U.S. Climate Change Policy Set for Change Under Obama

One of President-elect Barack Obama’s stated first objectives in office is to lead the U.S. back into the heart of the global debate on climate change, ending the country’s years of isolation from other leading industrialized nations. Obama has pledged a demolition of the policies in place since March 2001 dealing with global warming.

He has called climate change “one of the greatest moral challenges of our generation,” and proposes cutting carbon emissions 80 percent by 2050 by implementing a cap-and-trade system.

Efforts to craft a more ambitious successor to the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012, has been stalled by a standoff between the United States and developing nations. Obama — in his election manifesto, has pledged that his administration will take a more active role engaging with other nations to find climate change solutions.

In addition, Obama promised an “Apollo project” that will generate jobs and provide energy security through a new alternative energy economy.

“That’s going to be my number one priority when I get into office,” Obama has said of his “green recovery” plan. “We’ll invest $15 billion a year over the next decade in renewable energy, creating five million new green jobs that pay well, can’t be outsourced and help end our dependence on foreign oil.”

To marshal support for his plan, Obama argues that investment in renewables will create a significant number of new jobs. He also emphasizes that energy efficiency is linked to national security, weaning the U.S. away from imported fossil fuels.

The process of putting a new administration in place while securing support for emissions curbs isn’t going to be easy — especially when millions of Americans are worried how the plan will impact the nation’s sick economy. Then there is the mammoth challenge of getting a carbon emissions bill through Congress – not expected until 2010 at the earliest. We’ll be watching closely as the incoming president’s new direction takes shape.

1 comment November 5th, 2008