President Barack Obama. (Credit: White House Press)
On Tuesday June 25, 2013, President Obama gave his much anticipated speech on the national action plan for climate change at Georgetown University. He outlined the issues the country is facing due to climate change, including carbon pollution in the atmosphere, Arctic ice melting, ocean warming, and sea level rise. He said that 2012 was the warmest year in history, and saw numerous and severe wildfires, warming in Alaska, higher food prices because of crop drought, and severe storms such as super-storm Sandy. High levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that result when fossil fuels are burned, cause temperatures to rise and result in profound and unprecedented changes to weather patterns. ?The question is not whether we need to act; the question is whether we have the courage to act now before it?s too late,? Obama said.
Obama?s Climate Action Plan outlines multiple steps to reduce the amount of carbon pollution produced. First and foremost, the Environmental Protection Agency will begin limiting pollution from power plants, which is currently unregulated and accounts for 40 percent of carbon emissions. This step would contribute to the goal of reducing carbon pollution by at least 3 billion metric tons by 2030. The plan also calls for doubling the amount of energy produced from wind and sun, which would also create more jobs in wind turbine manufacturing and solar panel installation. Obama also called for strengthening the U.S.?s position as a top natural gas producer, which would create even more jobs and lower heat and energy bills. In addition, he pledged that the federal government will work toward increasing its use of power from renewable energy sources to 20 percent within seven years.
A primary goal of the Climate Action Plan is to waste less energy from cars, homes, and businesses. Emissions standards need to be set for heavy duty trucks and vans because heavy duty vehicles are currently the second largest source of greenhouse gas pollution in the transportation sector. The final step in Obama?s plan is for the U.S. to lead international efforts to combat climate change. The U.S. will need to take ?bold action to reduce carbon emissions and it will take businesses, scientists, farmers, builders and workers to achieve this goal,? Obama said. He called for global free trade in environmental goods and services, but said that the U.S. would end support for financing new coal-fired power plants overseas.
Just days before Obama?s speech, ?Senators Max Baucus (D-MT) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) ?introduced their climate adaption bill, the Safeguarding America?s Future and Environment Act (SAFE; S. 1202), which would require federal agencies that manage natural resources to adopt climate change plans. The SAFE Act would also provide communities with better tools to prepare for extreme weather events while safeguarding tourism and recreation jobs that economies depend on.
Sources: White House Climate Action Plan (June 25, 2013), Senator Baucus and Senator Whitehouse Press Release (June 20, 2013), video of Obama?s Speech.
Source: http://news.wildlife.org/featured/president-announces-climate-change-plan/
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