With Congress discussing climate and budgeting for an energy overhaul, Obama tells the world: We'll lead, you follow.
Amanda Worley 1:28
President Barack Obama took a turn on the international stage this week, resulting in a $1 trillion agreement on international banking and regulation. It’s a good thing right now to be finding international solutions to our international economic mess. Especially at a time when unemployment rates are hitting 8.5%; we can’t help but be excited about something else.President Obama spoke about the United States leading by example in the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and confront global warming. This is a huge change from the Bush Administration policy that has been described as "we're all in this together -- including you, China and India" and at worst could be viewed as "head stuck firmly where the temperature remains constant".
Back in the states, a sweeping House bill is being laid down that would both set up a cap-and-trade regulation for carbon emissions from power plants and factories and reduce emissions from the transportation sector – all with the goal of slashing emissions 20% within about 10 years. A target that is more aggressive than Obama had set, but it's certainly in line with recommendations from scientists.
Really, the time to act upon global warming was several years ago. Previous estimates had assumed we had till the end of the century before we'd see a dramatic change, but as with just about every other indicator of the pace of global warming, the changes are coming faster, and are proving more intense than previously predicted even by many worst-case scenarios.
http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/global-warming-obama-47040301
4.3.2009 9:11 AM - By Dan Shapley
1 comment:
you are right, the time to act upon it was many years ago, but all we can do now is to act as fast as we can to diminish the effects of global warming, this is a good step, but every country should do the same, and even in more drastic ways.
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