In 2009 Obama made a promise that by 2020 the United States will reduce green house gas emissions by 17%, in order to take steps towards reversing climate change. In the President’s Climate Action plan he spoke about three major goals and also specific initiatives to help successfully reach each goal.
1. Cut Carbon Pollution in America:
In order to protect the health of the American people the amount of carbon emission into the air needs to be controlled by the government. In 2012, the levels of carbon emissions in the United States fell to the lowest level that had been seen in the United States for over twenty years. If the United States moves to making our own clean energy, the economy will also boost as jobs will be created and energy bills will be reduced.
A. Increasing Fuel Economy Standards-
The Obama administration for the first time every set fuel standards for heavy duty vehicles, which are currently the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions within the transportation sector. The administration approximated that these set standards will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 270 million metric tons and save 530 million barrels of oil.
2. Prepare the United States for the Impacts of Climate Change:
Even though steps to prevent climate change are being enforced, Obama plans on preparing the United States for impacts that climate change will have on us. His administration has promised to create stronger roads, shorelines, and bridges so peoples homes can be better protected in case of severe weather which occurs because of climate change.
A. Building Stronger and Safer Communities and Infrastructure-
Many places around the United States have already started preparing for changes that have occurred due to climate change. Hospitals for example need to have a capacity to serve patients during heat waves which will become more frequent. The President will direct specific federal agencies to help in determining what investments are the better choice for the community in regards to climate change. These investments can be made through private and federal programs. Obama wants to direct the agencies to set stands for new infrastructure considering possible future impacts.
3. Lead International Efforts to Combat Global Climate Change and Prepare for its Impacts:
The United States will help to create a global plan against climate change. There is no way one country alone will be able to solve this problem, so Obama plans on joining with other countries to create a strong action plan to fix what has occurred and stop it from continuing to occur.
A. Unlocking Long Term Investments In clean Energy Innovation-
One specific initiative of Obama’s first goal is for the government to continue investing in innovation to help the United States use clean energy. Obama wants the government to continue funding: research, development, and deployment, of clean energy. He wants to achieve this by increasing funding to $7.9 billion which is about a 30% increase across all of the agencies.
Great organization to the post diving it up into the three portions of the plan! Looking on the White House website it looks like progress is being made towards these goals!
I like how much emphasis you put on this administration preparing for climate change. It’s really important to combat climate change but the Climate Action Plan did talk a lot about how we need to brace for the changes to come, and I’m glad you blogged about instead of focusing on how they’ll fight it like I did.