DOMESTIC
VANDERBILT POLITICAL REVIEW
The Climate Action Plan
E
arlier this year, President Obama
finally made good on promises
from his second inaugural address
by outlining a climate policy for his second term. The initiative relies heavily on
executive orders to meet the Administration’s 2009 pledge to reduce American
carbon dioxide emissions to seventeen
percent below 2005 levels, and as such,
has been met with significant controversy.
Many environmentalists lauded Obama’s
far-reaching policy speech at Georgetown
University on June 25th, praising the mobilization of federal agencies to impose
higher fuel efficiency standards and invest in sustainable energy technology.
Opponents of the controversial Keystone
XL pipeline were particularly pleased
with the President’s unexpected comments that the pipeline will be built only
if “this project does not significantly exacerbate the problem of carbon pollution.”
Some economists, and many Republi-
An uphill battle for President Obama
by EMMETT McKINNEY ‘16
cans, however, vehemently oppose the
President’s plan. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) even described it as a “war
on coal,” warning that the higher energy
industry standards outlined in the policy
will raise prices and cost Americans jobs
without producing any tangible benefits.
Before evaluating the challenges facing the policy, let us first accept that the
world is, in fact, warming, and that the
effects of this warming have already tangibly affected human civilization. We
know that these effects are tied to rising
levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. There is no doubt that the global
economy’s burning of fossil fuels to meet
energy demands emits huge amounts of
carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases. Even if the warming we
experience today is part of some natural
cycle of warming and cooling, changing
human practices is pivotal in combating
climate change over the next century. The
United States, as the world’s carbon-emissions-per-capita leader, must play a crucial role in addressing climate change, but
how effective is the President’s most recent climate policy? And will it be enough
to make a significant difference without restricting the American economy?
Altogether, the Obama administration’s
Climate Action Plan is rhetorically inspiring. Unfortunately, the reality is that the
United States cannot reel in global climate change alone, so the heavy-handed
reform could lead to unintended consequences in the United States before producing much tangible benefit. The plan
has many strengths, however; its emphasis on investing in research and development of clean energy alternatives is
much needed. Additionally, the encouragement of international cooperation in
combating climate-related issues is crucial. Whereas developed industrial nations
already rely heavily on fossil fuels, the
The question is not
whether we need to
act. The question is
whether we will have
the courage to act
before it’s too late.
-President Barack
Obama
White House
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