israeli grapefruit from john for. i built the ones from jaffe, not out of jewish solidarity, but because they taste better, and the lady behind me said, don't buy from jews. >> he can no longer go into schools as a contemporary witness due to the pandemic. talking with young people brought him much joy. >> i am 90 now.

there aren't many survivors my age left. i guess none of us will be left in 20 years. it's good if it is recognized in schools and history books. but you can't make the young generation and the next young generation and the one that follows them all responsible for it. you can't do that. all you can say is, never forget. brent: remembering and learning from this holocaust survivor. you can see more of our coverage of international holocaust remembrance day on our website dw.com. a reminder of the top story we are following. u.s. president joe biden has said his country must lead the global response to the climate crisis. biden made remarks before signing a raft of executive orders aimed at curbing rising temperatures worldwide.

the european union has told astrazeneca it must share vaccines from two plants in britain to make up for delivery delays to the european union. astrazeneca says its contract with europe only mentioned targets rather than legally binding deadlines. you're watching "dw news" from berlin. i'm brent goff. tonight, the haves and have-nots of coronavirus vaccines. can there be a fair way to ensure vaccination for everybody? ♪

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>> you're watching live from paris it is 10:00 here in paris, here are our headlines. disagreement between the european union and drugmaker astrazeneca has intensified did this amidst a shortfall in vaccine supply. more on that coming up at the top of the show. france moves closer to a herd lockdown as the government says current restrictions including a six clock curfew are not allowed -- enough. new beginnings at the u.s. state department as a new leader takes over at the helm, we will get what that signals for foreign policy coming up.